The automotive group has introduced Mc, an AI-powered assistant designed to help customers navigate the products and services available across the Bidvest McCarthy ecosystem.
Buying a car rarely starts with knowing the exact make, model and derivative you want.
Sometimes the starting point is simply: “I need an SUV for my family for under R500 000.” Or perhaps: “I want a reliable used automatic for under R300 000.”
For an existing vehicle owner, the question may be completely different: “Where can I service my car?” or “I want to sell my current vehicle – where do I start?”
Bidvest McCarthy wants finding the answer to questions like these to become a lot simpler.
The automotive group has introduced Mc, an AI-powered assistant designed to help customers navigate the products and services available across the Bidvest McCarthy ecosystem through a more natural, conversational experience.
Instead of first deciding which section of a website to visit, which filter to select or which dealership to contact, customers can start with a simple question about what they need.
Start with what you need, not what you need to search for
The traditional online car-shopping journey can require a fair amount of searching.
A customer may need to choose a manufacturer, select a model, compare derivatives, review pricing and then search available stock. That works well when you already know exactly what you want.
But many buyers don’t.
They know their budget, how they intend to use the vehicle and some of the features that matter to them.
That is where a conversational experience becomes useful.
A customer could, for example, ask Mc to help them find a vehicle suited to a particular budget, lifestyle or requirement. Bidvest McCarthy has already been positioning Mc as a tool that can help users narrow down vehicle choices according to their needs and budget.
That changes the starting point from searching through cars to simply explaining what you are looking for.
More than just finding a new car
Mc also sits within a much broader Bidvest McCarthy digital ecosystem.
Through Bidvest McCarthy, motorists can already search new, used, demo and commercial vehicles, explore special offers, sell or trade in a vehicle, book a service and access a range of other motoring products and services. The group also operates a nationwide dealer network of more than 100 dealerships.
This means the potential conversation with Mc does not have to end once a vehicle has been found.
Someone thinking about changing cars may need to understand what options are available for their current vehicle. Bidvest McCarthy’s Sell My Car service allows motorists to submit their vehicle information and begin the valuation and selling process online.
An existing customer may simply need assistance finding the right place to service their vehicle. Bidvest McCarthy already provides online service booking, including real-time bookings at selected dealerships.
The benefit is that these needs can increasingly be approached as part of one connected customer journey rather than as completely separate online tasks.
Making a large choice easier to navigate
Choice is one of Bidvest McCarthy’s biggest strengths.
Its network represents a wide range of automotive brands and offers new, used, demo and commercial vehicles alongside servicing, parts and other vehicle ownership services.
But more choice can also mean more research for the customer.
Mc provides a way of helping to simplify that complexity.
Consider a motorist who knows they need a seven-seater but has not settled on a brand. Another customer may be looking for a bakkie that fits both a particular budget and a particular use case. Someone else may simply want to know what used vehicles are available within their price range.
These are questions that are naturally suited to conversation.
Instead of expecting every customer to understand the structure of a dealership website, the idea is to allow the customer to describe the outcome they want and help guide them towards the relevant vehicles or services.
AI supporting the dealership experience
The introduction of Mc does not remove the importance of dealerships or knowledgeable sales and service teams.
It helps improve the journey before the customer reaches them.
A customer who can narrow down what they are looking for, discover relevant vehicles and identify the right next step online can have a more focused conversation when they are ready to enquire.
For Bidvest McCarthy, AI is therefore less about adding technology for technology’s sake and more about reducing friction between a customer’s question and the product or service that can answer it.
The automotive industry has spent years making more information available online. The next challenge is making all that information easier for customers to navigate.
Sometimes the simplest way to do that is to allow people to ask a question in the same way they would ask another person.
Looking for your next car, thinking about selling your current vehicle or trying to find the right Bidvest McCarthy service? Visit https://ai.mccarthy.co.za/ and ask Mc.
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