LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. — Car buyers are now able to sign off on a complete deal, without even stepping foot on a dealership lot.
Employees with Bob Sight Ford said it's been an adjustment.
"But we’re moving with the times the best we can," Manager Brian Sight said. "We’re trying to take care of our customers in our community the best we can."
Since the pandemic, they've adjusted their hours and are currently working with a smaller staff.
They, like many dealerships, are now doing virtual deal, where you can trade and complete a deal all online.
"We’ve always had the capability to do virtual deals, which we have done in the past, but it’s definitely more so today than ever before," Sight said.
Test driving a car is also changing.
"Test drives have changed quite a bit. We can bring them to people’s house," Sight said. "We’re doing virtual test drives as well, being able to use your phone or any device that you can do video conference on."
In-person test drives are still available, however, it is by appointment only. Vehicles are wiped down and disinfected before and after they're in use.
Several dealerships are creating more incentives and rebates to tackle the adjustment of fewer people coming in.
"Ford has supported us throughout this entire situation, with three months deferred and they also pay three payments on certain vehicle lines and we can go over that with customers in different avenues," Sight said.
When it comes to servicing a vehicle, Sight says there's a non-contact drop off.
All high touch points both inside and outside the car are wiped down as it comes in.
