MINNEAPOLIS and ALPHARETTA, Ga. -

Contact At Once has acquired the Direct Chat business of Outsell, and the companies also announced an agreement Wednesday in which they will integrate Contact at Once’s live chat software with Outsell’s Digital Engagement Platform for mutual customers.

Outsell decided to “spin off” its Direct Chat unit in order to be able to put more focus on developing its Software-as-a-Service Digital Engagement Platform. This particular tool is designed to give automakers, agencies, marketing associations and dealerships a way to share in developing brand-consistent, analytics-driven cross-channel marketing programs.

“We feel strongly that chat is an essential part of an automotive dealer's cross-channel arsenal, and came to the conclusion that we could best serve our clients’ needs by partnering with the company who is the market leader,” says Mike Wethington, chief executive officer of Outsell.

 “Contact At Once’s strong track record in the industry, glowing dealer recommendations and innovative products made them the hands-down choice.”

Going back to the strategic agreement the companies have entered that will integrate (for mutual customers) Contact At Once’s live chat software with Outsell's Digital Engagement Platform, the companies listed the following as some of the features customers will be able to utilize:

•    Tightly integrated chat performance reporting
•    The ability to directly engage with consumers browsing inventory — not only on dealership websites but also third party sites, social media, online advertising, mobile ads and more — via both chat and text
•    Flexible options for answering chats and texts, including self-service and managed
•    Mobile-optimized options for chat and text connections

On Wednesday, dealers who had Outsell-branded Direct Chat on their websites made the move over to Contact At Once software and services.  

Other dealers serviced by Outsell’s chat center can choose to transition later. The companies also said they are giving detailed transition plans to partners and customers.

 “We are pleased to welcome our new customers to the Contact At Once family and we look forward to partnering with Outsell on the development of new innovative digital engagement solutions for our mutual customers,” said John Hanger, CEO of Contact At Once.

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