Every hour your sales team spends on back-and-forth scheduling — phone calls to confirm availability, text messages to rearrange times — is an hour not spent selling. The Car Spot Appointment Scheduler lets buyers book test drives and vehicle viewings directly through your listings, at any time of day, without your team needing to be involved until the appointment is confirmed.
For Greek dealers operating in busy urban markets like Athens and Thessaloniki, where buyers often browse listings late in the evening and want to secure a slot before someone else does, online appointment booking is a genuine competitive advantage. This guide explains how to set it up and get the most from it on Car Spot.
How the Car Spot Appointment Scheduler Works
Once enabled in your Car Spot Dealer Dashboard, each vehicle listing displays a "Book a test drive" button. Buyers click this button, select from your available time slots, enter their contact details, and receive an instant confirmation. You receive a notification in your Car Spot inbox and the booking appears in your Appointments Calendar. If you need to reschedule, you can do so from the dashboard and the buyer receives an automatic update.
- Set your available days and hours for appointments — Car Spot blocks out times that are already booked
- Set a minimum notice period so buyers cannot book for the next five minutes
- Enable or disable appointment booking per listing — useful for vehicles that are reserved
- Automatic confirmation messages are sent to buyers by email or SMS
- Reminder messages can be sent 24 hours before the appointment to reduce no-shows
Setting Up Your Availability
Go to Dashboard > Appointments > Availability to configure your scheduling hours. Greek dealerships typically set availability Monday to Saturday, with Saturday slots often the most popular for buyers who work weekdays. Set your appointment duration — typically 30 to 45 minutes for a test drive including time to discuss the vehicle — and a buffer between appointments so your team has time to prepare the next vehicle.
Reducing No-Shows with Automatic Reminders
No-shows are a frustrating reality for any dealership. The Car Spot Appointment Scheduler sends automatic reminder messages to buyers 24 hours before their appointment, significantly reducing the rate of missed appointments. The reminder includes the appointment time, dealership address, and a link to reschedule or cancel if needed — so if a buyer cannot make it, you find out in advance rather than waiting around.
Managing Your Appointments Calendar
All booked appointments appear in the Car Spot Appointments Calendar, which provides a day and week view of your upcoming schedule. Each appointment shows the buyer's name, contact details, the vehicle they want to view, and any notes they added when booking. If you have multiple salespeople, appointments can be assigned to specific team members. The calendar syncs with standard calendar applications so your team can view the schedule in their preferred tool.
After the Appointment: Logging the Outcome
After each appointment, mark the outcome in Car Spot: completed, no-show, or converted to sale. Over time, this data helps you understand your conversion rate from test drives to sales, identify which vehicles generate the most appointment activity, and refine your follow-up process for buyers who attended but did not purchase on the day.
