With a complete view of how all your shops are performing and access to the tools needed to make changes quickly, shop management systems help run your shop with smooth and agile business operations, provide a consistent experience for customers, and ultimately maximize revenue and support your shop's growth.
Features such as unified reporting across all your shops and shared customer history work to create seamless processes for managing your business as a centralized organization.
Shop management systems with built-in Multi-Shop functionality remove information silos, making it easy for owners to manage all of their locations as a unified business organization.
Tekmetric Multi-Shop makes it easy to monitor, view, and update all of your shop locations from anywhere at any time. By removing the information silos that exist in other solutions, owners can make the best decisions with a complete view of their business' performance.
With a Multi-Shop capable platform, owners and managers can easily access and review important metrics across all locations, including revenue, car count, average repair order, rejected work, approved work, and so much more.
The power is truly in the flexibility and centralization of all your shops’ data. Owners can even drill down on specific shop locations or compare different aspects of their business with a complete bird’s-eye view.
With so many customers, individual repairs, estimates, digital vehicle inspections, and not to mention all of the data collecting and reporting options available in a shop management system, it's critical to ensure your information is organized properly.
Even just having multiple customer histories between different locations can throw off your financial reports or parts inventory management by adding in redundancies. Shops that are still writing things down manually on pen and paper, or trying to force other software solutions to work for their business, are leaving a lot of potential on the table. A better handle on all your data makes it easier to manage your business, and even shows you the opportunities to increase your average repair order value.
That's why shop owners with multiple locations should really consider using a multi-shop management platform that creates consistent, unified data processes. With the same collection and reporting processes, the same values being measured and all of the results in the same place, you can easily figure out what's happening where, and why.
The digital experience has become standard, and customers have developed new expectations for continuity of care. Like being able to return an item they bought online in a store, at any location. We expect that the store will have a view into what we bought, where and when we bought it, and how much we paid for it.
With Shared Customer History in Tekmetric, shops can provide that exact same level of continuity between locations. For example, one shop using Tekmetric Multi-Shop has two specific locations: one focused on repair work, and the other specializing more in vintage and performance upgrades.
With shared customer history, the performance shop can see exactly what repairs and maintenance the customer had done, or even declined, to provide better service and recommendations for their planned upgrades or repair work.
One of the best aspects of a shop management system is the ability to create quick, seamless and efficient workflows for your entire team. Service Writers will love the ability to build estimates and apply canned jobs with just a few clicks. Technicians will love the ability to view their schedules and upcoming work to plan out their day. Owners will love the ability to organize all their data into unified reports.
And, of course, with the right Multi-Shop management system, owners, managers and service writers can gain access to all these powerful workflow tools across multiple locations. And that can be tailored down to locations they specifically focus on, or a more birds-eye view for a complete picture.
For example, Service Writers can configure or apply different canned jobs across multiple locations, or create a consistent digital vehicle inspection process at every location to ensure the same level of detailed analysis and care is provided to every repair order.
When managing multiple shops, it's not uncommon to have different locations serving different clients, different cars, or have a different focus all together.
Depending on these market differences across your shops, owners can configure and tailor offers or discounts in some shops but not others. Owners and managers also have the ability to tailor and configure different payment methods, like text-to-pay, and build different experiences around them.
For example, one shop owner allows for customers to drop off and pick up their vehicles, even when the shop is closed. Meanwhile their other locations are more walk-in based and don't provide this flexibility. Owners can configure one shop to allow text-to-pay functionality, while the other shop offers pay-as-you-go options for walk-ins that didn't expect such a high repair bill.
With a personalized experience, customers feel like your shop is there to truly support them. Better experiences lead to happier customers, happier customers lead to repeat business, and repeat business of course leads to increased revenue.
And when managing multiple shop locations, it's critical to have the right tools and processes in place to create a unified experience. Gain back time, make better decisions, and maximize your margins at every shop with powerful tools and reports from an auto repair shop management system.
It is often said that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” When it comes to vehicle inspections, you could even say a photo is worth a thousand happy customers. Digital vehicle inspections (DVIs), complete with photos and videos, give your customers a clear picture of their vehicle’s status and empower them to make well-informed decisions regarding repairs. This not only enhances the customer experience but also fosters a culture of trust and builds long-lasting relationships. Take a look at three ways DVIs can drive growth and success in your shop:
Digital vehicle inspections provide the clearest way your associates can tell a customer what you found within their vehicle and the possible solutions. Using the media the technician captures, the vehicle owner is empowered to make a knowledgeable decision based on your technical knowledge and experience.
Sending the customer six to eight photos and videos more than 50% of the time leads to a higher ARO. Not sending enough photos and videos may not give the customer enough information on the health of their vehicle. Conversely, too many images and videos can overwhelm the customer. Capturing the full state of the vehicle with just the right number of photos and videos facilitates a culture of transparency and builds trust with customers, enhancing their experience and leading to more repeat business.
“I should only get my car inspected if something seems off.” Wrong! A great way to view DVIs is to think about them in terms of overall vehicle health. A thorough DVI can not only provide insight into the customer’s original complaint; it can also give you a full picture of other issues that might be impacting the vehicle or will in the future. Just as you might need blood work and X-Rays for a correct diagnosis from your doctor, a DVI done correctly can provide insight into the health of your vehicle and help technicians make strong, educated repair recommendations.
Completing a routine “check-up” with DVIs can verify if the vehicle is in top-notch shape or proactively identify issues a customer might not see. Even if a customer does not want regular check-ups, technicians can still complete a thorough DVI when the vehicle comes in for repairs and potentially prevent further issues down the road. DVIs go beyond simply making a profit. They are a tool used to build a relationship with customers and ensure their safety on the road.
DVIs seek to leave no questions unanswered. When vehicle owners are presented with the option for a repair, they need to know two things: information about the problem and the benefits of the repair. This is where DVIs come in as an opportunity to educate the vehicle owner and give them the information they need to make the right decision.
With Tekmetric’s MotoVisuals integration, the recommended repairs in a DVI are accompanied by educational videos and animations that give more context to the issue and how the technician’s proposed repair can benefit the vehicle owner. This provides a greater understanding of the repair process for your customers – they can even share the videos with a car-minded partner or friend for a second opinion. By educating the customer on the purpose of a repair, it gives them more confidence in your shop.
Ultimately, DVIs lead to a higher close ratio and ARO because they present the information in a transparent manner that leads to greater trust. When vehicle owners can see the why behind their repairs and understand the value of the solutions you are offering them, they’re more likely to return. As a result, you are setting your shop to experience increased customer retention, stronger relationships with your customers and ultimately, greater profitability.
Shop Management
Customer Experience
September 20, 2024
When it comes to auto repair, a great customer experience can make the difference between a customer returning for future repairs or not. At Tekmetric, we recognize the importance of creating an excellent experience for your shop’s customers that meets their expectations and keeps them returning again and again. To accomplish this, we strive to offer a solution that helps you meet four key pillars of the customer experience: convenience, comfort, trust and loyalty.
For vehicle owners, choosing the most convenient shop is not necessarily about going to the closest shop. Rather, convenience is a matter of choosing the shop that makes their life easier.
With approximately 50% of all business shopping completed outside of regular business hours, convenience goes a long way – especially when it comes to auto repair. Customers may need to drop their vehicle off and pick it up later, rather than waiting in the lobby. They may even request to complete pick up after business hours. In all cases, convenient solutions can keep the pick-up process smooth and painless for both you and the customer.
Tekmetric’s two-way texting opens the door of convenience for vehicle owners. Two-way texting meets the customer where they are – anytime, anywhere. The vehicle owner can access updates to their repair process through a simple text, even from their office desk. Additionally, two-way texting can integrate with Tekmetric’s text-to-pay feature, so customers can pay from work or home, then come pick up the vehicle at their own convenience.
Traditionally, we think of comfort in a physical sense. For example, we might say, “that chair is comfortable.” Customers choose who they do business with based on how comfortable of an experience they receive. Having the tools and resources that ease the tension inherent with getting a vehicle repaired is critical to making a customer feel comfortable. One example that is often overlooked is the payments experience.
With Tekmetric’s “Buy Now, Pay Later,” option, shop owners can offer vehicle owners the opportunity to complete necessary repairs and pay in installments over time. An experience like this can make vehicle repair affordable and comfortable, no matter what the customer’s budget is.
Trust between an auto repair shop and vehicle owners is paramount. Not only can it make the repair process smoother for all parties during the repair, but it also contributes to building a lasting relationship for future repairs. A customer is more likely to trust you when you have demonstrated that you can create an experience that is convenient, comfortable and transparent.
Digital vehicle inspections (DVIs) are a great opportunity to educate vehicle owners on the health of their car by providing them with recommended repairs accompanied by photos and videos. Through DVIs, technicians can offer a holistic, transparent evaluation of the customer’s vehicle by highlighting both areas in need of repair and parts that are working well. The result? Customers can gain a better understanding of the technician’s findings, making them more likely to approve work – and return for future repairs.
Prioritizing customer convenience, comfort and trust contributes to an enduring sense of customer loyalty. Building loyalty drives your shop’s bottom line in the long term. A good experience for one vehicle owner can lead to a domino effect within their personal network, as they return for future repairs and make referrals to others. Therein lies the hidden gem of long-standing, thriving businesses: strong customer loyalty.
One of the ways to strengthen customer loyalty is through education and clear communication. Our integration with MotoVisuals demonstrates Tekmetric’s commitment to education and clear communication by showing customers what is wrong with their vehicle instead of simply telling them. Informing vehicle owners about the health of their car accompanied with pictures and educational videos creates a dynamic that is forthcoming, honest and geared towards educating the customer while also ensuring the car gets repaired.
A customer-centric approach can drive your shop’s performance and establish an excellent customer experience. Use these four pillars – convenience, comfort, trust and loyalty – to drive your shop, and you will create a seamless experience for your customers from start to finish. Whether it’s meeting them where they are financially or educating them about a repair, you can establish a consistent, excellent experience that attracts and retains loyal customers now and far into the future.
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The reality is that now is a better time than ever to set your auto repair shop up for success, and even start laying the foundation for multi-shop growth. Especially for shop owners willing to take the time to embrace a new toolset: a modern shop management system.
In our latest Auto Repair Industry Index we took a look at recent industry trends across the country, compiled data from industry resources, and compared it to our Tekmetric data. What we found was really promising!
With a cloud-based SMS, shops can leverage amazing features like Default Inspections and Smart Jobs to not only simplify their workflows and smooth out their operations to run like a well-oiled machine but also set their business up for future growth and success.
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