Are you still spending time on every little detail in your shop? If you are, then it’s time to start automating. Time is not only precious when you’re trying to efficiently manage a business, but it’s also money. Luckily, there are many ways you can start automating your shop or dealership so you can work smarter, not harder.
Taking the time to market your shop without automation could be a full-time job in and of itself. There’s a lot that needs to be done to draw in not only new customers but to retain your existing base as well.
Did you know that your website basically serves as your digital storefront? Consumers are savvier these days in general, and they’re looking online for the best place to take their vehicle. These vehicle owners are going to be searching for reviews and for a website that tells them all the information they’re looking for as they search for a reliable place to take their car or truck.
A strong website is important for drawing in those potential customers. If you don’t already have one, our website product can help you create an SEO-optimized website easily. But more importantly, it also enables you to put an appointment scheduler on your site, even if you already have an existing site. Having an appointment scheduler on your shop or dealership’s website allows you to passively draw in business through your online channels, freeing up some of the time (and money) spent on prospecting new business.
If you’re not utilizing marketing emails you could be missing out on great opportunities to further engage your customer base. Set up automated reminder emails to give an extra nudge to vehicle owners or even devise other types of campaigns to offer promotions and entice customers back into your showroom.
If you know your customer base isn’t a super tech-savvy bunch, don’t worry, you can still automate your communication. Postcards are a great way to drum up business—they’ve been a tried and true method for a long time now. Through automotive marketing software you can make the whole process seamless and painless, all while being as effective as possible.
Easily send postcards with discounts only to those who wouldn’t be coming through your door on their own, so you can have a more targeted marketing strategy. And if you’re not sure where to start or don’t want to spend time designing a mailer, our pre-built library can take care of that. Best of all, our system takes a lot of the guesswork out of determining which customers should be sent a mailer. Based on your budget, the system will automatically prioritize which customers get sent a personalized postcard.
When it comes to streamlining your shop and making things easier, there’s nothing quite like a digital vehicle inspection. From start to finish, the entire process is made easier. When a car pulls up to your shop, your technicians are able to move around the vehicle, take pictures and make notes, all on a tablet.
The finished report includes the images, any explanations, and is also color-coded with green, yellow, or red to signify priority so that the vehicle owner can not only see what your technician sees but can also understand everything completely. Customer education can be difficult and time-consuming, but with a digital vehicle inspection, everything is laid out for them so they can feel comfortable saying yes to any recommended services.
These reports can be customized to the way your shop or dealership does business, but there are also canned jobs available so you don’t have to spend extra time if you don’t need or want to.
One of the best features? The digital vehicle inspection can easily be texted to the customer, making after-hours pickups that much easier and saving you the hassle.
Speaking of pickups and texting, payments can also be made simple so your shop can better serve your customers’ schedules without creating a headache for you in the process. With our software, you can text a customer their invoice and they can pay right then and there on their phone with mobile payments.
For marketing to be effective it needs to continuously work to nurture your existing customer base and draw in new ones. Word of mouth used to be a great way for a loyal customer to refer a shop, and just because we’re in the digital age doesn’t mean this has died out—it’s just evolved.
Reviews are huge for consumers today and making sure you’re getting your customers to sing your praises online is important to drum up new business and establish confidence before they give you a call. Much like payments, a link will be texted to your customer for them to leave a review after their service. Automated and simple.
Time is money, so what are you waiting for? If your shop isn’t automated you could be missing out on so much productivity and revenue. Just because there’s a lot that can be automated doesn’t mean that you have to put in a lot of work to implement it. Request a demo today with one of our product specialists and see what automation can do for you.