Tech Tools Help Shops Communicate With Customers—and Profit
Where do quick maintenance customers tend to go first when they need information? Online. But even when they pull just into the vicinity of your shop, technology can give them volumes of information in an instant. And that’s why technology is a prime ally for shop owners.
Once a customer is in eyesight of your business, there are ways that tech can help make sure those drivers pull in for service. Rob Meng, founder and CEO of FasterLines, a software company based in Louisburg, North Carolina, offers one such product.
“We started out helping Strickland Bros. (10 Minute Oil Change) in Winston-Salem keep track of time in the bays and wait times for cars,” Meng says. “We can show the team the wait time (digitally).”
Meng says that FasterLines is currently launching a new service to let customers know from the street (via digital signage) if there’s zero wait time at a business like Strickland Bros.
In terms of technicians in the shop, do they feel pressure knowing that technology is monitoring how quickly they can provide service and how many customers are waiting outside for an oil change? Meng says not today—tools like his company’s are viewed on their merit for helping increase productivity, and so he finds that techs have buy-in at all levels.
Age doesn’t seem to matter in how techs view the technology, either, Meng notes. “Originally techs may have felt like the technology was watching them, but now shops like Strickland Bros. pay by how many customers there are and how fast they [can] get them through.”
The video generated from FasterLines’ technology helps with training the tech team, as well.
As Meng describes, “The video lets [shops] see exactly what’s happening in service. Most of the managers at shops are so busy that they oftentimes don’t know if there’s something going on [that can be addressed]. To have the manager be able to see the same problem over and over helps fix it.”
He adds, “Essentially, this information gives managers and the whole team eyes in the back of their heads.”
Relationship Management
Gregg Rainville is senior vice president of Steer, a Boston-based company that provides customer relationship management (CRM) software specifically designed to help shops communicate with customers and keep them coming back. As Rainville describes it, “If I’m new to an area and type in ‘oil change near me,’ typically you’ll get Google business listings. We help drive Google reviews by getting feedback from customers after you close a ticket at the shop.”
Steer’s CRM tech tool also has integrations with Google that help improve a shop’s online info. According to Rainville, these integrations help make it easy for customers to look at price points and other information they need from a simple online menu.
“Customers can also request an appointment time,” he says. And he stresses to owners that a shop’s Google page and website work hand-in-hand to make sure business stays strong.
Bottom line: You have to consider the customer journey—and when a customer or potential customer types in “oil change near me,” you want to make your name is on the list when a Google page pops up. That, plus good customers reviews and a button to your website.
The whole process of getting good Google reviews online begins right after a customer leaves your business armed with a positive experience (hopefully) that’s fresh in their minds.
Rainville says Steer’s CRM tool also texts service reminders to customers. A recent addition to the platform allows for two-way texting. This means your shop can go back and forth with a customer who needs to text you back about their service, so no personal cellphone numbers for you or anyone else at your business are given out anymore. “And that’s a relief for shop owners,” he adds.
Steer is also working on an app that lets quick maintenance customers get a mobile experience optimized to their cellphone or tablet, Rainville reports.
Staying Connected
With any tech tools for customer communication today, the goal is to provide ease and speed. Because, in the end for businesses, it’s all about getting and keeping the car count high.
However, “A lot of the shops I walk into don’t really understand their customer database,” Rainville finds. “We have a business insight tab at Steer that can find, for instance, 300 customers driving around with pass-through services. It’s a great analytics tool. Who are the customers driving around that need to come back in? You can [then] create special [marketing] campaigns just for them.”
At the end of the day, new technology tools are proving invaluable to quick maintenance owners and providing serious ROI, according to Rainville (30% year over year) and Meng (an average of 10-12 times ROI on monthly service). And it all boils down to enhanced customer communication.
Meng sums it up simply: “If customers feel forgotten, they are less likely to come back.” And tech is helping with that.
