How automotive technology changed repair shops, today and forever…
It is very obvious today, that we are working in a technical world, with new advancements in innovation for Auto Shops with a focus on new technology. When talking about changes in transportation and Auto Repair Shops there is no need to go all the way back to horse-drawn carriages or even the steam engine cars to see how much technology has evolved the Auto Repair Industry.
Once manufacturers like Ford had developed a way to standardize vehicle parts, mechanics, dealerships and mechanic shops became a valuable asset to the auto industry. Most mechanics started out as young children, equipped with a small toolset that consisted of wrenches, a flat-head and a Phillips head screwdriver.
After years of elbow grease, pit time and growing love for these motorized machines, these young apprentices were well trained for the real world of mechanics.
When you take a look at the world of Auto Repair Shops and mechanics, quite a few things have changed over the last few decades.
Stronger Focus Towards Mobile & Online Scheduled Maintenance
With Technology Giants like Google moving more of its Search Engine to include and focus on Mobile Searches for Repair Shops in the local area. Garages are capitalizing on business, by staying ahead of the curve. The first step is making sure that your Auto Repair Website is smartphone ready, in technology terms, this is called “a responsive website” which means that it will display on all devices, including Desktop, Mobile and Tablets. This ensures no matter what customers are using to find you, if they search, ”find auto mechanic” your site is able to come up in a search.
Other Features to Consider for Online Scheduling:
- The ability to input Customer Car Information (year, make, model)
This will give the Auto Garage a heads up, so you will know what you need to fix. You may even be able to get parts ahead of time if you know what the problem is. - Booking the Date and Time for a Service Repair
Having a centralized system where all of your bookings can be reviewed and edited from any location where you have the internet is a brilliant way to stay organized and on top of all repairs, before double bookings or lost notes happen. - Receive an Instant Quote
Some more advanced booking systems will allow the Auto Shop Owner to input pricing for simple jobs like oil changes. Customers might be more willing to do business with a Garage that displays all car maintenance costs online. - Email Booking Confirmations and Reminders
Ever wonder how many clients lose track of time and forget to bring their car or truck into the shop. How about an automated system that sends emails to the customer to confirm the booking, and sends out periodic reminders closer to the date of repair.
We find more and more mechanics and auto repair shops are presenting their customers with maintenance plans or scheduled emails to stay on top of routine maintenance, new sales and promotions and customer service surveys.
Better Customer Service
Cars don’t need to go to the shop as often as they used to which means customer loyalty isn’t an easy task. It is a known fact that it is much cheaper to keep a current customer than to bring in a new one. Investing a small amount of money to give your current customers a positive experience and in order to become repeat customers will usually be less than you would have spent on advertising or marketing to attain brand new customers.
On way to increase customer service would be to include a program like becoming a Tech-Net Professional Garage which can help services your customer in all sorts of areas, including National Warranty Coverage for any parts that are installed by a certified Tech-Net Garage.
Here is what the Tech-Net Warranty Has to Offer your Clients.
When you have service and repairs performed at a TECH-NET PROFESSIONAL AUTO SERVICE® centre, you’re covered by a Worry-free Driving Nationwide Warranty. The Worry-free Driving Nationwide Warranty reaches across North America when you need it most providing vehicle protection on qualifying service and repairs. TECH-NET PROFESSIONAL AUTO SERVICE® centres will protect your new car warranty and are committed to providing a successful and pleasant automotive service experience.
Virtual Vehicle MD – Animated Repair Videos
Today’s vehicle service customers are sophisticated consumers who demand clear and concise information when spending money on their vehicle servicing and repairs. They will not approve repair recommendations they do not fully understand or that they don’t believe to be genuine.
What to do if you are a garage owner? Surely no one has time to explain the inner workings of a complete brake line job. Right?
Service advisors can find the task of explaining technically complex vehicle repairs very difficult, especially when the customer has left the service location and has to be contacted by telephone. With Virtual Vehicle a repair shop can send videos via email, explaining the exact repair to the customers, presented to them electronically in the way of an animated video.
These animated car repair videos are fast and to the point and can explain complex repairs to customers setting their minds at ease and really increasing the TRUST factor in an Auto Repair Garage, that took the time to send over a video explaining exactly what is happening to vehicle and why they needed to invest the type of money that they needed to keep their family safe on a vehicle repair.
Better Auto Diagnostic Tools & Mobile Phone Apps
In the old days one of the best sensors a person could have to find the problem with one’s car was one’s nose. Usually, with a few turns of the wrench or a quick part swap, all was back to normal.
When you look under the hood of any car now, there is hardly any room to move around. There are wires, pipes and plastic containers all over the place. Even something as simple as changing a damaged headlight becomes a full-day chore.
Naturally all of these parts are connected to the vehicle’s master computer, which is now the first place to check. There’s no need to go into a panic when the Check Engine Light comes on! For ease of diagnostics and troubleshooting, automotive scanners have been a real godsend for mechanics and technicians. Most Auto Garage Owners have the best handheld scanners around for today’s professional technicians.
It is possible that cars don’t need to be tinkered with so often, but when they do, the professionals need to be ready. Professional tools help things get done faster and with little guess work, if you are looking for the best in Auto Equipment and Diagnostic Tools you can shop directly from our Tools & Auto Equipment Flyer.
Auto Repair/ Auto Parts Mobile Phone Apps:
Also joining the auto tech revolution here is the influx of new smartphone apps that allow auto technicians a quick reference guide to look up VIN numbers or any parts you may be searching for in a pinch.
These little apps pack real punch with a complete online catalog of auto parts, from most auto parts manufacturers so you can find Monroe shocks or an Interstate Deep Cycle Battery with a few clicks or an SKU scan. We love these Mobile App Helpers so much, that we put together the 5 Mobile Apps For Garage Owners you shouldn’t live without.
Order Online/ Auto Repair Delivery Service
Just Think about the future of Auto Repair. A customer books a repair online with your shop, They scan the Vehicle’s Vin Number and send it over to you. You also know what type of vehicle service the customer needs ahead of time and the complete vehicle type. Emails get sent out automatically reminding the customer of when the appointment is and animated repair videos on how the repair will be done.
Parts are ordered ahead of time or on the day of the repair via Carquest’s portal, Order Auto Parts Online and all parts delivered directly to your location. With all the advancement in shop diagnostic tools, you check and repair all the vehicles’ woes and quickly get set up for the next booking. The customer receives follow-up emails for specials, requests to leave reviews on your Social Media Accounts and YellowPages type Directories, all of these tools meant to grow your business reputation and online exposure.
Don’t get us wrong, we believe word of mouth, customer service, and honest repairs will always be the cornerstone of a great business, but we see few Automotive Repair Shops capitalizing on HUGE opportunities and utilizing technology that can only help your business grow.
