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Oil change and service reminder.


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This may be the wrong forum. I'm looking to start sending service reminders and would like to incorporate something to the tune of "our records indicate your due for an oil change", I've also considered calling customers as opposed to mail/email. When do you send your reminders? I was thinking at the 3 month mark. An examples of service reminder letters or customer follow up letters that you might use would be a great help as well!

 

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I send out email reminders and mail reminders weekly to any customer we have not seen in the last 4 months. I usually send out the email reminders a week ahead of the mail. That way if the customer responds to the email, I will save the cost of the mail. I'm going to plug my shop management web site here because that is what I use to send them. It's Smotgo.com. You can use the generic messages there or create your own. If you already have a shop management program and you can export your customers, you can upload them to the site and just use the communications tools.

 

We call customers 3 days after they have been in to say thanks and at times call customers that we have not seen or who have come up as being due for service. This has had minimal success.

 

Scott

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Service reminders are a great idea. With everyone’s busy schedules, it helps to ensure that customers keep up with important vehicle services.

 

I would expand on just sending reminders at the three-month mark, though. Every driver has different driving habits; some drive 3000 miles in 3 months, others drive it in just a month and a half, and so on.

You need a means of recording and calculating reminders around each customer’s individual driving habits. For instance, software exists that does just that. As customers come to your shop, the software records and calculates the next likely service need, based on the specific driving habits involved. It then sends automatic reminders for you. The process is hands-off, allowing you to focus on other priorities.

Just like dentists, doctors and hair salons, vehicle maintenance can be predicted and arranged ahead of time.

 

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Service reminders are a great idea. With everyone’s busy schedules, it helps to ensure that customers keep up with important vehicle services.

I would expand on just sending reminders at the three-month mark, though. Every driver has different driving habits; some drive 3000 miles in 3 months, others drive it in just a month and a half, and so on.

You need a means of recording and calculating reminders around each customer’s individual driving habits. For instance, software exists that does just that. As customers come to your shop, the software records and calculates the next likely service need, based on the specific driving habits involved. It then sends automatic reminders for you. The process is hands-off, allowing you to focus on other priorities.

Just like dentists, doctors and hair salons, vehicle maintenance can be predicted and arranged ahead of time.

That's what I'm trying to do, based off guess work. What software does this?

 

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I use the lubesticker Pro software that Mike talks about. It is very accurate in determining the approximate next oil change date and allows me to review the calendar to see who is due for service. We can make phone calls to those customers in advance of their appointment date.

Edited by Gary A
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      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
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