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Communicating with customers ( Glovebox )


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Is anyone using Glovebox or something like it to communicate with there customers? Since I don't have a service writer or anyone else to contact customers about work needing to be done or when it is done I'm looking for a easier and more efficient way to talk to my customers through the day. What are you doing or what advice would you give to a one man operation.

 

 

Thanks everyone.

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I've never heard of "Glovebox." We use the phone. At Lakeside Tire, your customers know you are a one-man operation, and they expect you to call them. Tell them the truth about their car, what it needs, and the price. That way you can get an answer right then, or they'll call you back in a few, and you can proceed with their job. The telephone i$ your friend. The telephone make$ a lot of money for you!! Everyone ha$ a phone!! The telephone i$ your friend!!!

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What I'm trying to see is if there's any more efficient way for me as a one man shop can communicate with my customers. I know how important the phone is but as a one man shop I'm growing fast right now and can't stay on the phone like id like to with all my customers. I need a way to fill in the holes with a way to communicate with them if there is one. Thanks for your input.

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The easiest DIY way to do it would be to collect email addresses and throw them into a email marketing campaign using Mailchimp or Constant Contact, sending them a monthly newsletter with useful tips about maintenance and other related topics.

 

You could also step up to an all in one service provider for automated life cycle communication. That gets a little pricey but it works well for some shops.

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I think the answer to this depends on who your customers are and how they are comfortable communicating.

Many of my customers prefer to communicate by email so we don't need to interrupt each other's busy day.

This only works for the people who are constantly aware of their email, not the old lady who has one but can't remember the address or the last time she used it.

Who are your customers?

Edited by Vdubfixer
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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.”
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