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ncautoshop,Our software does not integrate with Motoshop. Have you considered Mitchell1? Our software fully integrates with that shop management system, as well as some others. Please let me know if you need any additional information.

With advanced shop management system add-ons, techs can meet the customer at their vehicle and begin the process - without having to take down any information, or report back to the service advisor. A simple scan of a license plate with a tablet or Android device decodes the plate and populates fields for make, model, etc. without the need to write down this information. Also, and perhaps best of all, Bolt On Technology's automotive software solutions integrate all data back into your shop management system, meaning it does not needed to be added back in at a later time. Please let me know if I can answer any additional questions, or feel to reach out directly: 610-400-1019.

Competition in the marketplace is the biggest challenge Eric Russo has faced in his 22 years of owning four greater Philadelphia area auto repair shops. The biggest contender of all in his quest for higher profits and a larger customer base has been dealerships, Russo said. But, Russo said he finally found a tool to not only even the playing field, but to make his shops “better than the dealerships.” In short, Russo and his employees are setting themselves apart from the competition through the use of mobile technology. to see Eric Russo's video. The software’s ability to create itemized reports and take pictures of items in need of repairs – all of which can be delivered to the customer by email or text message – gives the shops a more professional look and feel, he said. “We’ve been able to increase our RO by 20 percent and increase confidence,” Russo said. Mobile Manager Pro, BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s most popular automotive software solution, has also helped Russo’s shops become more efficient, he said. “Efficiency is key to making money,” he said. “We’re able to turn over bays more quickly.” One of Russo’s shops had its best month to date and Russo credited Mobile Manager Pro for that success. “It’s such a great tool that I don’t really want any other shops owning it,” he said, adding that competing with dealerships has gotten a whole lot easier. “I don’t even think we’re on the same ball field anymore.”

I recently read and enjoyed "Think Like a Freak."

Upping the daily car count has been an ongoing goal for Tim Steigerwalt since he became owner of six Philadelphia-area independent auto repair shops in 1996. The challenge of “not enough cars” is a problem common among fellow shop owners. And while Steigerwalt has not yet found the magic bullet to bring more customers through his shops’ doors, he has been able to make a difference in another way. This spring, Steigerwalt’s shops incorporated BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s mobile automotive software solutions into their daily routine. The result? “Doubled revenue.” In particular, Steigerwalt said his team continues to find success with Mobile Manager Pro’s photo-taking and texting capabilities. Adding vehicle condition photos to a digital multi-point inspection, repair order or estimate has helped “gain the trust of the customer,” he said. In turn, customers who can visually see the need for repairs or maintenance are more likely to authorize work as evidenced in the $60 increase in his shops’ average repair order. “It has really enhanced our communication with our customers,” Steigerwalt said. “We’re able to communicate with our customers in a different way.” Steigerwalt, who worked for two decades fixing cars before becoming a shop owner, said the technology is something he had “never heard of” during his wrenching days. As such, he “wasn’t really sure what to expect” from it. His customers, who now receive vehicle condition photos, along with repair orders and inspections via text and email message, have responded positively, in most cases approving repairs in minutes instead of hours. “It gives them the ‘wow’ factor,” Steigerwalt said. See Tim's video here:

Nick Nix, the owner of PJ’s Auto Repair in Yuba City, Calif., is seeing a “dramatic impact” in his techs’ ability to “point and click” their way to completing digital multi-point inspections of customer vehicles. So dramatic, in fact, that after using BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s™ Mobile Manager Pro for only a week, Nix said his shop of 17 years made $3,600 in additional profit. He attributes the uptick in revenue to his shop’s use of digital inspections, which include technician-recommended services, tech notes, along with vehicle condition photos, all of which can be texted via tablet or mobile device, to a customer in real time. To track the revenue-generating results, Nix said he used BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s Report Pro software solution. Users can create customizable invoices which include everything from a shop’s logo, color scheme and service coupons, to a breakdown of checks to be carried out during vehicle inspections. In addition to seeing a major profit boost the first week, Nix said his average repair order had increased by $30 from $130 to $160 within two weeks. Making the commitment to invest in the suite of automotive software solutions stemmed from his lackluster average RO, which he said was “half of the industry standard.” “I was looking for you guys,” Nix said, noting that he had envisioned smoother shop operations through mobile technology for some time. “I actually found your competitor.” Nix said he decided to license Bolt On Technology’s software platform instead of another company because, “you guys are just developing this so quickly.” The Mobile Manager Pro feature that works best in driving efficiency is the application’s team chat function, according to Nix. “It’s cut down on shop miscommunication dramatically,” he said. “(Before) we had paper repair orders for the guys. They would have to write on the work order and send it to the service advisor. Now we have real time documented chat. It hits all the techs at the same time.” For more information on Mobile Manager Pro, Report Pro, or any of Bolt On Technology’s other automotive software solutions visit www.boltontechnology.com or call 610-400-1019.

In the 17 years since Bill Hill and his significant other, Leigh Anne Best, have owned Ohio-based Mighty Auto Pro, the couple has “seen it all” in terms of shop management systems and add-on software programs. “There are so many programs,” said Leigh Anne. “One program will do this and another will do that.” But, the couple had not found a software solution for everything at their 17-bay repair shop until recently: BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s™ suite of automotive software solutions. “Nothing has really been as all-encompassing as this,” she said. “They’ve got some great stuff going on.” Deemed by the business owners as a one-stop software shop for the automotive repair industry, Leigh Anne said Bill favors the VIN scanning functionality and digital multi-point inspections made possible with Mobile Manager Pro. “We have always done a 51-point safety inspection. Prior to this we hand wrote them,” she said, adding that digital inspections and VIN decoding saves 10 to 15 minutes per vehicle on average. “We toyed around with putting them on the computer for some time.” Now, instead of trying to figure out how to digitize repair orders and inspection reports, Mighty Auto Pro-which Ratchet and Wrench magazine named a 2013 All-Star-use tablets to carry out these functions using Bolt On’s popular signature software solution. In terms of expanding the shop’s 450-car-per-month bottom line, Leigh Anne said the application’s ability to take and text photos of customer vehicles has helped up repair orders by 30 percent. Prior to Mobile Manager Pro, she said the shop took its own photos. As part of a week-long test, she said some techs were tasked with taking photos of vehicle conditions to share with customers, while the rest were told not to take photos. “They were up about 30 percent, the people with pictures versus without,” she said. “Resoundingly the results were so much better with sales.” Besides boosting sales and saving time, Bill said he likes the fact that technicians are able to zero in on their customers. “Bill likes that the only thing they’re seeing is their vehicles, not the entire shop’s vehicles,” Leigh Anne said. “Instead of looking at the entire work in progress screen it’s individualized.” For Leigh Anne, text message customer reminders via Message Manager Pro, as well as the easy compilation of marketing data using the report-generating software wizard that is Report Pro “has been a huge thing.” For more information on BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s suite of automotive software solutions visit www.boltontechnology.com or call 610-400-1019.

Since his 16-bay repair shop began using wireless automotive software solutions last fall, Dave Murray, VP of Operations at Florida-based Murray Motive, said his family-owned business has been able to save an hour each day “by not doing a whole lot.” Incorporating BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s™ Mobile Manager Pro, Murray said processes that had previously taken 10 to 20 minutes to complete now take “five minutes or less.” “It improves our efficiency dramatically when building ROs,” he said. “It saves at least 10 steps on the desktop.” Specifically, the mobile device or tablet-powered application is equipped with the functionality to carry out digital multi-point inspections, digital repair orders, VIN scanning and more. The paperless system syncs with shop management systems, making it unnecessary to enter data back into the computer, which, in turn, dramatically cuts down on time. On average, Murray said the speed and precision of the Mobile Manager Pro application adds a minimum of one extra car to his 15-cars-per-day service schedule. That added convenience has contributed to his shop’s bottom line, according Murray, who said the cutting-edge technology has boosted his shop’s $646 average repair order by 5 to 10 percent. Mobile Manager Pro also features the capability to take and text or email vehicle conditions, which oftentimes accompany inspection reports or repair orders. “It definitely helps up-sell the small things,” Murray said. “When communicating with the customer, to be able to show them saves time on sales calls and trying to educate the customer.” For Murray, Mobile Manager Pro also helps to strengthen the shop’s internal communication. “Since we've ditched our clipboards and gone full tablet, we use the big board to keep track of statuses and job distribution,” he said. “The most recent update including team chat with broadcast helps the shop foreman know when jobs are completed. We are spread across 3 buildings and 10,000 square feet, so the broadcast has been really helpful.” While its efficiency is a clear benefit, creating a better, more predictable scheduling system is what drew Murray to the time-saving software solution. Murray, in trying to have “more control” of the shop’s oil change stickers, began using BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s Lube Sticker Pro, which is part of the Mobile Manager Pro suite of solutions. The tool breaks away from the three months or 3,000 mile benchmark for lube, oil and filter services and instead uses a vehicle’s driving history and mileage milestones to determine with precise accuracy, when vehicles should receive lube, oil and filter service, as well as tire rotations, coolant flushes and myriad other services. For Murray and his four techs that use the automotive software solution, being able to circumvent the Mitchell1 application to add multiple canned jobs at once is most beneficial. The notes and descriptions section is a bonus for adding further description, or clarifying service recommendations, he said. And everybody loves no longer having to hand-write reports, he said. “It’s kind of just like your phone,” Murray said. For more information on Mobile Manager Pro visit www.boltontechnology.com or call 610-400-1019.

Hello, My company recently released the first-ever customer check-in kiosk for the automotive repair industry. It's called Welcome Station and it's similar to the self-check terminals at the grocery store, airports and used extensively in other industries. You can find more information here: http://www.autoshopowner.com/blog/7/entry-77-automotive-kiosk-aids-customer-check-in-saves-shops-time/ by visiting my Web site at www.boltontechnology.com, or calling 610-400-1019. Please let me know if I can provide any additional details.

Mychael Althouse had a record-breaking month of sales at his auto repair shop, United Tire & Service in Feasterville, Pa., in April 2014. [see the video here] The Philadelphia suburban eight-bay shop serviced 12 to 15 cars per day as it has since Althouse took over the 30-year business three years ago. “We gained probably about $20,000 in total sales that month,” Althouse said. “That month was the best month in my company’s history of owning the shop.” Not coincidentally, April was the first full month the repair shop had put in place BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s wireless automotive software solution aimed at increasing shop efficiency and boosting profits. Before his shop began using mobile technology, Althouse, as part of the vehicle check-in process, said he spent about five minutes or more per customer going outside of the shop to jot down the customer’s VIN, license plate number and mileage. Then, he’d come back inside and re-enter the information, hoping he didn’t write the wrong numbers. “Nine out of 10 customers don’t know what year the vehicle is,” he said. “Nobody knows their 16-digit VIN.” With mobile technology, it’s not necessary to know either of those things. With a seconds-long scan of a car’s VIN, the wireless device populates form fields for make, model, year and more, opening the door for technicians to begin the repair order or digital multi-point inspection process as they greet the customer at their vehicle. The data automatically syncs with repair shop management systems, meaning service advisors, owners and technicians no longer have to enter information twice. Learn the tips that helped Althouse make more profits by joining our free webinar on July 18 from 1-2 p.m. EST. “It saves time at the front desk,” added Althouse. Beyond its ability to quickly and effortlessly scan and decode VINs and conduct digital multi-point inspections either from a mobile device or a tablet, Althouse said the biggest benefit involves photo-taking and texting functionality for easily sharing vehicle conditions with customers. Photographs that illustrate technicians’ recommended service makes the upsell process easier, even at times when customers can’t physically come to the shop and review pending services, according to Althouse. “People are able to see their vehicles while they’re at work,” he said. “It helps people make judgments easier.” In addition, being able to text or email repair orders, along with accompanying photos speeds up the customer approval process, which, in turn, boosts productivity and overall shop efficiency, he said. Mobile technology, which comes equipped with customizable digital multi-point inspection forms, has helped to keep Althouse’s techs “on point as far as looking the vehicle over a little more,” he said. “It’s a good tool for your tech to follow so they can get the proper inspection out,” Althouse said of the line-by-line checkout sheets his shop uses. Learn the tips that have helped shop owners make more profits by joining our free webinar on July 18 from 1-2 p.m. EST. To learn more visit BoltOnTechnology.com or call 610-400-1019.

Would you like help building fully customizable multi-point inspection reports? Or how about insight on harnessing the power of mobile technology to digitize your vehicle inspection process, all while saving time, increasing upsell opportunities and boosting your average repair order by 60 percent or more? BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY™ can help with all of those things and more during the Mitchell 1 Shop Management Super Workshop in San Diego, Calif. at the Hotel Solamar July 17-19. Representatives from Bolt On Technology will offer training sessions on its Report Pro and Mobile Manager Pro software programs, which are fully integrated add-ons for Mitchell 1 and other shop management systems. Report Pro, one of the automotive software solutions included in the Pro Pack bundle, offers the ability to create by-the-job customer invoicing, customized reports and shop-specific detailed or general multi-point inspections. Mobile Manager Pro, Bolt on Technology’s signature software solution, features color-coded auto pre-canned technician notes and recommendations as part of the fully customizable digital multi-point inspection process. Technicians can boost productivity by scanning and decoding VINs and license plates, taking and texting vehicle condition photos to customers along with repair orders, estimates and more. If you’re planning to attend the workshop, be sure to look for us and let us know how we may help. We will be on hand demonstrating the software’s various features, sharing best practices and answering questions. The training workshop is designed for those seeking more advanced capabilities, better methods and shortcuts for Mitchell 1’s shop management solutions – Manager 5.9 and Manager SE™ (version 6.5). Instructors will cover program setup values, inventory, reporting, best practices and advanced transactions, as well as integration with aftermarket cataloging. The curriculum for the two-day training session guides users through all levels of functionality in the Mitchell 1 Manager and ManagerPlus systems. The expanded agenda includes breakout sessions, a practice lab and an expo featuring products and services offered by industry partners. The Super Workshop will be led by John Dwulet, senior product manager for Mitchell 1’s management software solutions, and Tim McDonnell, national training manager, who together have more than 35 years of combined Manager and ManagerPlus training experience. Workshop sessions run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 18 and July 19, with breakout sessions slated for the afternoon of July 19. For more information or to register for Mitchell 1’s Shop Management Super Workshop, visit the Management Workshop website by clicking here. In the event you are not attending the Shop Management Super Workshop and are interested in learning more about Bolt On Technology, consider dialing in for our hour-long July 18 webinar, which will be held at 1 p.m. EST and will cover general tips to increase efficiency and profits. Click here to register: https://www.anymeeting.com/AccountManager/RegEv.aspx?PIID=EA57D98583463D You can also direct your questions to us by calling 610-400-1019 or visiting www.boltontechnology.com.

Say good-bye to tedious customer check-ins with our latest automotive software solution, Welcome Station™, the first-ever self-check kiosk designed specifically for the automotive repair industry. With our tablet-powered tool, your shop can join airports, grocery and convenience stores, as well as restaurant chains in simplifying the customer experience. Our touch screen kiosk delivers faster business results, better accuracy and increased up-selling and profit generation opportunities with each customer check-in. This easy-to-use self-check system frees up service advisors and enables both new and returning customers to quickly and electronically notify shop staff of their arrival, select the vehicle and which services they’d like to have performed and whether they are dropping off, or will be waiting. Customers can also: · Update all contact and vehicle information · Add new vehicles · Receive geo-location weather alerts and related service suggestions · Add pending service recommendations · Add other services/canned jobs Increase Shop Efficiency With our Welcome Station™ kiosk, shops can cut the glut of long lines during the morning and afternoon rushes, all while saving precious minutes per customer and aligning the shop for more revenue-generating business. With a few taps, customers can check themselves in and speed up the shop’s daily process. Based on a modest 2 minutes-per-customer savings, shops with an average daily car count of 15 could save 2.5 hours per week – just in customer check-in time! Those extra hours are possible without adding staff, or increasing workloads. In fact, our kiosk will make your front staff’s work life easier. Boost Up-selling Opportunities Upon check-in, a customer is reminded of, and has the ability to select past pending service recommendations and even new services/canned jobs. The addition of area-specific weather alerts further simplify the up-selling process by suggesting services based on the vehicle care needed to maintain safety in different climates. The alerts suggest services specific to the current weather and seasons: · It’s raining – Would you like us to check your wipers? · It’s been over 90 degrees lately – Would you like us to check your air-conditioning? · It’s been less than 32 degrees lately – Would you like us to check your battery? · Winter is coming soon. Would you like us check your tires? · As well as other customizable service suggestions Secured Identity Protection To help prevent identity theft, customers are required to enter the phone number attached to the account and select their name. If the phone number and/or name are not unique to the account being accessed, Welcome Station™ will not continue, and the customer will need to see the service advisor. Shop Management System Integration Like all of BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s™ automotive solutions, Welcome Station™ is fully integrated into your shop management system. Our automotive software solutions offer real-time two-way communication without the need to re-enter information. For more information, or for a live demonstration, call us at 610-400-1019.

It’s been said that one of the most difficult things for an auto repair shop to do is to increase car count. With that being the case for many businesses, shop owners are left with pretty much one option to boost revenue: Generate additional income from the existing pool of customers. While some shops may view this as a challenge, in reality it’s an opportunity to maximize spending from a shop’s existing customer base. Since your customers aren’t coming in more frequently, you have to make every visit count toward boosting your bottom line. How do you do that? If your shop isn’t already conducting multi-point inspections on all vehicles, it should be. In analyzing data from about 100 businesses using our Mobile Manager Pro automotive software solution to do digital multi-point inspections, we found that shops regularly carrying out inspections boost their average repair orders by a combined average of 256 percent! One of the shops has boosted its average repair order from $183.46 to $428.38, for an additional $244.91 more per invoice on average since starting its nearly 500 digital multi-point inspections. Prior to introducing Mobile Manager Pro, the shop had always done a 51-point safety inspection. The key to dramatically increasing average repair orders among the shop’s 450-cars-per-month car count revolved around taking vehicle condition photos and texting them to customers along with digital multi-point inspections. Why it works Customers speculate that automotive repair shops suggest services that are not needed solely to get more money out of unsuspecting vehicle owners. For many who are slow to trust repair shops, the issue is more about the common person’s inability to understand an otherwise technical situation. Texting photos and inspection reports to customers puts the tools for making an informed decision literally at their fingertips. Being able to quickly thumb through inspections and see why work is suggested empowers customers to determine for themselves what is best instead of feeling they have been coerced into authorizing expensive repairs that may not be necessary. Can you triple your average RO? Based on 490 digital multi-point inspections carried out, another shop upped its average repair order by 344 percent. Prior to beginning digital multi-point inspections, the shop had an average repair order of $112.23, which has since jumped to $498.65, an average increase of $386.42. In addition to photos helping to upsell services, Mobile Manager Pro’s ability to incorporate written recommendations assists service advisors in keeping a customer’s vehicle needs front of mind. The software solution, which is powered either on an Android or tablet device, incorporates safeguards to ensure that recommended services are addressed. If the service writer overlooks something, a note pops up on the screen. Imagine spending a portion of what you could reap from 1 repair order and having the potential to gain an additional $110,000 or more in higher revenues each month. For more information, call BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY at 610-400-1019, or visit www.boltontechnology.com.

BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY™ is committed to passing the ‘V’ – are you? The greater Philadelphia area developer of more than a dozen wireless solutions to simplify automotive repair shop operations is supporting the V Foundation. Spurred by support from Bolt on Technology Director of National Sales and Corporate Sponsorships Frank Dragoni, a local youth baseball coach, the company is backing the altruistic efforts of the 21-year-old foundation. Dragoni, who’s been fundraising for the V Foundation for the last four years, is organizing the Jimmy V Home Run Derby for high school students on July 13 at the Trenton Thunder stadium in Trenton, N.J. Dragoni hopes to raise $50,000 through the fundraiser, which will feature several former Major League Baseball greats, including Jeff Manto, who played for the Colorado Rockies and most recently was the third base coach for the White Sox. David Amaro, a 24th round Chicago Cubs draft pick in the 1984 amateur draft, will also be on hand, Dragoni said. Get involved! Dragoni’s V Foundation fundraising work is through the Philly Friends of V, a regional branch of the nationwide V Foundation. Bolt On Technology is donating Philadelphia Phillies tickets to the silent auction, which will feature other sports-related memorabilia. The greater Philadelphia area company is asking its supporters to get involved by visiting the V Foundation Web site and creating a local event, making a tax-deductible donation, or championing Dragoni’s efforts. Check out this video to learn more about the Home Run Derby. About the V Foundation The V Foundation was established in 1993 by Jim Valvano, who, a few months after its establishment, succumbed to his battle with cancer. Valvano had worked as an ABC/ESPN basketball commentator and analyst following a successful 15-year career as a college basketball coach in which he took his team to several NCAA appearances. The Foundation continues in his name with contributions funding cancer research and related programs.

Overwhelmingly, auto repair shops are removing the guesswork from handwritten vehicle inspections, repair orders and service recommendations through the use of automotive software designed to simplify processes, save time and boost productivity. Below are seven fool-proof tips for using vehicle maintenance software to improve overall shop operations. 1. Scan VINs Jotting down a vehicle identification number (VIN) is easy, right? Sure. Getting each and every letter and number correct­ – and making sure it’s readable – is something entirely different. Scanning a VIN eliminates the need to decipher messy handwriting, lessens the likelihood of mistakes and saves precious time. 2. Quickly review pending service recommendations Our research has shown that nearly 75 percent of vehicles being serviced are having an oil change performed. More than likely, additional services or regular maintenance is also needed. Shop management software alerts service advisers and techs to all pending services when a customer arrives. This technology maintains a vehicle service history and offers suggestions that are either pending since a past appointment or are due for regular maintenance. 3. Start repair orders and estimates on a tablet or mobile device With wireless automotive software solutions, techs can meet customers at their vehicle and begin the digital inspection, repair order, or estimate process using a handheld device. Best of all, the process can conclude the same way it began – with a tablet or mobile device. 4. Build orders, create digital multi-point inspections with press of a buttonWireless software technology eliminates hard-to-read handwriting and speeds up the multi-point inspection and repair order process, allowing for more time to service additional vehicles. Without hiring more staff or adjusting work schedules, productivity, and, in turn profits, can be increased simply by incorporating innovative automotive software solutions. 5. Add photographs to each vehicle service recommendation What better way to prove that a customer needs new brakes then to show it? Techs do this every day by taking multiple photos of vehicle conditions, underlining the need for recommended services. Without the benefit of pictures, customers all too often believe that shops exaggerate the severity of service suggestions strictly to make more money. Showing a customer pictures can increase repair order revenue from 15 percent to 90 percent on average. It’s much harder to refuse brake work after seeing the extent of the issue. 6. Text or email customers a vehicle diagnosis with images Wireless automotive software with built-in text and email functionality enables techs to seamlessly send estimates, multi-point inspections, photos and more directly to customers. This speeds up customer approval times from the national average of one hour and 17 minutes to 37 minutes. 7.Use mobile technology that’s fully integrated with your shop management system Boosting productivity is possible simply by using wireless automotive software that automatically syncs data compiled from a handheld device into the shop management system effortlessly. This eliminates the need for double entries as is commonly the case with paper repair orders and handwritten inspection reports. For more information on BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY's Mobile Manager Pro software solution, visit www.boltontechnology.com, or call 610-400-1019.

Looks great!

These are great tips, Joe. I especially agree with the advice to advance schedule appointments. This assures future customer visits and a continuous revenue stream.

Before I start, I want to be clear that I own a company that offers this technology. In an effort to remain neutral, I’ll merely add to this topic with my thoughts on mobile/tablet digital-multi point technology. For starters, you need a software solution that integrates automatically with your shop's management system, which eliminates the need to double enter information. Furthermore, you should not settle for any company that doesn’t offer VIN scanning or license plate decoding as a standard feature. These features should then auto populate your inspection forms, estimates, or repair orders with the vehicle's make, model, year and more. This saves time by eliminating the need to write down and input information like you would with paper. In addition to helping your shop save several minutes per customer and creating better overall efficiency, you need a solution that comes equipped with customizable invoices. These forms should be what you offer customers when printing out their vehicle summary. To elaborate, these forms should offer you the ability to offer vehicle-specific coupons, special discounts, a list of pending service recommendations, customer messages and more that shops can modify as needed. In today's automotive repair industry, seeing is believing. Be sure your solution comes equipped with the ability to not only take customer vehicle photos, but to send them, along with inspections and ROs to your customers via text or email. Illustrating to the customers why specific repairs are necessary via photos has proven to increase ROs by as much as 30-60%, or in some instances, more. The ability to “see” recommended maintenance while scrolling images and work orders can be done from the convenience of the vehicle owner's home, office, meeting, etc. This increases the customer’s experience and allows your shop to avoid disrupting customers with over-the-phone explanations that rely strictly on the strength of verbal suggestions. This technology drastically changes this by sending your findings to vehicle owners then stepping away and letting them see for themselves why their brakes are failing, or battery should be replaced and so on. As for ROI, we have customers who’ve seen a $20,000 increase in revenue after 2 months of using digital multi-point inspection tools. Finally, as you shop around for this technology, be sure to ask if it has the ability to automate and automatically calculate future service appointments and send automatic appointment reminders with no effort on your part. This feature grants you increased upselling power. We ourselves have seen average customer service approval times change from the national average of 1 hour and 17minutes to just 37 mins. Faster approval times mean shops can service more customers. In addition, shorter approval times make it less likely for vehicles to be removed from lifts only to be re-added hours later once customers are reached. In an effort to not seem salesy, I’ll end this here. But, if you’d like more info on this type of technology or even details on our solution (Mobile Manager Pro), please call me at 610-400-1019. Hope this helped.

I couldn't agree more! Customer service is the most important aspect of any business. It's vital for customers to be greeted in a timely and professional manner. During particularly busy periods, this may be more difficult to accomplish. To help in this effort, wireless kiosk technology that welcomes customers and offers up-sell opportunities based on current weather conditions is an asset for today's auto repair shops. Especially when business is at its peak, kiosks allow customers to check themselves in, update their address and/or vehicles and ultimately save service professionals time, allowing them to carry out other duties.

I recommend a software that does text and email reminders. It seems to get a quicker response and is more user-friendly. Some examples of these offerings include Lube Sticker Pro and SocialCRM.

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.

I would definitely suggest using a shop management system (SMS) on the front end. It’s probably the only tool in your shop that can’t be replaced, should something happen, such as a fire, which I have personal experience with. Long story short, a partner of mine owns a 17 location auto repair chain, and the main location that housed all data records for the entire franchise suffered a fire and lost everything. Within 2 hours all customer and shop data was retrieved and re-implemented. It was the defining reason as to why they’re still in business today. If you lost your shop, for whatever reason, you'll still have all your customer, vehicle, service details, financial records, etc. backed-up in a safe location, which you can use to rebuild. Besides that, the main purpose of an SMS is increased efficiency. Without a way to easily store all customer & vehicle data, financial reports, canned job details, and so on, your own efforts are permanently slowed down, as you’ll need to work harder to achieve what an SMS can do instantly. Furthermore, there are many aftermarket software tools that can enhance your SMS greatly. From advanced lube sticker functionality, service reminders, appointment scheduling, on to wireless digital multi-point devices, and so on, the advantages are immense. As for which SMS tools to go with, I’d suggest either Mitchell 1, ALLDATA, R.O. Writer, or Napa Tracs. These are the leaders in SMS and are the main systems in which aftermarket software solutions integrate with. Hope this helps.

Not sure if this is what you’re looking for, but just as a suggestion, we have software solutions that will enhance Mitchell’s current scheduling abilities. Our Who’s Calling Pro and Lube Sticker Pro both add the ability to add the vehicle, as well as the customer, during the scheduling process. See image for more details. Hope this helps.