The auto repair industry is becoming increasingly competitive as a result of the major changes that digital transformation has produced both within the automotive market and in the way potential customers inform themselves, choose, purchase and use products and services.
(Read our article “Digital Transformation: opportunities for garages, tire shops and service centers.”)
HOW CAN YOU GENERATE NEW BILLINGS and stay in the market successfully in this changing scenario?
Here are 5 ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN NOW TO FIND NEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES:
- EXPAND THE RANGE OF YOUR SERVICES. Pay attention to the evolving needs of your customers and trends in your market, identify those questions that you can answer or anticipate with a dedicated service, and invest in training your employees so that they are up-to-date on technological developments and trends in the automotive industry. For example, if you are an overhaul center you could integrate workshop activities to cover all your customers’ vehicle-related needs. This way you can grow your income without giving up your margin.
- BUILD THE LOYALTY OF YOUR CUSTOMERS. Keep the quality of your work high, build a workshop experience that the customer remembers in a positive way, leverage historical vehicle and customer information to personalize the services you offer, propose dedicated discounts and promotions. For example, you can provide for sending AUTOMATIC text messages to remind you of an appointment or deadline, or propose a DISCOUNT FOR THE PURCHASE OF NEW TIRES for those vehicles whose tread size is now close to the attention threshold. In this way, you can solidify your role as a one-stop shop for any vehicle-related needs, so that customers not only return to your workshop but promote you to others.
- COMMUNICATING YOUR COMPANY TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD. Use all the tools at your disposal to tell the story of your workshop to those who do not know you and preserve your place in the minds of those who have already benefited from your services. Remember that in the age of social media, “anything that is not communicated does not exist.” For example, you can set up a Facebook page to explain to motorists the importance of maintaining their vehicle and the risks of not doing so, or you can leverage communication services to invite them to book an appointment for a due inspection. Still you can run an SMS campaign to promote a SEASONAL vehicle CHECK-UP. Providing a regular communication plan, even if simple, helps intercept new potential customers by increasing the likelihood that they will choose you.
- DEVELOP PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER COMPANIES. Identify realities that can help you complete the range of services you offer so that you can satisfy your customers more and more and why not, share any costs associated with, for example, promotional campaigns.
- WORK EFFICIENTLY. Streamline your entire work process by automating tasks wherever possible, reducing time for accessing and sharing information, and organizing your schedule and those of your co-workers well. For example, you can automate reminders related to recurring tasks, or reduce the time it takes to formulate an estimate through automatic entry of historical vehicle and owner data, and computerized management of your inventory. This leads to saving time to spend on additional appointments and consequently to new potential revenue for the same cost. (Read the article “Workshop management: better organize work to succeed.”)
The actions described above are the way forward to grow your company’s revenue. To be successful, however, they must be incorporated into a long-term oriented strategy for the development of your workshop. Where to start?
- By choosing management software that allows you to manage your business comprehensively
- Relying on a partner who understands your work and will sit down with you to tailor the growth path to your real needs.
MMB Software, with its YAP management platform, aims precisely to be a reference point for ACCOMPANYING WORKSHOPS, TIRESHOPS and REVISION CENTERS in DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION.