Starting in spring of 2020, shops have had to drastically change the way they do business. Amidst all the shutdowns, shops across the nation were able to keep their doors open as essential businesses. While open to customers, auto repair in the COVID-19 age has been anything but business as normal. At this point in this new normal, we've likely adjusted a fair amount to adapt to guidelines and protocols. But we as shop owners have to ask ourselves if some of our temporary pandemic operations are hindering our productivity in some way. As we head into a winter where we need to prepare for an increase in cases, we need to embrace the fallout without losing out on business. Technology-driven COVID-19 safety precautions can help you maintain distance and protect employees and customers alike while simultaneously protecting the health of your business.
Limiting Contact with Customers
Social distancing is the motto of the year. While it may seem as though a brick and mortar essential business industry such as ours has .png?width=300&name=Inline%20Blog%20Images%20(99).png)
little control over our interaction with the public, there are definitely practical ways to mitigate contact.
Drop Off
The morning rush is already enough to put us on edge. Factor in a pandemic and that stress is only going to increase. Keeping people apart, adding extra steps and measures of protection, etc. can add time to the check in process isn't ideal. There are, however, technology-based solutions to speed up the process while removing your contact from the morning crowd.
Adding a kiosk can greatly expedite the check-in process without needing to be in close contact with all customers. Welcome Station Kiosk allows vehicle owners to check themselves in easily via a user-friendly interface. The customer inputs their phone number, and the kiosk will bring up all their customer information. At this time, they have the ability to double check their information and verify that it is correct. From there, they are able to select from previously recommended services they would like to have performed for this visit, as well as seasonal services. Welcome Station makes service recommendations to the customer based on season, weather, and location—helping to upsell your customers and increase your average repair order.
Pick Up
Contactless pickup for customers is easier than ever. The entire process can be performed digitally, not only creating social distance, but increased overall flexibility for the customer. When service is completed on the vehicle, digital vehicle inspections can be texted directly to the customer. With pictures, statuses, and recommendations visually laid out for the vehicle owner they have all the information they need.
In addition to digital vehicle inspections, payment through BOLT ON Pay can also be completed via text message. Invoices are able to be sent to the customer for review and efficiency, and payment is able to be accepted directly via text message. This method is fully secure and PCI compliant, so you can expedite the payment process without compromising customer security.
.png?width=300&name=Inline%20Blog%20Images%20(100).png)
Limiting Contact Between Employees
Tablets are an indisputable time-saving tool for technicians, and a lot of what makes them efficient also makes them useful for social distancing. When a job comes in, the service advisor is able to assign the technician to the vehicle. All the information needed to begin work on the job is sent directly to the tech via the tablet.
In normal times, we aim to cut down on the amount of times technicians have to pause on their work to walk to the front. Inter-shop messaging allows for technicians to ask the questions they need without having to physically move. In addition, service advisors can send mass inter-shop messages for an announcement instead of calling all shop employees together.
Get Started
Whether you have a shop management system or not, you can get started with these software solutions today. Learn more about BOLT ON's integrated systems and see how your shop can not only survive but thrive during these pandemic times by clicking here.
