Personalized text, email, and direct mail campaigns to drive sales.
Two-way texting and emails to delight customers and save you time
Increase profits using real time data to drive change
Customized and optimized websites for your business
Digital inspections sent directly to customer to increase repair order value
Simplify payments and invoicing by eliminating reconciliation
Monitor and improve the public feedback your customers are providing
Stay organized and up to date with each technician's status
Grow your shop by creating long term relationships with your customers
Drive more repeat business and sell more services
Increase revenue and improve efficiency for your tire shop
Ensure your fleet is maintained and prevent downtime
Get your questions answered or see a live product demo
See what's working for thousands of businesses in today's market
Find out more about our vision and values
Contact us for any billing, technical support, product training or general inquiries
See all our news coverage and company announcements
Solutions including DVI, Pro Pack and supporting products
Solutions supporting your marketing automation
Communication for Dealerships
Communication for Auto Repair, Quick Lube, and Fleets
Inspections and Workflow for Auto Repair, Quick Lube, and Fleet
Written by: Robert Mazzuca
It's no secret that it's cheaper to earn repeat customers than it is to try to gain new ones. In fact, it can cost up to FIVE times as much to attract new customers to your automotive repair shop than to keep your current customers happily coming back time and time again. Yet, so many shops (44% to be exact) are more focused on customer acquisition rather than retention.
Many factors can contribute to better customer retention, but most factors are relationship oriented and have a lot to do with how the shop communicates to its customers. 89% of companies see customer experience as a key factor in driving customer loyalty and retention, so what steps can your auto repair shop take to fuel customer retention?
Let's dive into each of these further.
Think of all the big name companies that are killing the game. There are expectations set before customers deal their brand. They know what they want and how they want to be treated. The best auto repair shops understand this concept have set procedures in place for everything they do. When customers feel that there is consistency, they are more likely to return for future repairs.
Marketing for customer retention has a different objective than marketing for new business. Marketing for retention should be focused on building and strengthening relationships with your current customer base. Setting in place something like a rewards program that offers incentives every time the customer returns is a great example of how to market to your existing customer base.
Delivering good value is something customers appreciate. Your prices should accurately reflect the amount of time, care, and effort you take to repair each car that drives though your bay. Great repair shops are competitive, not greedy.
Customers should be notified when services are due on their vehicle or when they have a scheduled appointment either by email or mail. Or if you’re shop is up to date on the latest technologies, you can schedule automatic appointments before they leave your shop! Being able to forecast their next oil change or tire installation is a great way to keep your customers coming back without putting a ton of pressure on them.
If you want your customers to continue to return, then make sure that all of your employees choose their words carefully when they are making a commitment to your customers. They trust that you will follow through completely with what you say, and it would seriously damage that trust if you under-deliver.
For more information on providing great service, read 7 Tips on Delivering Extraordinary Service.
It may sounds silly, but your customers want to see you grow too. They want to know they you’re keeping up with the industry to they’ll always have a reliable repair shop to come to. Adapting new technologies like a shop management system or digital vehicle inspection software are two great ways you can delight your customers. Being able to create a transparent relationship with trust and mutual understanding is incredibly valuable to you customers.
By implementing these tips into your automotive repair shop, you’ll create a level of expectation that your customer will not want to lose. They know what they’re in for, they know they can trust you to deliver on your promises and offer them fair, reliable service. They know that by coming back, they have incentive with exclusive customer discounts or coupons, and they know that you’re making strides to stay competitive so they’ll always have a shop to come to. Making these changes all at once might be a little overwhelming. Try starting with just one, and see how well your customer retention improves.
Tags: Marketing , Revenue & ROI , Digital Vehicle Inspections
Nov 6, 2019 4:30:59 PM
As a shop owner, it’s likely that growing your business is always top of mind—and a part of growing your business involves increasing the amount of revenue that is being brought in. You probably know...
Apr 1, 2019 8:54:02 AM
Invoicing is important for both your automotive repair shop and your customers. It’s a record of sale and services provided that can also act as a reminder for a customer’s next service, show future...
©2022 Bolt On Technology. All rights reserved.