Automotive repair is a technical and competitive field—you need to make sure your auto repair shop is well managed in order to succeed. With the right planning, execution and tools, you can stay ahead of the game.
These are some of the common features we find in our most successful auto repair shops—implement them, and keep your auto repair business organized, while also attracting new customers:
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1. Streamline your operations
Investing in software can to a game-changer for your business. It will free you up from boring, repetitive tasks and let you focus on what really matters.
When you’re answering the same question over and over again on the phone, or you’re taking half a day to manage your inventory, you’re losing time unnecessarily—and this is just the tip of the iceberg. You need to schedule customer appointments, assign repair jobs to your mechanics, hand over vehicles once the repair work is completed, and so on. It can all become chaotic and overwhelming.
Scheduling customer appointments, assigning repair jobs to your mechanics, handing over vehicles once the repair work is completed, and more tasks can pile up and take more time than is ideal. It can all become chaotic and overwhelming for a new auto repair shop.
Make technology your best friend. Use an automotive shop software such as AutoLeap, to automate and simplify routine, time-consuming tasks such as:
Not only will you save an immense amount of time, but you will also be able to sell more and make your technicians more efficient. This will put you on track to running a successful auto repair business.
2. Improve technician productivity
The success of your automotive shop largely depends on service quality, which is directly linked to the competency and efficiency of your employees—especially your mechanics.
- Track job performance and profitability at a mechanic level so everyone knows how they’re performing.
- Maintain a comfortable ambient temperature in your service bays—depending on the weather, bring in heaters or fans as necessary.
- Fixing cars is hard manual work, and some days, fans just aren’t enough. You could offer your mechanics sports drinks or cold bottles of water—prevent dehydration and boost their morale at the same time!
Auto repair businesses generally focus on customers, which is fantastic, but its crucial that you don’t forget about your own techs. The happiness of mechanics is tied in directly to the satisfaction of customers and shop owners—so make sure they’re well taken care of.
3. Prioritize the customer experience
Whether it’s scheduling an appointment or a vehicle drop off, make the auto repair journey for your customers easy and convenient.
In all probability, they won’t consider bringing their vehicle to you a second time…unless you make things quick and easy for them.
Win repeat business by keeping the customer experience in mind every step of the way. The following are a few tips that you can easily implement:
- Train your service advisors (and other customer-facing staff) to communicate in a knowledgeable and professional, yet friendly manner. This includes teaching them how to deal with unhappy customers , and making sure they can answer any query the customer has effectively.
- Offer pick-and-drop services. This could be as simple as calling a taxi or booking a ride.
- Send personalized appointment reminders to customers via text and/or email. Any additional information you can give to save the customers time and money will go a long way in setting you apart from competitors.
- Maintain a comfortable environment in the waiting area with water, coffee and snacks!
Money matters for auto repair shop owners, but it shouldn’t be your main focus. To run a successful shop, you need to give customers every reason to stop by again. Excellent customer experience will set you apart from the competition and prove invaluable for your auto repair business in the long run.
4. Reduce your technician turnover
High turnover rates for technicians is quite common in the auto repair industry. Having to hire new and inexperienced technicians who need guidance and coaching is an unnecessary distraction, and will compromise on your service quality and reliability.
Reduce your attrition by treating your employees well and giving them good perks & benefits. This will also put your customers at ease when they see familiar faces each time they come into your auto repair shop, and understandably so.
As a shop owner, its vital for you to understand the importance of trust between customers and technicians in the automotive industry. Building trust should be your primary focus, as customer loyalty an retention are some of the biggest drivers for profit. Modern technological advancements such as digital vehicle inspections can help small business owners significantly.
5. Grow your business
Driving success at your can auto repair shop quill require hard work, so be sure to have a birds’ eye view on your company and its operations. While you work on all the important stuff to keep your garage’s engine running smoothly, you also need to keep up the momentum behind its growth. Follow these basic steps to attract new customers, and have your existing ones coming back through your doors to grow your auto repair shop:
- Build a clean and well designed website, and work on its local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to get ranked higher on search engines when prospective customers search for auto repair shops in your local area.
- Encourage customers to leave reviews on Google and Yelp—this will enhance your online brand identity and show potential customers that you are an auto repair business that can be relied on.
- Partner with local businesses (for e.g. a nearby car-wash or cafe) for cross-referrals.
- Once you raise money, you can start growing your team and and adding more employees to your shop, but don’t overdo it. It’s never a good idea to overburden your employees as this will just lead to an unsatisfactory environment with a high turnover rate.
- Work on your marketing strategy by establishing a strong social media footprint to engage and interact with customers—Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are the most popular ones. Request your customers to follow you and use these powerful platforms to announce any promos and specials that you are offering.
Closing thoughts
Create a clean website and post regular content on your blog. Improve your organic SEO rankings to appear in relevant searches. Build up positive five-star reviews on Google and Yelp. Stay active on social media.
Network at auto repair conferences to build relationships with shop owners and management. Self promote through targeted paid ads for local search terms. Market your qualifications, experience and the unique value you deliver as a mechanic.
Build a recognized reputation for quality customer service to attract and retain customers at your shop. Go above and beyond by offering complimentary services like a pick-up-and-drop-off service. Communicate with customers via text and email to make their upcoming visit convenient.
Here are four tips to help your auto repair business succeed:
- Automate key processes
- Treat your technicians well
- Prioritize customer service
- Focus on growth
The auto repair industry’s future is bright. Nearly 70% of shop owners featured in AutoLeap’s 2022 benchmark report have a favorable or very favorable outlook on the industry’s next five years.
Auto Repair Shop Management Software
AutoLeap is a powerful all-in-one auto repair shop software that helps to keep complete track of your business – from scheduling appointments to managing technicians and generating invoices.
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