No matter what your auto repair shop specializes in, chances are you're facing similar challenges.
- New customers are hard to come by
- It can be difficult to keep even the most loyal customers coming back
- Repair work is frequently declined or pushed off
The reality is, people don't want to have to pay for an expensive fix when they don't directly see or understand the value or necessity behind the repair. We've become very used to simple solutions to complex problems, and more often than not customers wish their cars were like that too.
Auto repair shops can also be intimidating: they're loud, usually covered in oil, and they can feel like a trap.
That's why transparency is so critical in the auto repair industry, and why digital vehicle inspections have become such an important tool for shops. Customers want to know that they're only being charged for necessary work, and digital vehicle inspections help your shop show them that.
Digital vehicle inspections are just one aspect of your entire shop's workflow, but are an incredibly powerful foundation that go a long way in making your shop more money.
The 5 Biggest Benefits of Digital Vehicle Inspections
Digital vehicle inspections are becoming an industry standard, replacing carbon-copy and printable vehicle inspection forms.
The recipe is simple: technicians can complete inspections faster, estimates can be sent to customers instantly through text or email, and pictures or videos prove to customer why large repair orders need to be completed.
Here’s how auto repair shops benefit when they use digital vehicle inspections:
1. Build Trust with Customers
By implementing a modern vehicle inspection system in your shop, you can reduce and diffuse the skepticism that many customers have when they go through inspections and estimates.
When a technician attaches an image of a dirty air filter or a video of a frayed serpentine belt, the customer has no reason to doubt whether or not it’s a necessary repair.
Customers will trust your shop is only charging for important work, will be more likely to approve repair orders and will think of your shop as their first resource next time they need something fixed.
2. Provide a Modern Customer Experience
Customers expect digital experiences. We have our receipts emailed to us instead of printed, we can order groceries online, and we get pictures when our deliver are dropped off. Almost everything we purchase has a digital component, and your shop should be no different.
Auto repair shops can easily provide a modern customer experience with digital vehicle inspections by emailing or texting the results directly to the customer.
Any pictures or videos your technicians attach will be sent with the repair estimate, and customers can approve or deny work in a matter of seconds, no matter where they are.
3. Keep Declined Jobs Top of Mind
With digital vehicle inspection systems, your technicians can uncover additional work that needs to be done on the car, not just what the customer brought the vehicle in for, and document it clearly. From there, they can easily show customers what repair work takes precedence over the others.
If customers decide to decline work, that DVI is still attached to that customer's profile, and declined jobs are not only tracked, but included on the final invoice receipt given to customers so they can keep track of potential future repairs. Its an easy way to keep the customer informed while also keeping them coming back.
4. Run a More Efficient Shop
With a solid vehicle inspection system, technicians know exactly what to look for and how to relay any information over to the service advisors. With the tech’s findings from the DVI, service advisors have a standardized report to build estimates from. And customers have more visibility and control over what work needs to be done.
Shops can even setup default inspections. Service advisors won’t have to spend time searching for your shop’s standard inspection every time they build a new repair order. Plus, technicians will have a standardized inspection to work off of, ensuring that every vehicle is thoroughly inspected to the same standard with the same level of care.
5. Increase Your Shop's Average Repair Order
Shops can both create as many inspection checklists as you see fit, and even setup default inspections for certain jobs to build repair orders and send them to technicians in just seconds.
If you opt for a cloud-based shop management system with a built-in DVI feature, you can save each inspection created and completed to the cloud, and you can pull up the inspection created for any correlating customer concerns.
Create a Modern Shop Experience with Digital Vehicle Inspections
Digital Vehicle Inspection systems are the perfect example of why a cloud-based shop management system is the right tool for the job.
Although most drivers dread paying for repairs, a clear, transparent inspection gives them the answers they need to move forward and approve the work so that you and your team can get them back on the road safely.
Being honest, most customers are worried they're gonna be ripped off, or up-sold on a repair they don't really need. But, when customers can trust that your shop is doing right by them, and only recommending the work that truly needs to be taken care of, they'll be more likely to keep coming back.
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