Since the automotive industry is changing constantly, customer expectations are also evolving. Auto repair shops nowadays have to actively look for innovative and technologically advanced tools to attract, manage and nurture new leads.
If you are an auto repair shop owner, you would know that getting and managing customer leads can be difficult. This is exactly why customer relationship management software has been developed. It supports auto repair business owners and managers in lead management.
In this post, we will look at why getting a CRM for your automotive shop is super helpful and should be on your must-have radar. We will also look at some benefits of purchasing a CRM for auto repair shops.
What is Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software?
CRM is an abbreviation that stands for “Customer Relationship Management,” and it refers to a digital platform that assists businesses in the management of relationships between customers and prospects.
In the context of the auto industry, it can be of tremendous assistance in terms of streamlining, organizing, and automating business processes for an auto repair shop.
It provides auto shops with a more distinct insight into the behavior of customers, allowing them to better understand the requirements of their customers and manage their expectations.
In fact, it is necessary for auto repair shops to use CRM software in order to display data that can be acted upon, transform that data into comprehensive insights, improve team communication, sales and contact management, establish rapport with customers, provide a personalized experience in order to build customer loyalty, and boost profitability and productivity.
An automotive CRM can actually achieve all of this and more. In the long, it can help in boosting the customer satisfaction level for your auto repair shop.
The Benefits of Using CRM For Your Automotive Shop
There are many benefits of using technology and software for an auto repair shop. For example, many auto repair shops in the automotive industry are using auto repair shop management software to enhance efficiency.
Auto repair software streamlines all of the operations of an auto repair shop. From labor tracking to inventory management, auto shop management software can handle it all. Likewise, CRM holds a lot of benefits for businesses in the auto industry.
However, as a business owner you need to keep in mind that auto repair software and CRM, both are investments. So before you can pour money into either one of them, it is important to know the return and benefits that you will be getting.
Below, you can find a helpful list of the benefits of working with a CRM in the auto industry.
1. It Offers Complete Customer Lifecycle Management to Auto Repair Shops
When it comes to auto repair shops, there are a number of stages that can occur throughout the customer’s life cycle.
It includes activities such as collecting and sorting leads and customer data, facilitating finance schemes, persuading customers to go for test drives, following up for after-sales services, keeping customers appraised about offers, and so on.
Every stage needs to be monitored so that you can verify that it is being completed in accordance with the service-level agreement that was established. Leaders and management are able to monitor service level agreements (SLAs) and take appropriate action to improve business efficiency when using a customer relationship management (CRM) system.
This occurs when individuals fill in data about work completed in relation to a specific activity.
2. It Enhances Your The Customer Support Function of Your Auto Repair Shop
The expansion of sales and the improvement of service to customers are the key focuses of automotive repair shops. Not only does the sales team have to retain existing customers, but they also have to attract new customers.
Because of this, maintaining a regular calling schedule is essential, and this is true regardless of the size of the company.
However, telecallers should also be supervised to verify that they are performing to the standards that have been set for them. Automotive CRMs typically include built-in agent monitoring tools that make it possible for managers to keep tabs on incoming calls and make their telemarketing staff better overall.
For instance, managers and service writers are able to keep tabs on the average amount of time spent handling each call, as well as logged-in and occupied time, calls made and received, and a great deal more. They are even able to listen to live as well as recorded calls in order to pinpoint areas that need development.
This leads to ultra accurate service management and enhanced customer loyalty.
3. It Helps You Analyze and Manage Customer Data
It doesn’t matter how much consumer information you’ve amassed in your shop management system 8f you don’t know how to put it to use.
To have a better understanding of how they might increase sales, a company must first collect data from its customers from all existing platforms, then save that data in a centralised repository, and last, derive insights from the data.
Not only are automotive businesses able to enter data with an advanced automotive CRM, but they also have access to intelligent dashboards that allow them to evaluate the data. A CRM holds all kinds of data about your customers including the vehicle service history and details of vehicle owners.
The leaders are the ones who get to work out attractive offers for particular sectors depending on factors such as age, gender, income levels, preference, and so on. These priceless insights can be put to use in the development of focused marketing campaigns for each category, as well as in the pursuit of upselling and cross-selling opportunities and improved return on investment.
You can also use this data to update your sales processes, to get the most out of sales opportunities available online.
4. It Helps In Processing Customer Feedback For Businesses in the Automotive Industry
From lead management to contact management, an automotive CRM can do it all. And it is these features of auto repair software and CRM that make it easier for shops to stand out in the auto industry.
However, one of the most helpful qualities of a CRM for your sales team is its ability to process customer feedback.
Customers that are dissatisfied with their experiences will not only take their business elsewhere, but they will also spread the word about how awful those experiences were.
Even worse, they may end up endorsing your rival company in the auto industry to their tight-knit group of friends and acquaintances, which would be terrible for your business.
It goes without saying that this will have a bad impact on the reputation of your company, which is why receiving feedback from customers is so important. It is imperative for businesses who wish to differentiate themselves in today’s cutthroat environment to take this input into consideration and act upon it.
Businesses should make use of client feedback that can be collected and analysed via a customer relationship management system in order to have a better understanding of what it is that customers truly desire and to enhance existing procedures.
Managing customer relationships through crm platforms is the best feature of investing in a crm solution.
5. It Supports in Nurturing Customer Relationships and Referrals
Managing customers in a sales pipeline is no easy task. Shop owners usually have to hire dedicated sales reps just for answering customer questions and getting referrals out of them.
Moreover, customer tracking without a software can be pretty hard. If you don’t have a dealership software in place, you can’t even maintain sales transparency.
In fact, referrals are an important part of any business, regardless of the sector. When a client is satisfied with a specific service, they are more likely to recommend that business to other people, which is beneficial to automobile dealerships.
The fact that the vast majority of car dealerships don’t even bother to seek for references means that this facet is almost always neglected.
But with the help of a customer relationship management solution for auto dealerships, businesses are able to make it a normal procedure to collect referrals from pleased and repeat customers and then follow up on these leads to boost sales.
6. It Automates The Day to Day Tasks of Your Auto Repair Shop
The introduction of more advanced technology has led to the gradual replacement of manual labor by machine-based alternatives.
Auto repair businesses and brands are automating a variety of processes in order to free up resources and concentrate their efforts on more important tasks, such as fostering positive relationships with customers and increasing output.
With an automotive CRM or a shop management system, you will be able to send automated reminders to customers regarding the renewal of their insurance policies, the servicing of their vehicles, the introduction of new offers, and so on.
The staff is informed that they should follow up with consumers regarding these reminders, and leaders are able to monitor whether or not their employees have completed the necessary tasks. It decreases the amount of opportunity for human error and the dependence on human memory and accuracy that is required to finish boring jobs that are nonetheless significant.
Investing in a shop management system can actually help you boost efficiency levels and also increase profits. For example, a shop management software can make tasks like inventory management super easy.