Before the birth of Demandforce, and after I saw the limitations of CustomerLink, my families auto repair shop became the pioneer of the auto repair shop CRM industry. One day I asked myself a simple question: Why am I paying CustomerLink to do something that I can do myself for free? So, I threw away the conceptions the auto industry had about communicating with cars and I set out to WOW my customers.
Back then, CustomerLink couldn't even remind a customer of their PA State Inspection date. They could only reach out to a customer after we had not seen them for a specified time period. Demandforce had not yet integrated with my shop management system at the time, Bay-masteR. My options were to switch shop management systems or fail to provide exceptional service to my customers. I chose option C - create my own automatic service reminder program.
The key ingredients to my recipe were:
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Do not over communicate,
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Do not unnecessarily communicate,
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Do not inaccurately communicate,
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Provide a personalized message, and
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Verify that the customers love how I communicate with them.
So, how does an auto repair shop with a $0 development budget create a cutting edge solution that rivals what the big guys are producing? I chose to build my system on a platform that already worked well, Gmail. My CRM system scanned my repair orders for keywords that triggered the reminders. Then, the system generated an email for the customers with email addresses. If we did not have an email address for a customer, the system would print mailing address labels. We then affixed these address labels to pre-printed postcards and added a personal message.
The system worked great and our customers loved it. We later abandoned the system when Demandforce integrated with Bay-masteR for one reason: The relationship Demandforce had with Google to interject reviews into Google Local.
So, why is this relevant today? Syndicated reviews are dead and the reviews that CRM companies solicit no longer matter as much. This means the upper hand Demandforce once had with Google is long gone.
This led me to ask the question once again: Is the road most traveled right for me and my families' company? The question was heavily weighted because now I advise many auto repair shops through my company, BusinessActualization. Should my specialized auto repair shop clients be using the same system as every other general Auto Repair Shop in the country? So, I set out once again on the road less traveled and searched for a system and process that could once again WOW the human being receiving our communications.
Enter the realm of Inbound Marketing. For more than three years, I have been following HubSpot as they created a vision for what marketing should be. I began using their marketing platform for BusinessActualization and my clients soon followed with their auto repair shops. With the birth of the HubSpot CRM, I saw how I could change the way my clients communicate with their customers, a way that will WOW everyone involved in the process.
Marketing Automation is an asset to any business. I once thought Sales Automation was a key ingredient to the success of an auto repair shop. Unfortunately, automation in our sales processes has resulted in a disconnect between our sales team (Service Advisors) and the human beings that drive the cars our businesses service. The HubSpot CRM system repairs this disconnect by providing our sales team with a tool to connect with our customers.
What is a true CRM? Salesforce is the CRM used by a majority of corporations worldwide, but I would bet that not one auto repair shop is on the platform. Maybe there isn't a clear definition as to what a Customer Relationship Management system is? CustomerLink and Demandforce created their own variation. I believe that a true CRM augments the communication your Service Advisors have at the service counter. It doesn't automate what should be a human touch point.
Do you feel that your current process is increasing customer retention? Do you have order takers running your auto repair shop service sales department or true sales people? Join me on the road less traveled and create a custom solution that will result in happier customers, more referrals, more reviews and an increase in service sales.
