Properly leveraging your system’s capabilities can deliver exceptional results.

It’s a lynchpin of modern automotive service provider operations, are you getting the most out of your shop management software? Furthermore, do you have the right platform for your business?

These are key factors to consider, given the nature of modern vehicle service and repairs, as well as customer expectations. 

When it comes to selecting SMS, Nick DiVerde, Senior Product Developer for Mitchell 1, explains that firstly, shops need to consider a system that’s reliable. “Shops need to ensure and trust the platform they are getting is solid and proven.” DiVerde notes that in the case of Mitchell 1’s Manager SE it’s longevity in the market and the resources behind it, including Mitchell 1’s parent company Snap-On, are often key factors in the platform’s appeal among independent service centres.

The second factor is ease of use. Shop staff and technicians need to be able to utilize the platform and its functions, fast and easily, without requiring a steep learning curve. Thirdly, says DiVerde, solid customer support is critical to ensure any issues can be quickly resolved and on a consistent basis.

Integrated inspection program

Rob Ingram, who owns and operates Eldon Ingram NAPA AUTOPRO in Stratford, Ont., says that today, service centres need to ensure they have an inspection program that integrates with their SMS so they can review R/Os on each vehicle that comes in and have an effective way of reviewing deferred service work. “The only way you can really do that is by having an inspection program that’s integrated with your billing software,” he says.

Additionally, having a CRM function where the shop staff can send out reminders or “thank you for your business” notifications is also essential to building long-term retention and ensuring consistent business for the facility.

At Epicor, Suellyn Sprague, Vice President/General Manager for Automotive, says, that besides retaining existing customers, shops need to ensure they’re also able to effectively attract new clients. And, here, online reviews can play a key part. “Since most people check Google reviews before visiting a business,” says Sprague, “making it easier for customers to leave reviews on Google is a vital aspect of modern CRMs.”

Leveraging lost opportunities

One issue that can often impact service centres, is properly leveraging lost service opportunities. Here, says Sprague, an effective approach is having service advisors track these lost opportunities in their shop management software as either declines, deferred service, or recommendations. “These tracked opportunities can then be used to ensure reminders are sent 30 days after being captured,” says Sprague. “Reconnecting with existing and infrequent customers through reminders can help them avoid costly repairs in the future.”

Flexibility and options

Another key factor for ensuring service centres can really leverage the capability of their SMS today is having a platform that’s flexible. Nick DiVerde notes that in the case of Mitchell 1’s Manager SE, a key part is providing shops the ability to choose what works for them. “Whether it’s connecting with multiple parts catalogues, using integrated payment options, or adding digital vehicle inspections tools,” he says, “these can all provide significant benefits and ensure the process is smooth and consistent between staff and customers.”

As time goes by, many SMS systems continue to add more features to further enhance their capability and provide ever more effective solutions for service centres and their customers. DiVerde says that new features can help shops stay more organized and work more efficiently. In the case of Manager SE, he says shops can then better tailor the SMS to fit their needs and create a workflow that makes sense for their particular business.

Greater integration

As vehicle service repair and customer expectations evolve, we’re also witnessing a greater integration between SMS and CRM systems, particularly as artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent. At Epicor, Suellyn Sprague says that specifically, AI is proving particularly effective when it comes to marketing and promotions. “Shop owners want to capture the service of all vehicles in the driver’s garage and the use of AI along with marketing data will allow them to evolve their promotion strategy to better connect with each and every client.”

Training and investment

While there are a number of highly capable SMS systems out there, how effective they prove to be a for an individual business often boils down to the way in which staff are trained to use them, and the actual investments that business makes.

Rob Ingram says that in his case, the ultimate goals to provide the best customer service possible and that meant that ensuring the right investments were made and these and staff training were factored into the overall business plan. Too often he says, shop owners aren’t willing to or don’t understand the extent of the investment required up front to make it work properly. And when that happens, problems tend to magnify over time. “When we switched from our old SMS to a new one, we had to think about what the transition would cost us in both time and money.”

Changeover considerations

He says that when doing this, there will be a point in time when you’re investing in the program and in training, but you’re not getting sales because of the changeover happening with your SMS, including your billing software. “If you acquire a billing program and the rate is $500 per month, you need to understand that to begin with, it’s going to cost you significantly more, because you will need to have that company come in and train your people to use it properly and that needs to happen on an ongoing basis.” He says it can be easy for a shop to acquire the software, have the vendor come in and perform basic training, and then for the shop to try and figure the rest out on their own. “While the shop might see where the lucrative work is from that basic training, they aren’t able to capitalize on it, because they aren’t efficient with the program, because they haven’t taken the time to train their people thoroughly on it.”

At Mitchell 1, Nick DiVerde concurs. He says the best way to take full advantage of your SMS is by staying on top of training. DiVerde says that a combination of hands-on workshops along with webinars and training videos can be highly effective, back up by knowledgeable sales staff and robust technical support. “Staying engaged with training means shop professionals will become more comfortable with the system and be able to use it to its full potential, which ultimately leads to a smoother-running shop.”