It will come as no surprise to anyone that our sector is modulated by seasonal peaks.

Many have to cope with a crying lack of resources, which prevents them from maximising the workshop’s full potential during this peak period, which is crucial to the company’s profitability.

So how do you cope with all this traffic without losing your head? We need to innovate, take unpaved paths and explore new avenues.

The digital approach

One solution is to use digital technology to lighten the load for counter staff and customer service staff. One of the burdens of the tire season is the number of incoming and outgoing telephone calls per day. It would therefore be wise to try and reduce these costs by using the latest generation of management tools.

That’s why it’s vital to have high-performance workshop management software that offers a range of tools to make your operations easier and reduce the risk of errors, such as an electronic appointment schedule that allows customers to view your availability and book appointments online without having to call you.

Adapting communications

You can also use electronic communication tools with your customers rather than the traditional telephone, such as SMS text messages and emails. You’ll be able to confirm appointments, notify customers that their vehicle is ready, inform them that work is required, and send them an inspection report or estimate that includes photos of any damage to the vehicle.

You can also use the electronic catalogues of our parts and tire suppliers to put together your quotations, check inventories and order the materials you need, which will then be integrated directly into your work order.

Saving time

This feature is available in several software packages, reducing manual operations and making general ledger accounting easier to manage. In the case of tires and rims, we can refer our customers to our banner’s website to obtain a price and purchase them online, which will reduce the number of calls to the workshop. When the customer comes to you, the sale will already have been made, saving you precious time.

You can also link your payment terminal to your management software, which will make it easier to reconcile transactions when you close your work orders and reduce errors in transaction amounts and the type of card used by the customer.

You can also use a telephone tree system to filter incoming calls and direct them to the right person. In this way, you can avoid an advisor answering a call that is actually intended for the accounts department, or giving information that could simply be relayed by a message such as your opening hours and address.

There are lots of tools available, but it’s important to know which ones meet our needs and expectations.