This article is for automotive service professionals. It focuses on how to better serve customers in ways to meet their expectations. How and when a shop communicates with their customers is key. Texting is just one component of a customer’s expectations.
How often do you have an important question for your customer, but you just can’t get them to pick up their phone?
Being forced to wait around until the customer checks their email or listens to that voicemail can be frustrating, but don’t worry, we found your solution! Did you know that SMS text messages have a 99% open rate, 90% of which happens in the first three minutes of receiving the message? This is the end of your communication struggles.
It’s 2018 and with over 63% of individuals in 52 key countries owning a smartphone, it’s time to keep up with the technology. Offering an option to text your customers not only makes it easier for them to respond, but it will also save you time during a busy day. Think about the time it takes for you to pick up the phone, make a call, leave a voicemail and then wait by your landline for your customer to respond. What if they call back and you can’t answer? The same concept applies when writing an email; you must get to a computer, open your email, write the message and keep checking periodically until the response comes in. With texting, you can take seconds to write a quick message to the customer and can likely expect a response back within a few moments, right back to your mobile device.
While your competitors continue to reach their customers through the old fashioned way, you’ll always have an edge on them by giving clients what they really want from their mechanics.
Why this matters:
Today, the expectations of a consumer is to be informed during the entire cycle of a purchase of a product or service. There are many examples of this woven in our daily lives; buying a product on Amazon or Jet, purchasing a transportation service (airplace, rideshare, train, bus, etc.) and more. The customer is informed on status of their purchase via text, in-app notification, and email. Servicing a customer’s vehicle should be no different. The simplest and easiest form of communication is text. Use this platform at the beginning, during and end of servicing a customer’s vehicle. You should see customer satisfaction and trust increase.
Texting your clients will not only save you time and money, but will keep them returning to your business. In the day and age of instant gratification, it is time to give your customers what they want!
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