Why does automotive service need to go digital?
Our answer to this question is presented in today's blog post!
It has long been known that everything in the automotive world is becoming more digital and networked. More and more electric cars on the roads, gas pumps with self-payment on every corner, car washes with traditional staff are hardly to be found any more, but rather modern car wash boxes into which the customer inserts his card and selects his own wash program, and the toll for the vacation is simply booked online.
But what about the on-site automotive service? In other words, the service provided by the workshop?
Here, too, things have changed and many options are still open. We distinguish between the two areas of customer and vehicle.
The customer is king – probably the most important saying in the service industry and also one of the most important reasons for digitizing automotive service: the customer request!
The workshop customer still appreciates going to his local workshop and receiving the desired repair service for his vehicle there - and this should remain the case! However, a lot has changed in the processes.
In the past, the customer was called or even sent a fax when the vehicle was ready for pickup. Today, on the other hand, e-mail is almost out.
Instead, the focus is on push notifications in conjunction with apps. Appointments can be made more and more frequently via the workshop's website or app, and customers are really calling for digital and more convenient solutions. It is much more convenient for customers to select their preferred appointment via an online portal than to arrange a free, suitable time over the phone. The customer then receives his appointment confirmation simply by e-mail or push notification, so he can read it whenever he has time.
The change within communication also applies to offers and advertising.
Who still leafs through brochures these days?
Promotions, advertising offers and information about market innovations reach customers via social media channels such as Instagram or Facebook. This change can be used very well as a tool for acquiring new customers with an individualized approach.
To sum up, customers' requirements of workshops have changed dramatically. From analog to digital, from cumbersome to convenient. However, it is important not to lose the personal relationship and trust between workshop and customer, but to anchor it at the center of the change.
In addition to the "customer" area, the starting point of the "vehicle" is also becoming increasingly relevant and, above all, unavoidable.
Probably the biggest building block of digitization in the automotive industry is the vehicle itself. Cars are becoming increasingly digital and networked, and will become a digital marketplace in the future. Voice recognition software will make it possible for drivers to carry out many everyday activities, such as orders or appointments, via the vehicle.
The workshop must adapt to this change and fight for a place in this market in order to continue to be able to reach the customer. Manufacturers are digitizing the vehicle from the ground up - ultimately, service providers are dependent on this and must adapt to the new conditions.
However, digitization also offers the workshop considerable potential, and some processes can be simplified. Communication via cloud solutions, transparent online markets and online appointments shorten processes and create more time for the core business.
Automated parts ordering, for example, can save considerable time and money and provide resources for new customers.
Professional plug-in modules turn out to be an efficient solution in communication and repair. They offer time savings, a digital service offering and early fault detection. To remain competitive with manufacturers or to be future-proof, there is no way around an interface to the vehicle.
Workshops do not have to take this step alone, there are solutions to help with the implementation!
For us, the practicality of solutions is in the foreground!
A software developed? That's all well and good - but can it also be used in everyday workshop work?
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