The Digital Shop® Blog
Bruce Williams of Rivers Edge Services, Frank Scandura of Frank’s European Service, and our Digital Shop® Talk Radio host, Bill Connor, were on a recent episode of The Digital Shop® Talk Radio to discuss what auto repair shop owners can expect to change over the next 3-5 years and how to future proof their auto shops by going digital.
Trust, Customer Retention, & Relationship Building
In the episode, they go into detail about how consistent processes and messaging to customers builds trust and customer loyalty, enabling long-lasting relationships for repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals.
Good customers don’t buy brake pads and rotors. Good customers buy trust…”
It costs 5x more to acquire a new customer than to keep a loyal customer… Bruce discusses the importance of being very transparent with customers to ensure expectations are set properly from the beginning to build trust. This has led his shop to see many long-lasting, loyal, and repeat customers where their appointments are consistently scheduled in advance. This allows him to more confidently project what the shop's future will look like.
“We’re not a hope and pray business model anymore... We’re a scheduled service model.”
In the episode, Frank explains how thoroughly detailing every item a customer is paying for, why, and explaining each cost builds trust with customers and adds to the value they receive from working with his shop vs competitors.
"We are a digital shop," he says. We are going to be doing a thorough inspection. We’re going to be sending you pictures and links to information so you can make informed decisions."
He goes on to stress the importance of having a consistent process for his customers. His shop uses digital vehicle inspections (DVI) to take pictures and send links to customers so they can make an informed decision. This process gives his customers a consistent experience every time they come in building a layer of trust and dependability.
"We take pictures of everything so the customer sees what we’re doing," says Frank. We’ve got to justify all the money they’re spending. That’s a critical aspect. Shops who are not using that feature are missing out on a great opportunity to build value."
Watch the full episode here:
