Automotive maintenance is something most drivers don't want to think about. The cost of buying gasoline, changing the oil and rotating the tires are stressful enough.
Indeed, about 85 percent of vehicles on the road are in need of some form of preventative maintenance, according to Brian England, president of British American Auto Care. Despite the need for maintenance, many drivers try to ignore the clatter coming from under their hoods, hoping repairs can wait until they have more time to spare. Perhaps that is why AA1Car estimated that mechanical failure is a factor in roughly 12 percent of automotive accidents.
Most vehicles have systems in place to alert drivers when there's a mechanical issue. The check engine light typically does a fine job of reporting errors, but it's easy to dismiss.
When it's all too easy to ignore the warning signs of car failure, how can automotive specialists increase their service sales? The answer lies in a familiar technology.
Preventative Maintenance Keeps Customers Happy
When customers follow their scheduled maintenance plans, they make life easier for everyone. Drivers can avoid the high costs of repairs, and technicians don't have to deal with irate customers demanding to know what's wrong with their vehicles.
As Wells Fargo noted, the recommended time between automotive maintenance visits has expanded greatly with innovations in technology. Rather than bringing in a car every 3,000 miles for an oil change, drivers might wait until they've hit the 15,000 mile mark. With such a long span of time in between, it's easy to forget and miss appointments.
An SMS reminder system can automatically reach out to customers who are due for a tuneup and speed up the appointment scheduling process. This will help drivers remember when it's time to head to the shop and ensure fewer major repairs disrupt the life cycles of vehicles.
"Preventative maintenance saves customers money and bolsters service sales."
A text alert is easy to read and respond to. Many of today's smartphones will automatically populate the user's calendar with appointment information received via text. This way, drivers will miss fewer appointments and technicians can boost their sales.
Preventative maintenance also offers the opportunity to educate shoppers on how to care for their vehicles. Some drivers may not understand the cost-saving benefits of regular maintenance. Repowering a car with a rebuilt engine, for example, costs between only 10 and 20 percent of the cost of a new vehicle, on average, according to the Car Care Council, a nonprofit funded and directed by the Auto Care Association.
Simple SMS reminder messages could save customers thousands of dollars while improving sales at repair shops.
SMS Reminders Have Higher Open and Response Rates
Automotive shops should consider choosing SMS reminders over emails or postcards because open and response rates are much higher.
According to marketing blog Business 2 Community, email campaigns have an average open rate between 28 and 33 percent – and only 7 percent of opened emails generate engagement. SMS, on the other hand, has an average open rate of 99 percent with a click-thru rate of 36 percent.
This presents a perfect opportunity for automotive businesses to reach more of their customers and keep them coming back for routine maintenance. Best of all, an SMS service integrates directly with customer records, so automated messages always go out on time.
To learn how your automotive business can benefit from an automated SMS reminder service, contact Swift SMS Gateway today.
