I recently saw a news story in the Austin American-Statesman that caught my attention because it affects the dealership service lane. In Austin, amateur mechanics have taken over an Auto Zone parking lot and, for a couple of hundred dollars, will fix vehicles, the Statesman reported.

They look over the vehicle, determine what needs fixing and then give the owner a shopping list to buy the parts at Auto Zone. For $200, they’ll do repair orders quoted at thousands of dollars at the local repair shop or dealership.

Neat story. Inspiring entrepreneurs finding a way to “serve” their community and make a little money, right?

Not if you rely upon your service lane for revenue.

How did it come to this?

What drives people to a parking lot in a strip mall to get their car repaired has to do with a multitude of factors. First, and most glaring, is the belief that they are not getting what they pay for at a repair shop or in the service lane. This comes down to communication.

When a customer rolls into the service lane, they need a clear view of what repairs need to be done to the vehicle, along with transparent pricing. This is the number one issue raised in that news story. People felt as if they were being overcharged for repair work.

What’s lost on them is that professionals do the repairs with OEM parts, often with a warranty or guarantee on the work and the parts. Try getting that in the parking lot.

Factory-trained technicians complete the repairs, know what they are doing on the vehicle they are trained on, and put the right parts in the right place. Simply buying parts at Auto Zone and handing them to a guy in a parking lot does not mean a good repair was done. Complete doesn’t mean done well.

But do your customers know that? The right service lane digital tool and software can help your advisers and techs have open, honest, transparent conversations with customers about what service needs to be done and the cost.

This gives customers peace of mind and helps them feel like part of the process in determining what repairs and service need to be done.

Keeping customers from becoming lost souls

Customers will look for an alternative, like an amateur mechanic in a parking lot, out of desperation. Over time, they may have built up in their minds that your service lane doesn’t care about them and only offers full-priced repairs they cannot afford.

We know that’s not the truth, so what are you doing to keep them informed and in the loop? A solution that reaches out to customers proactively, before they know they need you, helps keep them in the loop and keeps them from becoming lost souls out there looking for a guy in a hot parking lot.

You can offer discounts and incentives, and let them know the benefits of bringing their vehicle to your service lane. This will keep them happy and informed while keeping you top of mind for them when they need to repair their vehicle.

In conclusion, repairs done in parking lots may seem convenient and cheap at the time. Still, not having a professional, your professionals, do the work in the long run is not a viable solution. Keep your customers informed with open, transparent communication and stay in touch to prevent them from looking at the parking lot.

 

Euwart Anderson in the General Manager of Vehlo’s Dealership Division