TORONTO -

With vehicle miles travel at levels not seen since the summer before the pandemic, communication within your service drive is critical, and Dealer-FX is trying to make sure managers have the tools they need to do just that.

Tony Boulos, a service consultant at McGrath Lexus of Chicago, described his experiencing using an integrated messaging tool designed to further enhance the ONE Platform from Dealer-FX.

“Chat-based communication is very important for our team in terms of communicating between the techs, service writers and anyone else who needs to be involved in a discussion regarding a specific vehicle,” Boulos said. “It allows us to instantly keep everyone informed.”

As Boulos referenced in a news release from Dealer-FX, benefits of the software service solution provider’s integrated communication tool include:

— Fully integrated within Dealer-FX’s ONE Platform

— Included at no additional cost

— Requires no external apps to download, manage or update

— Built for dealers with custom channels for repair orders, customers, or internal conversations

— Notifications ensure employees see every message

— Familiar, easy-to-use interface

Along with enabling internal collaboration amongst employees and creating efficiency through effective communication Dealer-FX highlighted its solution also can provide a better experience for vehicle owners through two-way text conversation.

“Building a healthy fixed operations department requires dealers to provide a great customer experience,” the company said. “Effective communication is a core element of that experience.

“For customers, text messages are a key contributor to their satisfaction,” Dealer-FX continued, based on a belief that 98% of text messages are opened and 95% are read and responded to within three minutes of being delivered.

With Dealer-FX’s solution, service teams can engage in one-to-one messaging, group conversations and repair order-specific discussions.

The company then explained conversations can occur within the platform, eliminating the need for add-on tools. The company said conversations are also accessible at any stage of service, allowing users to access internal and external messages easily, with no limitation to a specific role or task.

“Our goal was to develop a best-in-class messaging solution where employees can easily access internal and external conversations, regardless of what they are working on,” Dealer-FX chief executive officer Bill Lucchini said.

“We know there is a strong market demand for consumers to have two-way text conversations with businesses. Our solution helps foster improved relationships between customers and their dealership, while making communication simple and convenient for the customer,” Lucchini went on to say.

To learn more about ONE Platform by Dealer-FX, watch the video at the top of this article or visit www.dealer-fx.com.