How to Implement Digitization in Your Tire and Auto Repair Shops
The tire and auto service industry, like many other sectors, has undergone a transformation due to digitization and the seamless integration of technology into its day-to-day operations.
The digitization wave has revolutionized the way tire dealerships operate, allowing them to optimize various aspects of their business, from scheduling appointments, inventory tracking, and order management to real-time updates on tire pricing. As the industry continues to evolve, it becomes increasingly essential for tire and auto service dealers to adapt to these technological advancements in order to stay competitive and meet the ever-growing demands of customers.
It wasn't long ago that dealers who could consistently provide a quality product on time went straight to the head of the class. Today, customers consider quality and on-time delivery basic requirements—and if you can't deliver what they want when they want it, and how they want it, you'll fall behind the more nimble and flexible dealers who can respond to rapidly changing customer needs in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Here are a few effective steps and strategies to successfully implement digitization in your tire and auto repair shops:
Build an impressive website
Having a website is basic for online visibility. Include location, contact info, operating hours, and services offered. Showcase your tire inventory, brands, sizes, and types available. Highlight additional services like installation, balancing, and alignment.
One crucial aspect is ensuring that your website is fully optimized for search engines. This way, when individuals search for terms like "tire shops near me" or other related keywords, your website will have a higher chance of appearing in the top search results.
Customer Appointment Scheduler
Improve customer service—and on-time delivery—by accurately viewing and scheduling shop resources, outside processes and material requirements while estimating lead times for jobs.
Digital Inspections
Have your technicians utilize the digital inspection software to add pictures and videos of trouble spots within the vehicle as they run through an inspection. Have them send text messages/emails to provide updates or request action from the customer.
Inventory Ordering and Management
By integrating with leading tire suppliers, like Napa, O'Reilly, ATD, TireHub, US Autoforce, etc. and Epicor to connect to parts suppliers, you can gain real-time access to your supplier's inventory levels, allowing you to maintain the perfect balance of stock. This will ensure that popular tire models are always available to your customers, avoiding the risks of overstocking or understocking that can result in financial losses and customer dissatisfaction.
You can streamline your procurement process, and establish automatic reorder points and replenishment, eliminating the need for manual effort and effectively avoiding stockouts, maintaining a necessary record trail to ensure the integrity and accountability of the ordering processes.