- According to Statistica.com, the number of U.S. smartphone users has gone from 62.6 million in 2010 to 163.9 million in 2014.
- That growth is expected to continue unabated, with 220 million U.S. users projected by 2018.
Growing right along with smartphone use are mobile apps. Flurry, a provider of app analytics, reported this past April that native app usage on smartphones is surging at the expense of the mobile web. It appears that, worldwide, we are now spending on average 2 hours and 42 minute per day on mobile devices, and mobile app use accounts for 2 hours and 19 minutes of that. At the same time, mobile web use has dropped to just 22 minutes per day (via TechCrunch).
So, in the spirit of fishing where the fish are, adopting a mobile app designed specifically for your auto repair business seems to make sense. We sure think so. Being mobile can increase the overall efficiency of your auto repair shop, saving you money and increasing your customers’ satisfaction. Let’s take a look at how mobile can work for your shop.
Mobile App Equals Mobile Office
The proliferations of mobile devices and on-going improvements in mobile technology have untethered all of us. Now, wherever you and your smartphone are, that’s where your office is. Obviously, not having to wait till you’re back in the shop to check workflow and milestones is a huge timesaver. You can make critical decisions on the fly, manage your staff, oversee repairs and communicate with vendors. It puts everybody on the same virtual page, so jobs don’t fall through the cracks or cause missed communications.
Timely Communication Equals Happy Customers
Even more important, you can stay in touch with your customers in a very personalized, proactive way throughout the entire repair process. From the moment a car is dropped off for repair till the moment it’s picked up, your customer can be kept in the loop via email. That’s the kind of communication that makes customers measurably happy.
J.D. Power and Associates’ research indicates that effective communication is a key driver of overall claims satisfaction. That includes communication from the repair shop. Our data confirms that.
Key Findings
We recently did a study of 350 claimants to measure what effect keeping them informed about repair and vehicle delivery status had on Net Promoter Scores (NPS). Quite a bit, as it turns out.
When asked, “Did the shop meet, exceed or delay the estimated completion date?” and “At any point during the repair, did the shop contact you to adjust the promised date?” respondents answered:
- 46% Met
- 26% Exceeded
- 15% Delayed
Now, what’s really interesting is that 25% of the customers who said the shop met or exceeded their delivery promise had been contacted at some point to adjust the delivery date. In other words, because the shop followed up and managed expectations, the customers actually perceived that the delivery was on time.
Another interesting finding was that customers are not always happy when you exceed their expectations. For example, finishing ahead of the promised delivery date can create scheduling conflicts and inconvenience for the customer. By communicating throughout the repair process, you can better manage their expectations. A mobile app facilitates that.
What Can You Do with Your Mobile App?
In a nutshell, everything you can do from an office-bound PC you can now do on the go from anywhere. A mobile repair shop management tool lets you simplify, eliminate or minimize a lot of repetitive manual steps, along with the possibility of error that inevitably comes with input from multiple parties.
To learn more about how mobile adoption can make a major difference to your repair shop, check out the recommended tools below.
Recommended Tools:
- RepairCenter Mobile App Overview and iTunes Download
- Top 10 KPIs for Repair Shops PDF, including Net Promoter Score (NPS)
- Latest Industry Trends Report for Auto Physical Damage and Casualty Industries
- RepairCenter Free 30-day Trial Download
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