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Bryan Smith General Manager at Toronto Honda and Toronto Kia shares the impact Xtime products have made at his dealerships. In a time where many are looking to do more with less, he found a way. Watch this video to see what Xtime Schedule, Inspect, and Invite, alongside Texting and Payment, have done for Bryan and his dealerships. As Bryan says, “Now all I have to do is focus on figuring out how to fine tune my message so I can get maximum return on investment.”

Ready to demo these products for your dealership? Click here to schedule.

To make employees more efficient and stay true to its customer-first mission, Chapman Automotive Group saw an opportunity to improve how it moved its customers to and from dealerships by offering on-demand Lyft rides.

Their service departments were already using Xtime Schedule to book appointments for customers, and the Lyft and Xtime integration enables service advisors to easily arrange safe, reliable rides to and from the dealership in just a few clicks.

“You just pull up the appointment card, click ‘rideshare,’ put where they need to go, and submit the request,” shares Scott Haddock, Service Director of Honda Tucson. “Requesting a Lyft courtesy ride in Xtime is easy.”

Beyond ease, it benefits the dealership in multiple ways, including time savings and cost reductions. Read the full case study to discover the advantages your dealership could have with the Lfyt and Xtime integration.

"With the Lyft and Xtime integration, courtesy rides take 3–4 minutes to arrive.With shuttles, customers were waiting for
1 hour or more."

Scott Haddock

Service Director, Chapman Honda Tucson

When we think about the future, our thoughts tend to focus on advances in technology. And at Cox Automotive Experience—a virtual event with the goal of helping dealerships find a new way forward—you’ll learn about the latest technology trends and how today’s dealerships are already benefiting from tomorrow’s technologies. As we transition into 2021, many experts agree that multimedia capabilities, flexible payment platforms, and process automation are the trends most likely to transform the automotive industry in the coming year.

Multimedia Capabilities  

Service, maintenance, and repair have always been about trust. Emerging multimedia technologies make it easy for dealerships to develop that trust, improve the customer experience, and make it easy for the customer to say “yes” to their recommendations. Express Multi-Media, a new tool from Xtime, enables dealers to easily capture walkaround and inspection videos, then send them to consumers. By helping vehicle owners visualize the need for service and understand the rationale behind a recommendation, dealerships can increase repair order volume and amount.

Flexible Payment Platforms 

Visit any website or walk into any brick-and-mortar shop and you’ll see that people have changed the way they pay for things. Especially when the economic outlook is questionable, as it likely will be in 2021, vehicle owners need more options for how and when they pay for service. A new service solution from Xtime aims to meet that need. FlexPay, through an integration with Sunbit, enables dealers to offer flexible service financing that help consumers pay for service over time. And when consumers are less worried about their budgets, dealerships earn additional dollars per repair order.

Process Automation  

Automation, and the ability to eliminate unnecessary tasks, has always been a primary goal of advancing technology. For profit-minded dealerships, few goals could be more important than increasing efficiency and doing more with less. New additions to the Xtime suite of service tools are helping dealerships do just that. Within Inspect, Common Operations is reducing technician downtime by combining the most commonly sold operations into a single catalog. Within Invite, Special Order Parts Marketing is reducing special-order parts inventory by providing automated email and text communications to consumers notifying them that previously out-of-stock parts have become available.

Naturally, technology will play a major role in the way dealerships move into the future. To avoid falling behind, your dealership will need to keep up with the latest technologies. You’ll have the opportunity to get up close and personal with these tools and trends at Cox Automotive Experience, a 10-day virtual event featuring demos, drop-in conversations, and even special offers from Cox Automotive brands. Click Here to schedule your demo today.

With six stores and a large customer base, Eide Automotive Group found it difficult to deliver personalized, meaningful marketing messages at scale. 

The dealership looked to Automotive Marketing Platform powered by VinSolutions to streamline their marketing efforts and reach customers with the right messages at the right time. Download the case study to learn how Eide uses Automotive Marketing Platform to:

• Sell more cars and acquire more trades
• Secure service revenue
• Personalize and Simplify mass email marketing efforts
• Ensure successful sales follow-up with comprehensive CRM integration
• Maximize return on marketing investment

See how Eide Automotive Group sells more cars with Automotive Marketing Platform.

How to Create Your Game Plan for an Optimal Digital Sales Process

The digital car buying experience has arrived, and it’s here to stay. That means dealers must adapt their processes to meet new digital and hybrid sales scenarios. But implementing a fully digital sales experience can be a significant undertaking for your dealership.  

That’s why we’re here to help. This playbook will give you the strategies and tools you need to create a solid game plan for successfully implementing digital sales. Topics covered include how to:  

• Lay the foundation for success  
• Become more efficient and effective   
• Measure what matters  
• Brand it and expand it 

Ready for next steps? Download The Workbook for Implementing Digital Sales.  

How to Shift Your Mindset and Adapt to the Digital Sales Model

The digital car buying experience has arrived, and it’s here to stay. If traditional, in-person car shoppers are the only customers you’re prepared to sell to effectively, you stand to lose a growing number of potential buyers who demand a more modern way to buy. 

But adapting to a new sales model takes a shift in mindset. This ebook will cover key considerations for preparing your dealership for a digital transformation, including:  ​

• Adapt to the 3 Modern Sales Scenarios
• Let Your Buyers Take the Wheel
• Put Personalized Service First
• Turn Your Website into a Salesperson

Want to learn more? Download The Playbook and The Workbook for Implementing Digital Sales.

These days, your customers can do just about anything from the convenience of their homes. Outings are becoming optional and errands more obsolete, and businesses are responding to changing customer preferences. From hospitality to healthcare and retail to real estate, nearly every industry is changing to bring on-demand goods and services directly to the customer. It’s the natural evolution of industry—businesses change as customer preferences change—and the automotive service industry is no exception.

Within the last few months, sparked by customer demand, many dealerships have started to offer vehicle service pick-up and delivery. Customers can have their cars serviced at the dealership without ever leaving their home or office. This shift to an on-demand service model is the natural evolution of vehicle servicing, and as with other industries, customers are taking notice of the convenience.

An Opportunity for Additional Revenue 

Although still relatively new, according to Cox Automotive industry data, service pick-up and delivery is already a hit. About 22 percent of vehicle owners have used service pick-up and delivery since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 90 percent said they were satisfied with their experience. In fact, an overwhelming majority (91 percent) of customers said service pick-up and delivery will be a key criterion in deciding where to service their vehicles moving forward.

“Consumers that have experienced this service love it,” said David Foutz, VP of Sales at Xtime. “And they’ve indicated that they’re willing to pay more for this service going forward.”

Currently, only about six percent of dealers are charging for service pick-up and delivery, suggesting a new source of revenue for 90-plus percent of dealers. But even aside from the extra revenue opportunity, service pick-up and delivery can help dealers attract new customers and help with dealership customer retention for those that appreciate the convenience.

“It will drive retention,” Foutz said. “Consumers are telling us how much they value and appreciate this convenience. …It’s about options, it’s about letting our consumers tell us how they want to do business with us. Having that availability and fluidity of options is going to be key going forward.”

A Sustainable Service Solution

In an industry where customers demand convenience and already have so many service shop options available, some as close as the corner quick lube, service pick-up and delivery can be a competitive advantage for dealerships. It removes barriers and gives customers a compelling reason to service their vehicles at the dealership. It saves time for customers and gives dealers an opportunity to provide additional service recommendations at scheduled, convenient times for customers.

Understanding that there is value in service pick-up and delivery, Xtime is working to help make this service a sustainable and profitable solution for dealers. Clutch Service Pick-Up and Delivery with Xtime gives dealers an automated and efficient concierge service, where customers can book service visits online directly through Xtime, while viewing real-time availability of loaner vehicles and valets. Once the service is scheduled, customers can provide payment and necessary vehicle and insurance information from the convenience of their phones.

“This tool, when you combine it with your BDC outreach, with tailored insights about your vehicle and your service needs really does remove obstacles,” Foutz said. “This can be a powerful tool in dealers’ hands.”

Let’s say that every day you’re asked to fill up a one-gallon water pitcher and given 10 glasses of water that equal your task. Then one day, two of your glasses are taken away, but it’s still your responsibility to deliver the full gallon. How do you deliver the same results with less opportunity to do so?

It’s not so different for your service department right now. Fixed ops plays a critical role in overall profitability for your dealership. However, you’re facing a unique challenge to your ability to contribute to the bottom line — 21 percent of your customers are still delaying vehicle service and repair.1

Using video and pictures to enhance the service experience may give you the opportunity you need to keep delivering a full pitcher — driving the results your dealership needs.

Understand the Need for Repair 

Your customer may be unfamiliar with the things that happen under the hood of their car. They rely on you and your team to diagnose needed repairs, educate them on why the repair should be done, and treat them fairly.

To help your customer understand why they need a certain repair, you can talk them through it or you can send them a video so they can see exactly what’s not working as it should — show v. tell.

45% conversion rate when photos and videos are sent to customers.

[2]

Grow Trust

Trust but verify. It’s natural for people to want to research and confirm information relayed to them. But while you have your customer’s car on a lift, it’s a bit difficult for them to verify the need for the ASR you are asking them to approve. With trust in the top four reasons why service customers choose a provider, you need to give them a reason to believe you.3

That’s a lot easier to do when pictures and videos are sent along with an ASR. Your customer can quickly approve recommended repairs by line item when it’s easy for them to recognize your concerns to be legitimate.

More than $1.5 Million incremental fixed ops revenue earned March—July 2020 by dealers using video to present ASRs.

[4]

Make it Easy to Say Yes

In addition to boosting dollars per RO, utilizing media can help you grow efficiencies. Traditionally, repair order approval was time consuming, requiring a game of phone tag between the customer and their advisor as they informed and explained the need for additional repairs to the customer. During the back and forth, a car may have been left occupying a lift, slowing productivity in your service department.

When you use multimedia to facilitate approvals, your customer can simply tap their phone to give the green light on repairs.

49% of ASRs that include photos and videos are approved in the first 15 to 30 minutes.

[5]

Beyond using multimedia to maximize service profits, you’re also giving your customer an exceptional service experience. They are able to interact with you digitally for the ultimate convenience. Your customer will be able to approve an ASR or view video straight from a technician, wherever they are.

With Enhanced Multi-Media, a feature available with Xtime Inspect, you can quickly and easily capture video and images in your service department. Show your customer what the technician sees by attaching media to an ASR before you text or email it, or advisors and technicians can text media directly to the customer.

Are you ready for faster approvals and more dollars per RO in your service department? Explore Enhanced Multi-Media today.

1 2020 Cox Automotive COVID-19 Consumer Impact Study 

2 Xtime dealer data March 29 – July 25, 2020 

3 Cox Automotive 2018 Service Industry Study 

4 Analysis performed using 2480 Xtime Spectrum Inspect dealerships 

5 Xtime dealer data March 29—Aug 1, 2020