Jeff Bellinger is General Manager for Brandfon Honda, a sales and service volume leader in its district. Located in Branford, CT near New Haven, the dealership sells 1,560 new and used vehicles a year. Brandfon Honda operates 16 service bays and has eight service writers. To improve its fixed operations performance, the dealership installed Xtime hosted service CRM (customer relationship management) systems two years ago and recently provided service advisors Xtime ServiceTab™ mobile tablets.
“Our use of Xtime, and especially ServiceTab, has helped increase our labor hours per RO at least 35%,” Bellinger said. “Advisors like it because it helps them write up customers faster when they greet customers at their vehicles, and its checklist-driven walkaround guide helps them increase their upsell commission dollars.”
The mobile ServiceTab lets advisors greet customers right at their vehicles in the service drive, where conditions are more conducive to face-to-face interaction that builds stronger relationships and trust. By using this intuitive tablet interface, a service advisor can check customers in as they drive up, digitally record walk-around inspection results in real-time and discuss service recommendations without ever leaving the customer or vehicle.
"Our use of Xtime, and especially ServiceTab, has helped increase our labor hours per RO at least 35%."
Jeff Bellinger
General Manager, Brandfon Honda
“This technology adds credibility to what an advisor is recommending,” Bellinger noted, “and everything is captured electronically – including the customer’s signature to get the repair order started so customers are on their way a good five minutes faster.
XTIME HELPS BRANDFON HONDA:
- Simplify and organize appointment scheduling: Whether customers book their appointments by viewing Xtime’s online automotive scheduling software on the dealership’s website or service staff does it from their desks, scheduling is easier, faster – and more visible to help management better load the shop.
- Maximize appointments: Customers using the dealership’s Xtime service e-menu select recommended and desired services and book their own appointments. Because the online appointment schedule is the same as that seen by dealership staff, customers book only available days and times. They may also call the dealership and schedule with the dealership’s Xtime call center.
- Build customer trust and comfort: E-mail and other electronic service notifications keep customers aware of their vehicles’ service needs based on scheduled maintenances, recall notifications or other service reminder or promotional emails.
- Increase service revenue: By helping to maximizing shop utilization, Xtime helps keep technicians productive.
PROVEN PRODUCTIVITY
Xtime ServiceTab helps advisors do more thorough vehicle walkarounds and identify upsell opportunities. Improved shop utilization through Xtime’s ServiceCRM™ product suite and its certified integrations with a dealer’s DMS ensures all appointments are 100% confirmed. Bellinger said Xtime’s online scheduling does more than help him streamline workflow. He shared that consumers in control of scheduling their own appointment hours often take those late afternoon or evening appointments that often get overlooked when some employees book them. “With online scheduling, we take appointments right up until closing and then stay late to finish the work if necessary,” he said. This table provides a snapshot of Xtime’s performance at Brandfon Honda:
| Appointments Booked via Xtime | Show Rate | Appointment Repair Order Dollars | Per RO Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95.2.8% | 84% | $146,964 | $268 |
Bellinger said Xtime’s involvement with the dealership has meant big performance changes. “In our district, we’re one of the only dealerships to have had significant RO count increases during the last two years – and we are also one of the only ones having month-over-month growth this year compared to last. I attribute a lot of that growth to Xtime,” he said.
