Maximise Service Revenue With VHC’s

Technology in the 21st century is moving at quite a rate with social media connecting us to people all over the globe and the ability to purchase new items at our fingertips, whenever, wherever. We can’t ignore the fact that we live in quite a fast paced world these days, which is why it is so vital for dealers to keep up to date with technology and to continue finding ways of making their business more accessible to their customers, especially on hand held devices. As a business you need to find ways of making the process of every day jobs quicker and more efficient to increase profitability.

Vehicle Health Checks (VHC) are offered as a free service by many dealerships and garages to customers when they book their vehicle in for a service, MOT, or repair. They are typically a visual check of wheels, tyres, brakes, underside of car and under the bonnet, fluids, lights and electrics.

Customers are provided with a report that gives them peace of mind that there are not any obvious defects with their vehicle and gives them a heads-up on any problems that they were unaware of, or items that will require attention in future – tyre wear being a common one.

From a safety point of view this helps avoid any potential hazardous situations when driving. By being able to provide customers with such information increases safety for them and other road users, which promotes trust between the customer and the dealer.

The obvious benefit to the dealer is that they have the opportunity to carry out extra work the customer would not have otherwise requested, as they are simply not aware it was needed. The dealer can contact the customer to discuss the work, and there is nothing better than sending a short video highlighting the work to help the customer decide whether to have the work carried out, and VHC printed reports are often emailed to customers or discussed face to face when the customer arrives to collect their vehicle.

We have developed a mobile app called APPraise, which has a VHC tool as one of its key features. The benefit of being able to record the information via an app means it is easy to refer back to, or send it instantly to a customer via email, without having to search through paper files, not to mention the added costs of having to buy the paper check list every time you run out. Technicians may not have direct access to the management system, and it also means they can record the information as they physically inspect the vehicle in the workshop – even whilst its up on the ramp, so providing them with the VHC app allows them to input data from a mobile device directly to the DragonDMS, as the two are fully integrated. This also allows for first-hand information going from the technician to the customer.

As APPraise is fully connected with DragonDMS, this means the data collected when the health check was performed is stored and available to service users, so it can be followed up if required. Furthermore you can print or email the vehicle health check info at any time.

In a nutshell, our VHC application permits technicians to carry out vehicle inspections as well as letting them highlight any work that may need to be carried out on the customer’s car. The vehicle health check system works on a traffic light system, green, amber and red, and we give users the option of making their own checklist, so they can tailor the VHC as required. This system allows the technician to point out areas that need attention, giving them the opportunity to upsell extra work. In addition to this we have also added the capability of a 60 second video, which can be sent to the customer by text message via a link, where they can see the technician explain what is required whilst showing them physically in the video, to help them decide if they will approve the work.

From a customer’s point of view seeing the actual technician who has been working on their car and getting first-hand information from them is good because it’s transparent and this helps creates trust, which will help increase repeat business.

So how do you make a good video?

First remember the key areas you should cover. Tyre depths, brakes, top ups and any items that you may have found on inspection that need attention.

You may even want to top up their fluids as a good will gesture.

Once you’ve got your key areas well and truly stuck in your head, now would be a good time to figure out your routine from start to finish. By doing this you will increase consistency and save yourself the hassle from jumping from one end of the car to the other.

Demonstrating consistency to a customer shows that you know what you are doing and it also highlights your professionalism, which is reassuring to your customer.

When recording the video make sure you have the phone or tablet in the landscape position and not portrait, as a result of a portrait video you will crop out two thirds of the frame which doesn’t look good when sent to a customer.

Just a quick tip, keep a torch handy. You may need it to help point out an area under the car or inside the engine bay.

Now you have your key areas, video positioning and routine in check, focus on your speech.

Be clear, concise and remember to project your voice and introduce yourself at the beginning.

Combining all of the above in a VHC video is important as failing to do so could confuse the customer and you may not get your point across and therefore they may not approve the work.

Nearing completion of your video, thank your customer for choosing your aftersales department.
A simple thank you goes a long way these days!

Combining all of these efforts will ensure your customer leaves feeling satisfied and confident with the work carried out, resulting in a positive experience for the customer and potential repeat business, and you are also more likely to receive good feedback on your social sites and website.

View more information at www.dragon2000.co.uk/mobile-apps

Dragon2000 have been helping dealers and garages drive their businesses forward since 1995. Talk to our team today on 01327 222 333 or email sales@dragon2000.co.uk to find out how our dealer management system, car dealer websites and mobile apps can help your business increase profits and reduce costs.