Upping the daily car count has been an ongoing goal for Tim Steigerwalt since he became owner of six Philadelphia-area independent auto repair shops in 1996.

The challenge of “not enough cars” is a problem common among fellow shop owners.

And while Steigerwalt has not yet found the magic bullet to bring more customers through his shops’ doors, he has been able to make a difference in another way.

This spring, Steigerwalt’s shops incorporated BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s mobile automotive software solutions into their daily routine.

The result?

“Doubled revenue.”

In particular, Steigerwalt said his team continues to find success with Mobile Manager Pro’s photo-taking and texting capabilities. Adding vehicle condition photos to a digital multi-point inspection, repair order or estimate has helped “gain the trust of the customer,” he said.

In turn, customers who can visually see the need for repairs or maintenance are more likely to authorize work as evidenced in the $60 increase in his shops’ average repair order.

“It has really enhanced our communication with our customers,” Steigerwalt said. “We’re able to communicate with our customers in a different way.”

Steigerwalt, who worked for two decades fixing cars before becoming a shop owner, said the technology is something he had “never heard of” during his wrenching days.

As such, he “wasn’t really sure what to expect” from it.

His customers, who now receive vehicle condition photos, along with repair orders and inspections via text and email message, have responded positively, in most cases approving repairs in minutes instead of hours.

“It gives them the ‘wow’ factor,” Steigerwalt said.