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If you want to become a successful independent auto repair shop, it’s essential that you have your sights on not only developing a long-term strategy for expanding your customer base but also pivoting in a way that has sustaining momentum. The key to accomplishing this strategy is not by focusing on gigantic steps, but by achieving a steady stream of small efforts, which means using effective and trusted tools that are specifically designed for you as an auto repair shop owner. Fully utilizing your Google My Business (GMB) page is an efficient way to grow your business and we can tell you why you need to be using it to be competitive. GMB is a free and completely verified online listing service that uses best practices for getting new customers in the door. Are you the type of business owner who uses an online marketing and branding strategy? If not, you should! LEARN MORE about how to optimize your GMB page.

Hey Joe! I agree all the way! But I’d add one thing. Treating one’s self properly and maintaining the best of health to make all of these things possible!

It’s easy to hire someone and say ‘go run a few ads now and then.’ But that doesn’t cut it anymore. You need digital technology. One of the misconceptions about BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY products is that they’re hard to use, but if you can use a cell phone, you can use this. Learn how technology can address and solve some of the issues that your shop faces as far as visibility, car count, and employee retention. Tim Cifelli, Chief Revenue Officer at BOLT ON, joins the Wrench Way podcast to talk through some of the most common challenges that shop owners face and what they can do about them while adding value. Give it a listen at the link below: https://wrenchway.com/blog/addressing-shop-challenges-with-technology/

This is basically a survey for using technology to fix the service process. Some still push back on texting because it is impersonal. And it is. But everyday 36 billion text messages are sent. I can't wait to see the results of this survey.

Digital is the way to go but sending a video is a bit clunky. The customer has to go through the whole video, then try to look back at pieces of it. I think pictures as part of an inspection would be the better way to go. Reserve video of items that move or make noise.

Hi Andre, Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and I apologize for any inconvenience you’ve experienced with us. This is something we take very seriously, and will do everything in our power to make right. As for the integration with R.O. Writer, will certainly do support it; both versions 1 and 2. We have hundreds of shops using BOLT ON with R.O. Writer with no problems whatsoever. I see that your issue was back in 2015. Since then we’ve made great strides in the advancements we offer shops, and I feel it may be worth your time to see what we can do for you nowadays. If not, I totally understand, and sincerely appreciate you having considered us. Either way, I wish you all the best.

Thanks for the question Gary! BOLT ON Software does supports RO Writer. Feel free to reach out to us so that we can show you the complete integration and digital inspections. 610-400-1019 Option 2

Jeff, that's awesome! Thank you so much.

Hey Jeff, Thanks so much for the thumbs up. I appreciate it. Your absolutely right about the improved experience and ease of closing sales. Text messaging is now by far the preferred method of communication among consumers. I can’t tell you how many times shops have reached out to me about the impact that texting has made on their business. It never gets old hearing the success stories. Thanks again. Please let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.

Hey guys, If you’re a Manager SE or ShopKey SE user, this is for you. I want to give you a head up regarding a common break-down in productivity and efficiency that most shops are experiencing. Long story short, if you haven’t taken the time to learn and customize your management system to be ready to produce the levels of results needed to push your daily operations forward, then you’re missing out on opportunities to help run a better business. I want to be completely clear, this is an unnecessary struggle; one that is now completely avoidable thanks to a team of Auto Repair Veterans that we've been working with. Collectively they have over 50 years of experience, and have helped me develop an easy solution to this headache. To learn about why this struggle exists and how to fix, check out Grow Your Business with Jump Start. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thousands of Shops Can Be Wrong Over 100 of the most used service categories Hundreds of pre-built jobs, service descriptions & labor notes The most accurate reporting possible More effective appointment scheduling More accurate estimates Your shop needs a powerful management system to produce the level of efficiency and accuracy necessary for growth. To achieve this the old manual way, you need considerable time and patience when learning how to prepare it for use. With Jump Start, all that and more is solved! How to Get Jump Start: Follow these instructions... Put your wallet away; there's no cost at all Click here to request Jump Start Give us about 15 minutes to install it *Available for Manager SE/ShopKey SE users only*

Hey Joe, Thanks so much! We’re really excited about it and appreciate the recognition. We’re looking forward to seeing you speak at the Ratchet+Wrench Management Conference in September. Always great advice! Hopefully we’ll have time to get together and catch up. See you there.

Hey Parker’s Auto, John tells me he spoke to you about our Welcome Station Kiosk. I just wanted to see if there was anything else I could answer for you. Welcome Station is a great way to upsell services at the moment your customers arrive. It will actually (on average) sell 2 out of every 3 of your customers at least one additional service. As I understand it, you’re using TABS. That is a management system that we’re looking into integrating with, but don’t have a finalized plan of action at this time. We’ve actually added you to our ‘Welcome Station with TABS’ notification list, which will automatically alert you to the status of our integration progress. Please let me know if I can help with anything else. Thanks,

Hi babyhydro, You asked one of the most important questions to know the answer to. Fortunately, you’re already doing an inspection on most vehicles, which as M-Spec mentioned, is the lifeblood of your shop. Simply put, the more inspections you do, the more services you’ll sell. The question, however, isn’t how to do faster inspections, but rather, how to increase the amount services you sell with the inspections you do. Digital inspections with tablets are undoubtedly the way to go. Increasing ARO revenue is actually one of easiest and fastest changes you’ll experience, simply by increasing the quality of your inspections. Service specific photos attached to digital inspection reports sent to customers via text/email will not only increase customer trust—leading to more services approved, but will actually speed up the approval process considerably. I can go on and on about this, but I own BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY and would rather not use this forum to promote my services. If you’re interested in seeing what digital inspections can do for you, call us at the number below. By the way, yes, we do integrate with ALLDATA. Hope this helps.

Hello Mr. Kim, Thanks for reaching out to me. I spoke to Mike G. your Account Manager and he is looking into your issue right now and Mike will be in touch with you very shortly.

Hey Jeff, Thanks for sharing your story about us! I don't want to distract from the topic of the post, though. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you need anything. 610-400-1019

Hey Matt, Thanks so much. That's awesome how Mobile Manager Pro helped your customer choose your shop over the competitors. The power of the digital inspections and text messages have proven to take shops all across the country to the next level. It is just as simple as that. If anybody would like to learn more about how we can help your shop, feel free to give us a call. 610-400-1019 (press 2)

I agree texting is a great way to stand out from the crowd and since a larger portion of your customer base prefers texting over phone communication. 64% of consumers with texting capabilities would prefer to use texting over voice as a customer service Texting eliminates the headache of leaving voice mails for customers that seem to never answer the phone. It has proven to speed up service approval times as quick as 18-37 minutes on average vs. the national average 1 hour 17 minutes when calling by phone. It’s also proven to increase appointment confirmations up to 80%. You can also use texting to communicate the status of vehicles, repair updates, thank you notes and even use it to send customers service specific photos of their service. Texting is defiantly the way to go! If you’d like to know more about how it can increase customer confidence and the speed of communication, give us a call at 610-400-1019 to see a live demonstration so you can see for yourself. http://boltontechnology.com/

Hey Joe, Your right the Mitchell 1 Workshop is a worthwhile event to attend. We will be at the event so if any ASO shops want to stop by our table to see all the benefits of Pro Pack or if you just have a question we will be available during the workshop. See you soon!

Hi Mr. Kim, Thanks so much. I spoke to Mike your Account Manager and he informed me that you’re all squared away at this point. The additional features you requested have been added to our product improvement list, and once they’re completed we’ll send you a notification letting you know. If you need anything else moving forward, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Thank you, again.

How To Attract Millennials to Your Shop Making auto repair shops profitable can seem like squeezing water from a rock... Some shops resort to raising prices, instead of increasing their customer base. We've created a Free eBook that tells you how to tap into the fastest growing customer base in the country; Millennials. The stereotype of the lazy Millennial (born 1980-1995) has caused many people to disregard this generation when it comes to trying to get their money. Do they all live in their parents’ garage? Are they only interested in clothes, coffee, video games, and the internet? The answer is... not really. Millennial Money Exists Contrary to popular beliefs, Millennials are employed, spending money, and buying cars. The average young driver's finance term lasts longer than their finance terms, so someone has to work on their vehicle. Why not you? Are you taking active steps to attract - and retain - their business? Since Millennials are waiting longer to start families, and usually avoid credit cards if they can, they have cash on hand. That cash can go towards instant gratification buys, but it also goes towards their needs... but only if they see a value in the purchase. e. Why (and How) to Market Your Auto Repair Shop Online Did you know, according to Barkley, Millennials have come of age in the time of crowdsourcing, where large groups of people are entrusted to provide solutions more effectively than could an individual, so it feels natural to them to gather as much information as possible before making decisions. Millennials, like non-Millennials, also consult blogs, company websites and professional review sites to help them make purchasing decisions. This behavior isn’t solely driven by the price of the item. If your shop isn't on Facebook, isn't being reviewed on Yelp!, or doesn't even have an up to date website, you are missing out on money. Selling Maintenance & Repair Services to Millennials Getting Millennials to come into your shop is one thing, but getting them to approve services is completely different. You can try and justify your repair costs by explaining how their vehicle works, but it would be so much easier to send them photos using digital inspection software. You can slap a lube sticker in their windshield, but are you sure they aren't going to just pull into the nearest "Super Duper Fast Lube" next time? This eBook has the answers. Click the image below to download your copy today.

Mr. Kim, I am going to have Mike, your Account Manager give you a call shortly to help clear up any confusion. I also forwarded your July 8th email to our Customer Support Team, and instructed Mike to go over each of the 5 items you listed. This will get you answers faster than us communicating here on the forum. We’ll do everything in our power to help get you what you need. Please let me know if I can help in any other way. Have a great day!

Mr. Kim, Your feature request for Report Pro when prompted to enter a customer's e-mail, to save in ALLDATA is actually completed and will be released sometime next week. Your second feature request when looking up an invoice number to find invoice in Report Pro, is a much more involved feature request that is not available at this time and has no estimated time of completion. We will continue to keep you informed via email every time a shop votes for your request and you will be notified where we are in the process via email. We are constantly striving to improve our technology and thank you for your input. Hope you have a great weekend!