Text messaging is fast. People read texts almost immediately. This means your customers get your messages quickly and can reply immediately. When you use text messaging, you cut down on waiting time.
Emails can be long and confusing. Text messages are short and to the point. They are easier to read and respond to quickly. This helps your auto repair shop get approvals faster. Auto repair estimate software enables you to create and manage repair estimates. It makes it simple to show customers what their repairs will cost. This software can also help you speed up the approval process.
Let’s dive into it!
Why Text Messaging is Key
Modern Customers Want Convenience
Consumers today expect accessible and connected experiences. They want things to be quick and convenient. Businesses of all kinds are now using text messaging to meet these expectations. If your business doesn’t adapt, you might lose customers to competitors who do.
A Big Change for Businesses
Many businesses have told us that they spent hours talking on the phone before using text messaging. Switching to text messages has been an enormous time-saver. It helps businesses communicate more efficiently and keeps everything running smoothly.
From Reminders to Payments
With text messaging, businesses can handle many tasks more quickly. For example, they can send appointment reminders and even process payments through text. Using text messaging at different stages helps keep customers informed and makes the whole process more accessible for everyone.
Streamline Estimate Approvals
When a shop relies on phone calls for approvals, it can cause delays. A car might sit in the shop for hours waiting for the customer to pick up their phone. Once they answer, someone from the team has to explain every detail of the estimate, make any needed changes, and get verbal approval. This takes time and can slow down the entire process.
Organized and Efficient Communication
Text messaging makes it easier to approve estimates and keep track of all messages. Using a proper texting system helps document every conversation. This way, the shop can quickly get approvals and stay organized, improving efficiency and customer experience.
Sending Estimates Made Simple with Auto Repair Shop Software
How to Easily Send Estimates to Customers
The process is easy when your service estimate is ready, and you want the customer to review and approve it. Just follow these steps:
First, click the “Send” button. Next, choose whether you want to send the estimate by text message (SMS), email, or both. You can then add a custom message or use a pre-made template message. Finally, hit “Send” to deliver the estimate to your customer.
This simple method helps you quickly share the estimate and get the customer’s approval without hassle.
Share Inspections for Better Understanding
Show customers what’s wrong with their car!
You can make your estimate even clearer by sending a digital vehicle inspection. This means you can share photos or videos of the car’s problems along with a note explaining what’s wrong.
When customers see these pictures and videos, they can easily understand the issues with their car. This helps them know exactly what’s wrong and builds their trust in your shop.
They will feel more confident that they are getting honest and fair service and are not being
taken advantage of.
Easy Estimate Review and Approval
When customers look at their estimate, they have a clear view of all the recommended services. They can go through the list and decide which services they want done right away.
If there are any services they want to postpone, they can simply uncheck those options.
After reviewing the list and making any changes, the customer can approve the estimate with just a click. This way, they have complete control over what gets done and when making the process simple.
What Happens When a Customer Approves an Estimate
Two Important Things Take Place
When a customer approves their estimate, two key things happen right away:
Notification for the Shop
First, the shop receives a notification that the estimate has been approved. This allows the shop to start working on the car without any delay.
Saved Deferred Services
Second, if there are any services the customer chooses to postpone, those are saved in their profile. This means the shop can easily find and review these deferred services later when the customer is ready to have them done.
These steps help keep everything organized and make sure the shop knows exactly what to do next.
All Conversations Are Saved for Easy Reference
Another great feature is that all past messages are saved in the customer’s profile. This means that whenever someone in the shop needs to check on the details of a job, they can easily see all the messages that have been exchanged with the customer.
Having these messages saved helps the shop stay informed about each job. Anyone needing to review what was discussed earlier can quickly look back at the past conversations.
This simplifies providing good service and keeping track of everything that’s happened.
Conclusion
Text messaging with your auto repair estimate software can speed up the approval process and make things easier for everyone. Texts are quick and easy for customers to read and respond to, so you’ll get approvals faster. With the right auto repair shop software, you can send estimates, share inspection details, and track all your communications in one place. This helps you stay organized, save time, and give your customers a better experience. By switching to text messaging, you’re keeping up with modern expectations and improving how your shop runs.
