15 Service Dept. Car Dealer Text Messaging Templates
Key Take Aways
- Consumers prefer to communicate with companies via text message because it is fast, creates an easy to reference conversation thread, and they can respond back when convenient to them.
- TEXT2DRIVE™ deploys an automated workflow with the text messages that make the most impact for a dealership’s service department.
- All text messages can be personalized with details such as the customer’s name, dealership’s name, service department employees’ names, the make and model of each customer’s vehicle and the phone numbers of staff.
- Dealerships who sent customers automated appointment reminders via text message saw an average of 6% higher show rate than dealerships who do not.
- The results of an analysis performed on 10 dealerships using TEXT2DRIVE’s hands-free recall feature experienced an average of $180,000 in additional revenue generated for their service department over a period of two months.
15 Service Dept. Car Dealer Text Messaging Templates
You have enough going on in your service department without wasting time on ineffective communication tactics that leave customers unhappy and put your staff behind schedule. At the same time, an adequate amount of communication is critical for keeping your customer satisfaction index (CSI) scores up. So, does this leave you stuck between a rock and a hard place?
No it doesn’t.
Consumers prefer to communicate with companies via text message because it is fast, creates an easy to reference conversation thread, and they can respond back when convenient to them. Text messaging is a good way for your service department to communicate with customers for many of the same reasons.
But this is where it gets a little tricky. If your staff is spending too much time thinking of what to write, or you have no way of monitoring what they are writing, you could end up back at square one.
Fortunately, TEXT2DRIVE™ – a full-featured communications platform designed specifically for dealerships – has a solution. It comes in the form of text message templates for the service department that are automatically sent to your customers. You do not have to spend a lot of time writing them or sending them out.
Yep, you read that right.
Increase Repair Order Revenue & Save Time While Communicating Better
TEXT2DRIVE™ deploys an automated workflow with the text messages that make the most impact for your service department.
1. Service Department Intro Template
Gets customers to make a service appointment shortly after purchasing their vehicle by suggesting they come in to learn about the features.
2. Vehicle First Service Reminder Template
Syncs with OEM databases to ensure customers get their first manufacturer recommended service on time. Offers another opportunity to start your relationship with them and generate revenue for your service department.
3. Appointment Calendar Invite Template
Helps prevent appointment no-shows by letting customers easily add their appointments to the calendar on their device.
4. Service Department Appointment Reminder Template
Sends customers a timely reminder that their appointment is the following day to improve show rates and eliminate no-shows. Our customers enjoyed a 6% increase in daily show rates due to appointment reminders.
5. Service Advisor Welcome Message Template
Customers receive this message, in which the service advisor welcomes them and encourages them to text him or her if they need anything throughout their visit, when a repair order (RO) is created.
6. Vehicle Status Updates Template
Keeping customers informed about the progress of their repair reassures them it is being worked on and lets them know your service department values their time.
7. Vehicle Ready For Pick-Up Template
Customers know exactly when their vehicle is finished and that it will be ready and waiting for them when they show up.
8. Speed CheckOut™ Mobile Bill Pay Template
Allow customers to skip waiting in line and free up time for your service staff by giving them the option to view and pay their bill securely online. Turning the average 20-minute wait in line into a 2-3 minute convenience.
9. Service Follow-Up And Thank You Template
Let customers know you care about their experience at your dealership by saying thank you and encouraging them to call if they have any questions.
10. Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Survey Request Template
Asking customers if they will complete a survey about their experience improves CSI scores and lets them know you value their feedback. Texting the request improves CSI email open rates. Our customers saw a 141% increase in completions due to text message CSI survey requests.
11. Declined Vehicle Service Reminder Template
Regains lost opportunities for service department revenue, without offering discounts, by reminding them they declined the recommended service and offering to answer any questions they may have.
Watch Nick’s declined service best practices. Nick is a service advisor from Arlington Nissan.
12. Safety Recall Message Template
Capitalizes on a source of revenue for your service department that will not cost your customers a dime and conveys the message that you care about their safety. Our customers appreciated the 523% average monthly ROI on safety recall texts.
13. Vehicle Service Reminder Template
Informs customers that it may be time for their next recommended service. Your dealership makes money without requiring your staff to expend effort keeping up on OEM recommended service dates. Our customers experienced a $294 average RO total and a 20% increase in open ROs due to service reminders.
14. Happy Birthday Message Template
Reminds customers of your dealership without resorting to selling services by wishing them a happy birthday.
15. Vehicle Anniversary Message Template
Congratulates customers on the anniversary of their vehicle and reassures them you are available for anything they may need.
While all of the text message templates for your service department above are templated, you can create your own custom templates to send the messages that are most effective for your dealership. Regardless of whether you choose the pre-existing templates or opt to create fully unique templates, all messages can be personalized with details such as the customer’s name, your dealership’s name, your service department employees’ names, the make and model of each customer’s vehicle and the phone numbers of your staff.
This is done through personalization tokens – snippets of code that dynamically add the information that is relevant for each message. And if that sounds technical, rest assured, entering the data for the tokens from your DMS is user-friendly and easy to learn.
Reap The Benefits Of Templates
All these text message templates that we listed for service departments are available through TEXT2DRIVE™. They are not just convenient, they work!
Automated appointment reminders are a particularly powerful driver of revenue generation. The results of an analysis performed on 126 FCA dealers in April of 2018 who subscribed to TEXT2DRIVE™ revealed that dealerships who sent customers automated appointment reminders via text message saw an average of 6% higher show rate than dealerships who do not. Those dealerships that DID NOT use our appointment reminders suffered from $130,640 in missed revenue.
Another goldmine is our automated text message vehicle safety recall notices. The results of an analysis performed on 10 dealerships using our hands-free recall feature experienced an average of $180,000 in additional revenue generated for their service department over a period of two months.
Watch your service department revenue and CSI scores rise dramatically in just 30 to 60 days. It is possible when you use TEXT2DRIVE™ to communicate with your customers.
All TEXT2DRIVE™ packages include text messaging templates and automation features. Find out >how affordable it is to communicate with your customers in an effective, perfectly timed, personalized way.