Reducing in-person contact, or even eliminating it entirely, is no longer a luxury. In the Coronavirus era where social distancing has become the new norm, giving your service customers the option of contact-free appointments has become mandatory.

In part, doing so entails making white-glove service available to everyone, not just luxury car owners. Your staff should be ready, willing and prepared to pick up and drop off cars from customers’ homes for service appointments. They will appreciate the measures you are taking to make their experience more convenient, as well as making it possible for them to practice social distancing.

Alternatively, you can implement curbside drop-off and pick-up service for customers who bring their car in for service themselves. Let them know that your employees disinfect vehicles after servicing and moving them.

Allowing customers to complete the paperwork for service appointments at home is another easy way you can let them keep their distance. The Internet has made filling out paperwork online a viable option.

But you will need to do more if you want to make the entire process of getting their car serviced contact-free for customers during and after the Coronavirus outbreak. TEXT2DRIVE, a full-featured communications platform designed specifically for car dealerships, gives you the tools to do just that.

Automated Appointment Reminders

Reducing no-shows for service appointments is largely a matter of ensuring that customers know the appointment is approaching. The creators of TEXT2DRIVE integrated a series of automated reminders sent via text message to customers throughout the vehicle servicing process.

One of these messages, automated service appointment reminders, alert customers that they have a service appointment the next day. Service appointment reminders increased show rates by 6.5% on average.

Automated Status Updates

Customers appreciate being kept in the loop about the work being done on their vehicle. Automated status updates give them real-time information about the repair to let them know it is proceeding as planned. This will reassure them and endear them to your staff. Better yet, they may also tell their friends about the great customer service your dealership provides!

Speed CheckOut™ Online Bill Pay with FraudProtect™

78% of customers pay their service invoice online when given the opportunity. TEXT2DRIVE includes Speed CheckOut, a feature that allows customers to quickly and securely review and sign their service invoice and schedule their pick-up time:

1. TEXT2DRIVE automatically sends the customer their invoice via text message
2. The customer can then review the invoice and choose whether they want to pay online
3. The customer completes their transaction using the new e-sign feature.
4. They can choose to schedule a pick-up time to avoid any lines.

Speed CheckOut is equipped with the virtually bulletproof security of FraudProtect. This advanced anti-fraud solution provides powerful protection against all three types of fraud that threaten dealerships today. TEXT2DRIVE partnered with Kount, winner of numerous “Best in Class” awards for their ability to combat fraud, to create FraudProtect. The solution is designed to combat the most sophisticated fraud attempts.

“The number of customers who paid online using Speed CheckOut™️ drastically increased at the end of March 2020 as the spread of COVID-19 gained momentum and social distancing became a way of life.”

Once the customer pays their bill, they can use the new vehicle pick-up scheduler to make an appointment to pick up their vehicle. TEXT2DRIVE presents a drop-down menu from which they can choose a date and time in the next 24 hours. At this point, the solution notifies the service advisor who is assigned to that repair order. Your dealership does not pay an additional charge to use the pick-up scheduler.

When you incorporate TEXT2DRIVE into your dealership’s operations, you gain the ability to make service appointments contact-free while delivering a world-class level of customer service.

Learn about more ways TEXT2DRIVE can drive revenue for your entire dealership during and after the Coronavirus.