(2005-02-15)
GRAND BLANC, MICH. - ACDelco Total Service Support (TSS) Independent Service Centers (ISCs) have everything they need to help remind, thank and communicate regularly with their customers, thanks to the MechanicNet Customer Retention System (CRS).
MechanicNet CRS's LinkUp™ software integrates with a service center's shop management system to generate and send automated service reminders to customers who are due for specific maintenance based on their vehicle manufacturer's specifications, along with follow-up correspondence in both postcard and e-mail form. The postcards contain a personalized message as well as special money-saving offers and coupons from the service center.
"The MechanicNet CRS is an excellent tool that helps ISCs garner full customer enthusiasm for services rendered," Steve Sigg, ACDelco e-Business manager, said. "We're working to drive excess time out of the repair process by creating efficiencies that let ISCs and ACDelco Warehouse Distributors (WDs) do their work more effectively, and, hopefully, more profitably."
Designed to help increase business and improve customer loyalty, MechanicNet CRS appears to be doing just that as TSS shop owners are giving ACDelco rave reviews for the Web-based system's capabilities.
"Consumer needs, like vehicles themselves, have changed, and MechanicNet CRS is helping us meet -- and exceed -- their expectations," said Bruce Eccles, owner of Eccles Auto Service Inc., an ACDelco TSS ISC in Dundas, Ontario, Canada. "Most people don't mean to neglect vehicle maintenance, they're just really busy. MechanicNet CRS helps us reach customers to remind them to bring in their vehicles for service."
Eccles, a 20-year automotive service industry veteran, said MechanicNet CRS is the best and most convenient electronic system he's used to promote his business.
"I pay a monthly fee, and MechanicNet handles my customer correspondence needs," Eccles said. "Each week they send me a list that I review, and I choose the customers to whom I want to send a thank-you postcard or e-mail. It's much more advanced than methods we used to use, like putting a sticker on a customer's windshield reminding them when they should get their next oil change. The stickers would fade and become hard to read. Many people would just overlook them altogether."
A MechanicNet CRS subscription includes the LinkUp software and a customized shop Web site that features online coupons, an interactive map to the business and a vehicle history report customers can manage themselves through the password-protected site. In addition, shop owners receive a Monthly Return-On-Investment (ROI) Report showing how much they spent on customer communications and the revenue generated by the program.
"We implemented the MechanicNet system in November 2003," Eccles recalled, "and that December was the best December I'd ever had in business. To me, it's not coincidental."
Bill Hardcastle, owner of Dub's Garage, an ACDelco TSS ISC in Corpus Christi, Texas, said he, too, has seen "a noticeable difference" in business since he began using MechanicNet CRS last year.
"My new customers like the personalization of the reminder cards," Hardcastle said. "They think it's a step above what they've received at other shops. They also like the convenience of being able to access our Web site to check on their maintenance history."
Another popular MechanicNet CRS option for both WDs and shop owners is the Vendor Managed Inventory Report. The shop owners and their WDs share the information on a daily basis so WDs can restock the parts the service centers need the next morning. Vehicles are repaired more efficiently and returned to their owners in a timelier manner.
Hardcastle also sees value in the weekly reports Mechanic CRS generates. "I like knowing who our new and repeat customers are each month," he said. "The people we've dealt with from MechanicNet seem to be really easy to work with. We've used several companies and systems, but MechanicNet CRS is by far the best."
In addition to MechanicNet CRS, ACDelco's e-Business Landscape includes several other quality tools. The Electronic Parts Information System (EPIC) offers ACDelco WDs a complete visibility system detailing their order status. The Web Integrated Service Environment (WISE) links ISCs and ACDelco WDs with a PC-based system that streamlines their ordering, distribution and service processes, and WISE Internet Parts (WIP) is a Web-based application that lets ISCs check inventory and order parts online anytime from WISE-enabled ACDelco WDs.
"The ultimate goal is to offer our customers the most comprehensive and convenient e-Business solution in the aftermarket that could help make a measurable impact on their bottom lines," Sigg said.
Furthermore, ACDelco's consumer Web site (acdelco.com) helps build brand awareness and drives consumers to a local TSS facility for ACDelco parts, while ACDelco's TechConnect Web site (acdelcotechconnect.com) provides technicians with a broad range of tools and resources.
To learn more about MechanicNet CRS, or to sign up for the program, call 1-800-825-5886, prompt #4, or visit acdelcotechconnect.com.
ACDelco is a global leader in automotive replacement parts and services offering products for virtually all vehicles. Headquartered in Grand Blanc, Mich., ACDelco markets automotive replacement parts worldwide under its brand name.