THE SHOP:
MDC Auto Repair in La Marque, Texas, is dedicated to providing the best customer service possible and offers a number of different strategies to enhance the consumer experience. MDC works with Confident Financial Solutions to help its customers get the money needed for repairs and offers veteran and senior citizen discounts. MDC Auto Repair also offers a one-year guarantee on 99 percent of its repairs. The customer experience was what attracted MDC Auto Repair to Golo.
The reviewer:
Mel Cobbs started MDC Auto Repair in 2003 after coming out of retirement to help support his family. Since opening, Cobbs has expanded the business from a mobile service to a four-bay shop.
How it Works:
Golo is an app for customers that syncs up with MDC’s scan tool. Customers can download the app and plug a device into their OBD-II port inside of their vehicles. Doing this connects the customer with MDC Auto Repair. Any time a check engine light comes on in the customer’s vehicle, the app can be used to retrieve a diagnostic code that is automatically sent to Cobbs once the user grants him permission to view the data. Launch provides Golo shops with a database filled with the codes, so Cobbs is able to diagnose the vehicle remotely. If it’s an easy fix, like a loose gas cap, Cobbs says he lets the customer know. If it’s a serious issue, Cobbs tells them to come in right away. If the customer is not in the area, Cobbs helps the customer locate a nearby repair shop.
The Review:
Cobbs enjoys the product so much, he has one for his own vehicle.
“It’s great,” Cobbs says. “Whenever my wife is driving the car and the check engine light comes on, I can tell her to pull over in a safe area and confidently tell her whether or not the car is safe to drive.”
The shop has been using the product for a little less than a year, but Cobbs has already seen the potential as a customer retention tool. In fact, the shop is currently looking for an employee that can handle all of the Golo-specific inquiries and business. In the future, the shop plans to dedicate an entire bay to Golo customers.
The Return:
Cobbs says that the initial cost of downloading the app is not where the return will come, however it will make for an additional profit center by selling the app and device for close to $85 a piece. The real return on investment is the potential for customer retention. Currently, Cobbs has three customers waiting to get the app and the potential for a fleet deal. The way Cobbs sees it, a customer that invests in Golo is a customer for life.
“By sending all of their information to me, the customer is telling me they don’t want to go anywhere else for maintenance,” Cobbs says.
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