PRODUCT: AutoServe1 Uses: Digital Inspection Tool Cost: $260 a month Website: www.autoserve1.com Training: On-site training
The Reviewer:
Tommy Ling manages Robbie’s At Your Service in Merritt Island, Fla. Ling’s father, Robbie, owns the shop and Ling has worked there full time since 2015. As manager, he orders parts, sells the product, and keeps the flow of the shop moving.
The Shop:
The 4,500-square-foot shop houses seven employees, Ling says. The all-service repair shop tends to customer service and care throughout the facility. The shop previously used a third-party telematics provider, but after researching, Ling found AutoServe1, a new (at the time) digital inspection tool that featured more at a lower price.
How It Works:
AutoServe1 is a digital inspection tool that allows technicians to record the inspection process.
Before the inspection, Ling uses AutoServe1 during the initial walkaround with a customer. Ling takes photos of the vehicle before it enters the shop, which are then stored on a customer’s profile. Technicians have access to the profile during inspection.
To begin a full vehicle inspection, a customer’s profile is selected in the database, which lists the car’s mileage, license plate, model, engine size, transmission and make.
During the inspection, technicians click on categories such as “maintenance,” “lighting,” and “under the hood,” where each part is located. Every part is graded by technicians as either green, yellow, or red.
If a part has a small issue, yellow is selected, but if it’s not in good shape, then red is flagged. Once flagged, a drop-down box appears and technicians select why a part is not in great condition. Afterward, technicians take a photo showing evidence of the issue. Finally, technicians finish the report and it’s ready for the service advisor.
Once it’s handed off to the service advisor, the inspection is selected and the report is then built; service advisors will see a list of suggested repairs for the vehicle—along with notes and photos for each part—and then put a checkmark on each part to build the repair.
Lastly, service advisors can select animation videos of how a part works to educate the customer. Once finished, the inspection is emailed off to the customer.
The Review:
Ling’s job is to eliminate the gray area with customers, so he was in the market for a digital inspection tool that had all of the features he wanted for a reasonable price. After being a trial user for AutoServe1, Ling says the product has been extremely beneficial in the shop.
With the ability to record the inspection process with a tablet and provide status updates for each part, the product keeps customers involved throughout the process.
“The thing that I like the most about it is the craze,” Ling says. “I feel like I’m in somewhat of a technologically savvy area so people eat it up.
“I don’t really charge for it right now, because again, it sells for itself; it’s allowing me to make more sales on certain jobs that I normally wouldn’t try to approach. That’s the major benefactor.”
With the educational tool, customers can see an animation of how a product works and better understand the importance of getting a part fixed.
“It’s a win-win for both the shop and the customer because I upsell without having to upsell,” Ling says.
The ROI:
When a part is selected for a suggested repair, AutoServe1 has educational information about the repair, which has increased repair sales, Ling says.
“I can honestly say there’s an extreme change in the amount of what I sell,” Ling says. “With this digital inspection, I really wouldn’t necessarily say there are things that you have to take care of right away, but they see it and they don’t like it and take care of it.”
Within the first six months of AutoServe1, the shop’s ARO increased by $293, and this year, the shop has seen an increase of $430.
