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With more than 160,000 auto repair and maintenance centers across America, competition between businesses is at an all-time high. Plus, with those figures on the rise, it’s become more important than ever for traders within the automotive industry to explore, invest and introduce new techniques to guarantee they stay one step ahead of their competitors.
Yes, with the world heading in one direction and that’s digital, automotive traders simply cannot afford to get complacent when it comes to not just allowing but encouraging their business to grow and develop alongside this ever-changing world that we live in. Customers are becoming increasingly more comfortable living in an online world, where they can browse products and gain information at just the click of a button, from wherever they are in the world. Nowadays, customers crave a seamless virtual experience and automotive traders can simply not ignore this if they want to successfully connect and engage with a modern-day audience.
Apps like SnapCell provide the perfect solution. Made especially with car businesses in mind, SnapCell offers an easy-to-use, reliable and simple solution for effectively communicating with customers, which ultimately leads to a drive-in sales. SnapCell gives automotive experts the chance to update and report back to clients, live stream video, as well as showcase their products using their 360 feature, which gives customers the chance to view cars virtually, at the click of a button. In short, SnapCell helps strengthen the relationship between automotive traders and customers, improving reputation, boosting sales, and encouraging client retention.
To explore this further, we got in touch with the team at Rydell Chevrolet Buick GMC, to see just how much of a positive impact using SnapCell had had on their sale figures.
About The Client
Rydell Chevrolet is part of a long tradition of Rydell family auto dealers, having been founded back in the 1950s. Originally based in Montgomery, Minnesota, the business moved to Grand Forks back in 1954, at the request of founder Leonard Rydell. Today, the dealership sells and services new Chevrolet, GMC, and Buick models, in addition to used cars ranging across a whole host of brands. Despite having more than 70 years behind them, their mission, values, and goals remain the same as they did back when it all began.
At Rydell Chevrolet Buick GMC, they strive to be helpful. Their goal is to be an industry leader in providing unmatched and undisputable quality as a Chevy dealership, pledging to exceed customers’ and employees’ expectations and aspire to retain their loyalty for a lifetime. Within their mission statements, they set themselves a target to improve sales, service, and operational standards to ensure long-term market leadership and profitability.
To remain on top of their game as an industry leader, while securing the growth of sales and guaranteeing profits, the team at Rydell Chevrolet Buick GMC recognized the importance of utilizing ready-made tools on the market that promised to build on their current success, while enhancing the work they already do.
The Coronavirus Crisis
Of course, the necessity and urgency to explore new ways to connect with clients were highligh
ted further when the coronavirus crisis hit. The pandemic sent the economy into turmoil, with automotive businesses like Rydell Chevrolet Buick GMC needing to adapt and make changes to the way they worked and fast. After all, how could their service department, a team whose roles involve unavoidable regular customer communication, continue to provide a safe environment for their clients? They recognized that this was crucial if they wanted to continue to make sales and ultimately remain in business. As an essential business, they remained open throughout the coronavirus pandemic but promised to keep their distance to ensure customer health and safety remained a priority. They went as far as promising a ‘no-contact service’. How? The answer was simple: SnapCell.
Incredibly, SnapCell didn’t just provide the perfect solution for helping Rydell Chevrolet Buick GMC to stay afloat, it helped bring in more than $150,000 for the business – and that was in just one month.
The SnapCell Service: Easy-to-use
Technicians within their service department began creating videos of their repair jobs to send to customers. The easy-to-use SnapCell app meant that staff was able to quickly and easily produce informative content for customers, within minutes.
With the client’s car in view, technicians recorded themselves talking the customer through any issues before discussing and diagnosing the problem. And, thanks to the SnapCell app being compatible with all Android, iOS, and desktop devices, using the tool couldn’t be more user-friendly, not only for the customer but for staff too.
The SnapCell Service: Time And Cost Effective
The introduction of SnapCell put a stop to those all too familiar, confusing conversations to customers, with technicians trying their best to explain faults and possible solutions – usually took place over the phone. Gone were the days which required customers to make regular, time-consuming visits to the dealership to discuss options and quotes. Instead, SnapCell gave Rydell Chevrolet Buick GMC technicians the chance to include as much or as little as they felt necessary. Recordings made even more efficient, as SnapCell only records when you hold your finger down, and stops when you lift your finger up. Using the SnapCell app undoubtedly benefits both the customer and the business by providing not only a time-saving solution but a cost-effective option as well.
Rydell Chevrolet Buick GMC used the app to effectively create virtual appointments with customers. The SnapCell app allows businesses to offer a customer so much more than they would get at a face-to-face appoint and that’s probably why it continues to prove so successful. As well as face-to-camera recordings technicians can deconstruct any issues they identify by getting as close as their recording device will allow to the problem. In effect, they are giving the customer ultimate access to the service center and an expert experience of their service or repair job. Not only did this help to inform clients, while providing them with a real understanding of the work that needs to be carried out, but it undoubtedly adds that extra level of trust and honesty to each job in hand. In other words, the customer is less likely to feel ripped off because a technician can talk them through the work that needs to be done. This is definitely a contributing factor when we look at the high number of sales in relation to the use of SnapCell. Plus, a customer that trusts a business is more likely to return in the future.
Better still, the customer could view the videos from the comfort of their own home. It’s easy to see why SnapCell helped drive sales, right?
The Results
The most important factor in any business is money. Well, in January 2021, Rydell Chevrolet Buick GMC sold an outstanding $153,869 of repairs as a result of sending videos to customers via the SnapCell app that month.
Their team of technicians created a total of 1,308 videos during that period, of which 96% of these were sent out to customers. Some days, more than 60 videos were created and sent out by technicians.
Over the month, a total of 993 repair hours were sold, with some weeks seeing technicians quote an additional 200 repair hours than they would have without the SnapCell app.
A total of 2,922 repair orders were made through the shop across the month of January.
Conclusion
The results speak for themselves. Introducing tools like SnapCell is pivotal in the success of any modern-day automotive business. Predictably, keeping up with demands that come with the digital age was always going to be essential for those wanting to grow and develop. However, the recent coronavirus pandemic simply accelerated this, and sadly, those who fail to embrace this virtual universe, get left behind.
In January 2021, the coronavirus pandemic peaked in the USA, with the highest daily average of new infections was reported at the beginning of the month. For so many organizations across the country, a decline in sales was, unfortunately, both unavoidable and inevitable, as the economy grew more and more unpredictable. For some though, they made the conscious decision to face and fight Covid-19 head-on, by adapting to a new way of working, in hope of surviving what was to be months of uncertainty. One of those businesses was Rydell Chevrolet Buick GMC, whose forward-thinking initiative to start using SnapCell, saw them bring in more than $150,000 in just a month.
The recent figures generated by Rydell Chevrolet Buick GMC reflect the potential using SnapCell can have on your business. So, if you’re in the automotive industry then get in touch with our team of experts and find out how we can help you stay one step ahead of the competition.
