jaschmidt
Forum Replies Created
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Auto Vitals – 7
Bolt On Technology – 9
We reviewed and trialed the AutoVitals system and then
looked at the BoltOn platform with our Mitchell Sales Rep. We found the
AutoVitals system to be extensive but it operates too independently of our
Mitchell Team Works management software. Our staff from techs, service advisor
and owner, all thought the AV program too be too in depth and too time
consuming to learn and implement. It
looked to be cheaper monthly, but our Mitchel rep reviewed our Team Works
software package pricing and was able to find us a lot of savings month to
month that made the BoltOn package actually a better investment at a better
price.The BoltOn system uses 10″ Android type tablets and
offers wireless connection to our network. Via the network it connects to an
office computer connected to our LOF label machine, allowing techs to print
directly from the shop PC or the handheld devices with data gathered from the
inspection for LOF’s.We are still learning and customizing our company inspection
reports and defining technician policies for using the tools effectively and
efficiently. We also love the customer access Mitchell offers our customers
thru AutoOwners, and now we have the added ability to communicate directly with
our customers via email and smart devices directly from the tablets and service
advisor. We anticipate a greater 2016 with a new reenergized program to support
our customers. Better service translates into greater trust in our technicians
and the services we provide. -
We reviewed and trialed the AutoVitals system and then looked at the BoltOn platform with our Mitchell Sales Rep. We found the AutoVitals system to be extensive but it operates too independently of our Mitchell Team Works management software. Our staff from techs, service advisor and owner, all thought the AV program too be too in depth and too time consuming to learn and implement. It looked to be cheaper monthly, but our Mitchel rep reviewed our Team Works software package pricing and was able to find us a lot of savings month to month that made the BoltOn package actually a better investment at a better price.The BoltOn system uses 10″ Android type tablets and offers wireless connection to our network. Via the network it connects to an office computer connected to our LOF label machine, allowing techs to print directly from the shop PC or the handheld devices with data gathered from the inspection for LOF’s.We are still learning and customizing our company inspection reports and defining technician policies for using the tools effectively and efficiently. We also love the customer access Mitchell offers our customers thru AutoOwners, and now we have the added ability to communicate directly with our customers via email and smart devices directly from the tablets and service advisor. We anticipate a greater 2016 with a new reenergized program to support our customers. Better service translates into greater trust in our technicians and the services we provide.
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Recently we added the Bolt On Inspection Software Package and Report Pro to our Mitchell Team Works system. We are still learning to use the handheld devices and software, but so far love the total integration to Mitchell. Now we can even print LOF labels directly from the shop computer or from the handheld tablets, so the techs are not typing in details on the key board for the label machine.Bolt On has great FREE training and has been an asset to our techs, though we are still learning to use the system. On top of that, our Mitchell sales rep took the time to review our billing and was able to reduce our other program fees significantly when we added the Bolt On Inspection system. Mitchell promotes and supports the Bolt On Platform as a direct business partner, so they are working together to deliver a good product that stays current. A real win for us as we were considering a different stand alone handheld inspection service platform.Auto Vitals, while an attractive option was believed to be too cumbersome by our techs, service writer and owner. Sometime too much is truly TOO MUCH. That is how we felt about the Auto Vitals Platform.
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We are approaching this scenario ourselves. Ours is a 2nd generation business with loyal customers but in an isolated area of town. We know a good knowledgeable new owner can be a success here, but don’t know how to locate that person. We had hopes of an employee buying in and taking over, but he left last year when the talks started getting serious. We have another tech who we would love to have takeover, but he is young and just starting a family, soon buying a house, so not able to come up with a down payment or get business financing. Everyone advises to stay clear of land contract deals. Our own daughters have other futures and spouses without the skill to manage a shop. So, what do we do? The broker business is scary. We don’t want to advertise that our business will be for sale in the next 5 years, don’t want to scare the customer base.Ideas from those of you who have made this transition successfully would be appreciated.
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Thanksgiving, 1/2 day Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Day.
The Fridays after Christmas and New Years will depend on the hours of the parts suppliers in our market and the customers interested in scheduling work on those days… -
__X__ Less than 10%We are users of Mitchell Software and we use the CRM Services. As part of this program our emails that go out occasionally invite our customers to join the Mitchell1 Auto Owners Site, through which they can request appointments and gain other information. To date we have only had a few responses.
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We are looking to hire a knowledgeable Service Writer.
We have been looking a few months.
Most have hard sell dealer tactics or lack experience. We want a person with a pleasant friendly personality who truly cares about satisfying the customers needs and who can sell by explaining good value and reasonable long term benefits to customers, without the make a dollar at any expense approach most are trained for, it they are trained at all.
JS
