Carlsbad, CA. – To give service customers the ability to schedule an appointment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from their computers or mobile devices, Auto Point, Inc., a pioneer in comprehensive customer relationship management solutions for auto dealers, is partnering with TimeHighway.com, a leader in online service scheduling.
“Customers don’t want to be bound by dealership hours, and no one likes to have to wait on hold to get someone on the phone,” said Auto Point Founder and President Jim Roche. “By adding TimeHighway to our suite of services, we’re enabling dealers to offer customers that added convenience.”
When a service customer books an appointment using TimeHighway, they’re automatically emailed or texted an appointment confirmation and a courtesy reminder, helping to avoid no-shows. More customers booking online also cuts down on the amount of phone calls coming into the dealership, giving service advisors and other dealership staff more time to spend with customers face-to-face, said Karen Dillon, TimeHighway President.
“If a customer calls a dealership for an appointment, statistics show a large percentage of calls don’t get answered, either because the call gets dropped as it’s transferred from place to place, the call goes to voice mail, or the customer hangs up when they’re put on hold,” Dillon said. “By offering customers the ability to schedule appointments online, this frees them from having to make that phone call, and improves customer satisfaction.”
Tom Craft, Service Director for Patty Peck Honda in Ridgeland, Miss., says today’s customers are becoming accustomed to turning to the Internet, rather than the phone, for everything from making travel plans to deciding what movie to see.
“We want to make it as easy and convenient as possible for customers to do business with us, and offering online appointment scheduling is part of that,”
Craft said. “It enables our customers to quickly book their appointment any time of the day or night, regardless of whether we’re open or not.”
Auto Point’s Ownership Lifecycle Services solution is a turnkey, yet totally customizable, program designed to increase customer retention and satisfaction. By integrating with the Dealer Management System, Auto Point provides a single and consistent source for all marketing and customer communications, including email, text, video, phone campaigns and direct mail.
TimeHighway.com enables dealers to set parameters for appointments, including whether the appointment is eligible for a loaner car and if the customer can wait while the service is being performed. Customers can describe the issue they’re having with the vehicle and choose from the dealer’s menu of services. Customers whose mileage is approaching certain thresholds can also be “prompted” with a scheduled maintenance menu. The appointment is automatically fed into the DMS – no need for manual inputting or call-backs.
Founded in 2004, Auto Point’s mission is to help dealerships increase customer loyalty and improve efficiency by providing a single source for all marketing and customer communications. Our exclusive Ownership Lifecycle Services solution optimizes retention and customer satisfaction by analyzing, designing and implementing a process that reaches customers throughout the four phases of the ownership lifecycle: first sale, after sale, maintenance & service and repurchase. By integrating with the Dealer Management System, our email, text, video, phone and direct mail technology provides dealers with a turnkey program that’s effective and customizable. More information can be found at http://www.autopoint.comÂ
About TimeHighway.com:
TimeHighway.com replaces telephone-based scheduling with Internet technology that enhances the effectiveness and customer satisfaction of the dealership. By scheduling appointments directly through the dealer website, customers make confirmed appointments instantly without call-backs. TimeHighway.com puts the service department’s schedule on the dealership website, making it possible to schedule appointments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. More information can be found athttp://www.timehighway.com