Auto dealerships provide customers with a one-stop-shop for a variety of auto needs. This is where potential customers can locate vehicles, learn more about automobiles, purchase vehicles, and then bring them back for repairs if needed. You don’t have to take your car to another location for any other auto-related issues. Your dealership should be able to provide you with all of the help you’ll need to make sure your auto needs are taken care of.
To be a top name in the auto dealership industry, it’s essential that you have the tools needed to ensure your customer will come back to you. You want them to find a home in your location when it comes to any assistance they’ll need pre car purchase, and post car purchase. Below are some tools which the top names in the auto dealership industry should use.
Well-Trained Mechanics
To ensure that you are getting the best auto service from your employees, make sure that they have the proper training. Most people can begin work as an auto mechanic with a high school diploma. A lot of employers though prefer that a mechanic have a technical school certificate or associate’s degree in automotive or diesel technology.
With running a top tier location in the auto dealership industry, you’ll want to make sure your workers have gone through an automotive and diesel technology program. When looking for well-qualified auto mechanics for your dealership’s repair shop, you want a person who exhibits many of the following qualities. These include being adaptable, having good diagnostic and mechanical skills, having great people skills, being professional, being an adept problem solver, have an ability to use technology, and have a strong work ethic.
You’ll need such mechanics to maintain solid maintenance on the vehicles that stay on-site at the dealership. You’ll also need these mechanics for when customers bring their automobiles to be repaired for a variety of reasons. Find those mechanics who will get the job done in as however a timely and productive fashion as possible.
Car Dealership Software
With running a dealership you’ll want to make sure that you have the best software on hand. You’ll need this software to help make the customer’s car buying experience as stress-free as possible. Car dealer software, also known as DMS (dealership management systems), can include products that assist in the operations of automobile retailers.
Car dealer software can be used to assist with front and back office duties, customer service, and repair shop services. Such software can provide tools for inventory, cost calculation, financing, and authorization. DMS tools can also offer features for preparing, tracking, and storing warranty information, sales contracts, auto repairs, appraisals, and recurring e-payments.
Some of the top car dealer software to look at are CDK Drive, Dealertrack DMS, VinSolutions Connect DMS, Elead, vAuto Provision, PERQ, Conquest, and Dealersocket. These types of DRM Software can also be integrated with other types of software including OKR software (where you can learn more about through OKR podcasts), billing software, inventory management software, website builder software, or CRM software.
Auto Repair Shop Tools & Equipment
For whatever the reason, big or small, there will always be circumstances where a customer might need to have their car repaired. In many cases, auto owners prefer to have their car repaired by the dealership they bought their car from. This can be for a variety of reasons. The customer might feel that a dealership has a better familiarity with their vehicle brand. The repairs might even be covered under whatever warranty the customer signed with the dealership.
When a customer brings the car in for repair to an auto dealership, they’ll assume that the repair garage will have the tools needed to do the job. You’ll need high quality, and high functioning equipment to make the needed repairs, in a timely fashion. To begin with, you’ll first need hoists to repair and replace engines. Having a hoist on hand can help you to lift larger and heavier auto pieces, namely engines.
If an engine repair or inspection is needed, you won’t be able to remove the engine by yourself. No matter how many weights you can lift, a hoist is your best bet for removing an engine. Make sure the hoist is a large capacity so you can raise bigger engines also.
Also, make sure your dealership repair shop has a vertical automobile lift. This is needed because a lot of repairs and diagnostics are done on the undercarriage of a car. You’ll need a lift when handling heavy weighted vehicles. Don’t go cheap on this front. Make sure you have a quality lift, to make sure that you can keep the car aloft as you do your inspections and repairs.
You’ll need an oil caddy and drainage system for customers who are simply seeking oil changes, and fluid replacements. You’ll need a caddy that should be large enough to hold the maximum amount of oil that will be drained. There are standing oil caddies that are already designed to drain oil from lifted vehicles.
You’ll also want to have enough hand tools on deck for repair jobs. These can include impact wrenches, impact drivers, torque wrenches, colored socket sets, digital vernier calipers, tap and dye sets, and heat guns. If for some reason you need extra storage for these auto tools, consider looking into self-storage options. Having a place off-site where you can access these tools whether you’re looking into self storage in Clifton, NJ, or Atlanta, GA, can leave your dealership repair shop looking less cluttered.
Office Supplies
An office at its base level is a building where an organization’s employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize the objects and goals of the organization. Remember, your dealership is not just a sales floor, showroom, and repair shop. The building encompasses a variety of tasks which all come together to help the car selling/ buying process move along smoothly.
With your dealership also acting as an office, you’ll need to stock accordingly. On the more administrative side of things, you’ll need to purchase basic office supplies like furniture, business printers, collaboration tools, tax envelopes, pencils, pens, stationery, telephone systems, computers, an internet connection, and kitchen supplies. Having the name of your business printed on some of your supplies will also be helpful, to give your business its own sort of personality.
Good Marketing Tools
You’ll need a way to raise awareness about your dealership to potential customers. Getting the word out to car buyers is a huge part of maintaining yourself as a top name in the auto dealership industry. Your first step in auto marketing is to have a solid website for your business. 92 percent of car buyers do online research before taking a step inside of a dealership. Make sure your website is well functioning, provides the necessary information about your dealership, its auto inventory, and is easy to navigate.
Look into paid advertising options which can help to spread the word about your dealership. This can include advertising on television, in newspapers, through email, on the internet, and even physical mail. Factor the costs, the potential of reaching different customers, and what form of advertising is the most effective. Then use this or many advertising tools to get your dealership out to prospective care purchasers.
