Online Scheduling for Dealerships and Mechanics: How They Benefit from Online Booking

Just as cars have become increasingly more reliant on computers, car dealerships and mechanics can transform their customer experience and satisfaction by adopting new digital strategies.

Using a website and engaging with customers on social media is a good start. However, you should prioritise making your services easily accessible to potential and loyal customers, 24 hours a day.

One way to achieve this is to offer customers the option to book appointments online. By integrating an online booking system on your website or even directly in Google results or your social media pages, customers can easily book appointments, even outside your normal booking hours. This enhances efficiency by streamlining the booking process and reducing operational costs.

TIMIFY’s online booking system can be customised to be suited to the specific needs of dealerships or mechanics. Instead of just booking a general appointment, set it up so customers can book specific services, such as an oil change, new tyres or a test drive.

In addition to benefiting your customers, TIMIFY also improves your office management. When a customer books a specific service, the booking system can automatically reserve everything needed for the appointment, such as test cars, workshop space, specific mechanics or salespeople and keep track of everything across different branches.

Whether you are a dealership selling new or used vehicles or a mechanic’s repair shop, TIMIFY can help improve how you interact and manage the customer experience, helping new customers become regular customers.

Introduction to Online Booking

Online booking is revolutionizing the way customers schedule appointments with car dealerships and mechanics. By leveraging automotive scheduling software, customers can book appointments in real-time, minimizing the risk of errors and miscommunications. This technology empowers car dealers with complete control over their booking process, allowing them to manage appointments, customer details, and internal notes all in one place. Implementing online booking not only saves time but also boosts productivity, enabling car dealers to focus on delivering exceptional customer service and growing their business.

Benefits of Online Booking

The advantages of online booking for car dealerships and service centres are manifold. One of the standout benefits is the ability to offer customers real-time availability, allowing them to book appointments at their convenience. This not only enhances customer satisfaction but also significantly reduces the number of no-shows and missed appointments. Moreover, online booking systems can seamlessly integrate with existing websites and software systems, simplifying the management of bookings and customer data. By automating the booking process, car dealers can minimize human error and free up staff to concentrate on more critical tasks, such as sales and customer service.

Features of Online Booking Systems

A robust online booking system should offer a comprehensive range of features that simplify the booking process for customers and streamline management for car dealers. Key features to look for include real-time availability, automated reminders, and the ability to add internal notes and details about each appointment. The system should be intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy for customers to book appointments and for staff to manage them. Additionally, the system should integrate seamlessly with existing software and systems, such as accounting and customer relationship management (CRM) systems, to ensure a smooth and efficient booking process.

Shopping for a new car:

Many customers begin their search for a new car on the internet. They may not have a dealership in mind, so first impressions are important. If booking an appointment is convenient, easy and instant, it’s far more likely a new customer will opt for your business than if they have to book an appointment in a cumbersome way, such as waiting for Monday opening hours to call and book. Encouraging customers to schedule appointments at least two weeks in advance can help ensure availability and a smoother booking process.

TIMIFY offers various ways to include an online booking option at different touchpoints, such as directly on your website, social media channels, Google profile or on printed marketing materials using a QR code.

When booking, prospective customers can specify everything they desire in a car, such as preferred manufacturers, features and price expectations. You can even allow them to select a specific salesperson, useful if they have received a recommendation from a friend or a preferred location or branch.

By collecting all of this information at the point of reservation, your salesperson can prepare better for the appointment by tailoring it to the clients' needs. All resources, such as blocking off the salesperson’s calendar or reserving a meeting room, are automatically booked for the appointment slot and are no longer available for other bookings. ​​​​​​​

Scheduling a test drive:

By including all of your cars in the TIMIFY booking system, customers can reserve specific cars for a test drive without an employee needing to check if it is available or reserve the time. The software does it for you.

When setting up your booking system, you can specify how long a test drive should last, which employees should be scheduled to greet the customer or provide detailed consultation afterwards, or whether the vehicle needs to be cleaned before the next appointment. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Purchasing a car:

When a customer is ready to purchase a car, you can create individual booking links that are only accessible to that customer. When they schedule an appointment with that link, all the customer’s existing data will be attached to the booking, making it even quicker and easier for them to complete the purchase. If specific paperwork is required, you can have them upload the documents as part of the appointment booking process.

Furthermore, the car will be added to the reservation, the salesperson’s calendar will be blocked for that time, an office or meeting room reserved and, if necessary, a finance specialist can also be added to attend the meeting. Considering future trends in the automotive industry, it is essential to stay updated with innovative booking solutions.

TIMIFY is even able to make reservations within the reservation. For example, the car and the salesperson will be booked for the entire appointment, while the financial consultant’s calendar will only be reserved for the specific part of the appointment when they need to be present. This frees up their time for other tasks and ensures everyone’s time is respected. Additionally, mobile accessibility allows mechanics and salespersons to receive real-time notifications and manage bookings conveniently on the go.

Maintaining the vehicle:

After congratulating a new car owner on their purchase, it is important to help them properly maintain their vehicle.

With TIMIFY, once a customer and their vehicle are in your system, you can send maintenance reminders for oil changes, regular tune ups or to change seasonal tyres. By providing reminders, you help customers extend the life of their vehicle and foster relationships that create long-term customers. Additionally, offering bundled services can lead to significant saving for your customers.

As with all your other online appointments, after receiving an email, customers can choose appointments that fit their schedule. It also provides options for customers to edit or reschedule an appointment.

Once a reservation is booked, a confirmation email can be sent providing necessary information, a reminder email directly before the appointment, or you could automatically send an email after the appointment requesting feedback. This is a valuable way to collect information to improve your services or gather testimonials for marketing literature. ​​​​​​​

Improving office management:

While implementing an online booking system saves time for both your customers and employees, it also provides new ways to view your office organisation.

TIMIFY allows you to view which appointments are pending in which departments across all your branches, from any device, regardless of location. If inspections or test drives are cancelled, the workshop space, the test car and the employees’ blocked time are released again for new bookings, which is displayed in real time in the calendar. Additionally, managing and assigning leads becomes more efficient with features like a shared messaging system and instant notifications, improving collaboration and responsiveness in converting potential sales.

In addition to appointment bookings, the software offers many other effective solutions such as resource and data management, maintaining accurate and accessible records, as well as performance statistics.

See which services are most popular and identify areas where you can increase marketing. For example, if customers use you for routine tune ups, but not for oil changes or tyre rotations, you could include an offer to attract them.

You can see how TIMIFY’s online appointment booking system not only facilitates the coordination of appointments, but also supports you at every contact point with your customers. By identifying, focusing and improving all the steps of your customer journey, you can improve satisfaction and grow your business. ​​​​​​​

Customer Engagement

Customer engagement is a cornerstone of success for any car dealership or service centre, and online booking can significantly enhance this aspect. By offering a convenient and user-friendly booking system, car dealers can improve customer satisfaction and foster loyalty. Online booking systems can also send automated follow-ups and reminders, keeping customers engaged and informed throughout the booking process. Furthermore, data and analytics from the online booking system provide valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences, enabling car dealers to tailor their services and marketing efforts to better meet the needs of their customers.

Start now!

Digital solutions enable an immense leap in business productivity and customer satisfaction, making adopting them a no-brainer. Our dealer management system is absolutely designed to meet your needs efficiently and effectively.

We are always on hand to support you in implementing our software solution, whether you need assistance with the switch from your current system or comprehensive installation guides, or in person via the chat on our website. Find out more on our website and take the first steps to grow your business by trying TIMIFY for free today.