Fill Empty Bays Without Busting the Budget

Empty bays are not what an automotive repair shop owner wants to see. To keep great automotive technicians, your shop needs to stay busy and profitable. Here are 5 strategies you can put in place immediately to drive car count higher and get those bays productive again:

1. Schedule Future Services

Do you schedule your customers’ next visit before they leave the shop? Setting a reservation for their next service helps keep the bays full in the future. It also makes taking care of their vehicle a higher priority and says you are looking out for them.

2. Mine Your Database

Touch base with customers who declined a recommended service. Call if you haven’t seen them in over 6 months. If done right, these calls will come across as personable and be a testament of great customer service. It also helps clean up your records if someone moved out of your service area.

Ideas to grow your businessFor more marketing advice and other shop growth tips, join an ATI shop owner event coming to your area soon.

3. Refresh and Renew the Shop

When was the last time you looked at your shop as you drove by? Does it look neat, orderly, clean and professional? Are weeds coming up through all the cracks in the parking lot? Are there rows and rows of dead cars? A fresh coat of paint and a thorough cleaning of the bays and parking lot won’t cost you a lot of money but it will be a huge improvement on your public image.

4. Become Best Buddies with Google

A beautiful website means nothing if you don’t show up on the first page of local searches. Google controls 90% of the web search market1 and your potential customers are using Google to search for your services on their phones and computers. There are plenty of FREE ways to rank higher in a local search, including:

  • Asking every customer to leave a review;
  • Claiming your Google business page;
  • Posting photos and blogs to your Google business page.

A smart shop owner will focus on growing their Google presence ASAP if you want to fill those bays.

5. Network

How involved are you in your local chamber of commerce, BNI, or other community or business organizations? Building relationships with other business owners is a great way to increase car count. It will help you create a positive, community-focused image of your brand.

Keeping car count where you need it to be requires a consistent plan of action and focus. At ATI, we help our members develop strategies like these to get the momentum and growth they are looking for. Want to learn more? Find an ATI shop owner event near you.