Customer communication is essential for success, but what does that really mean? Too often, shop owners rely on outdated software set up years ago. It works well enough, so they leave it alone. This episode of Maximum Octane is about using multi-channel communication strategies that actually keep shops and customers connected.
In episode 150, Kim Hickey and Jason Patel talk with Melanie Sypolt and Robert Whitehurst of Epicor Service CRM, who together have more than a decade of experience in customer relationship management for auto repair and retail. They cover customer outreach, personalized automation, campaigns for slow months, transparency, AI, and a tool that provides quotes around the clock.
What You Will Learn
- Customer care goes beyond the shop and can be the catalyst to building a long-lasting relationship.
- “Don’t set it and forget it. You’ve got to stay involved.” Melanie and Robert talk about the importance of personalized automated messaging.
- Why “blast marketing,” whether in the form of text or email, can be an effective tool during slow months
- Transparency can make or break a customer relationship in today’s competitive landscape.
- How to overcome marketing hurdles like a professional and industry veteran
- The role of AI in marketing, including how to maximize its benefits to easily implement things easily
- Communication has changed over the last 10 years, but these tips are essential if you want to stay current.
- Meeting customers where they are is a great way to build a lasting relationship.
- The Smart Quoter: a twenty-four-hour day, seven days a week service advisor, giving a quote within about thirty seconds
Customer Care Beyond the Shop
Melanie and Robert open with the idea that customer care extends well beyond the shop visit. Follow-up messages, reminders, and helpful information between visits build relationships that last. Customers who hear from you thoughtfully are more likely to return.
Between visits, the shop has a chance to be useful without asking for anything. A thank-you message after a repair, a reminder about upcoming maintenance based on actual mileage, a seasonal tip about tires or batteries, or a follow-up to ask how the vehicle is running all keep the relationship warm. These touches matter because many customers do not think about their car until something goes wrong. When that moment comes, the shop that has stayed in contact is the one they remember. The key is relevance. Messages tied to the customer’s vehicle and history feel like service, while generic promotions feel like noise.
Do Not Set It and Forget It
Around the 7 minute mark, they discuss the importance of personalized automated messaging. “Don’t set it and forget it. You’ve got to stay involved,” they explain. Automated reminders and follow-ups save time, but they need regular review to stay relevant and personal. Messages that feel generic or outdated can hurt more than help.
Justin Rae explains how clean data powers better automation in Turning Auto Shop Customers’ Data Into Revenue.
Staying involved means reviewing the actual content customers receive, not just confirming the system is turned on. Owners and managers can sign up for their own shop’s messages, read them as a customer would, and ask whether they sound like the shop today. Common problems include outdated offers, references to staff who have left, wrong hours, and service intervals that do not match current recommendations. Reviewing open rates, responses, and appointments generated by each message shows which ones are working. A quick quarterly check usually catches most issues before they reach many customers.
Campaigns for Slow Months
Melanie and Robert explain why text and email campaigns can be effective during slow months. Reaching out to existing customers with timely, relevant offers or reminders can fill the schedule. Because these customers already know you, they are more likely to respond than new prospects. Owners should follow consent rules for text messaging and include easy opt-outs.
ATI’s Give Yourself a Raise by Increasing Visit Frequency and Fill Empty Bays Without Busting the Budget offer more ideas.
The most effective slow-month campaigns usually target specific groups rather than everyone. Customers who are overdue for maintenance, those who declined recommended work on a recent visit, and those who have not been in for a long time are natural audiences. A message reminding a customer about a specific declined repair, with a clear way to book, often performs better than a general discount. Planning these campaigns ahead, based on when the shop’s slow months typically fall, keeps them from being rushed. For text marketing in particular, follow consent rules carefully and consider the tools available through ATI partners like Epicor that help manage permissions and opt-outs.
Transparency Matters
Around the 15 minute mark, they discuss how transparency can make or break a customer relationship. Clear communication about pricing, timelines, and recommendations builds trust in a competitive market.
Transparency starts before the customer arrives. Clear information on the website about services, hours, and how the shop handles estimates sets expectations. At the counter, it means explaining what was found, why it matters, and what it will cost, ideally with photos or inspection results the customer can see. During the repair, it means proactive updates when timelines change. Customers rarely get upset because a repair takes longer than expected. They get upset when nobody tells them. Digital inspections and text updates make this level of transparency far easier than it used to be.
Overcoming Marketing Hurdles
Melanie and Robert share how to overcome common marketing hurdles, drawing on their industry experience. They also discuss getting creative with social media campaigns to increase engagement.
Common hurdles include limited time, uncertainty about what to say, and worry about annoying customers with too many messages. Shops can address these by building a simple communication calendar that sets the type and frequency of messages for the year, so decisions are not made from scratch each month. Social media campaigns can feature real staff, customer milestones, or community involvement, which tends to draw more engagement than promotional posts. Starting small and adding as the team gets comfortable is better than launching an ambitious plan that stalls.
AI in Customer Communication
Around the 21 minute mark, they discuss AI’s role in marketing and how to use it to implement campaigns more easily. AI can help draft messages and segment customers, but human oversight keeps communication accurate and personal.
AI can also help analyze which messages perform best, suggest send times, or group customers by vehicle type, service history, or visit frequency. Those capabilities are useful, but they depend on accurate data in the shop management system. If customer contact information, vehicle details, or service history are incomplete, AI recommendations will be off. Before relying on AI-driven campaigns, it is worth cleaning up customer records and making sure advisors capture complete information at every visit.
Communication Has Changed
They explain how communication has changed over the past decade and why meeting customers where they are, whether by text, email, or social media, builds lasting relationships.
Ten years ago, a phone call and a mailed postcard covered most shop communication. Today many customers prefer texts for updates and approvals, email for receipts and reminders, and online booking for scheduling. Preferences vary by customer, so the best approach is to ask. Recording each customer’s preferred channel and honoring it shows respect and improves response rates. It also reduces frustration for customers who do not want calls during work hours or who rarely check email.
A Quote Tool That Never Sleeps
Around the 29 minute mark, Melanie and Robert describe the Smart Quoter, which provides quotes around the clock within about 30 seconds. Tools like this meet customers’ expectations for instant information.
Many customers start researching repairs in the evening or on weekends when the shop is closed. An online quoting tool lets them get an idea of the cost and take the next step right then, instead of waiting until morning and possibly calling another shop. Even without a dedicated tool, shops can capture after-hours demand with online scheduling, clear contact forms, and a prompt response first thing the next business day.
Common Customer Communication Mistakes
Even shops with good tools can undermine their communication. A few mistakes are worth watching for:
- Too many messages. Frequent, irrelevant messages lead customers to tune out or opt out.
- Generic content. Messages that ignore the customer’s vehicle or history feel impersonal.
- Inconsistent updates. Telling a customer you will call by noon and then forgetting erodes trust quickly.
- Ignoring replies. Customers expect a response when they answer a text or email.
- Bad data. Wrong phone numbers and outdated vehicle records undermine every campaign.
Most of these come back to the episode’s central theme: stay involved. Automation saves time, but someone still needs to own the customer experience.
Customer Communication Checklist
- Review every automated message you send and update outdated ones.
- Plan two campaigns for your historically slow months.
- Confirm you have consent for text marketing.
- Check which channels your customers prefer and use them.
Phil Jackson discusses preventing one-and-done customers in Thinking Big on Small Auto Repair Shops’ Marketing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way for an auto repair shop to communicate with customers?
The best channel is the one each customer prefers. Many customers like texts for repair updates and approvals, email for receipts and maintenance reminders, and online booking for appointments. Ask customers how they want to hear from you and record it in your shop management system. Combine timely, relevant messages with clear, honest conversations at the counter, and review your automated messages regularly so they stay accurate.
Can auto repair shops send marketing text messages?
Yes, but shops need to follow the rules for text marketing, which generally require customer consent before sending promotional messages and an easy way to opt out. Requirements can differ for transactional messages, like repair updates, versus marketing messages. Use a platform that tracks consent and handles opt-outs automatically, keep messages relevant, and avoid sending too often. When in doubt, check with your software provider or legal counsel.
How can I fill empty bays during slow months?
Reach out to your existing customers first, since they already know and trust you. Target customers who are overdue for maintenance, those who declined recommended work, and those who have not visited in a while. Personalized reminders about specific services usually outperform general discounts. Plan these campaigns ahead based on your historical slow periods, and track how many appointments each one generates so you can improve next time.
Should I review my shop’s automated customer messages?
Yes. Automated messages can go out for years without anyone reading them, and outdated offers, wrong hours, or references to former employees make a shop look careless. Sign up for your own messages, read them as a customer would, and update anything that no longer fits. Review performance data quarterly to see which messages drive appointments and which should be rewritten or retired.
How can AI help with auto repair customer communication?
AI can help draft messages, segment customers based on vehicle and service history, suggest timing, and analyze which campaigns perform best. It saves time, but it depends on accurate customer data and still needs human review to keep messages correct and personal. Start with one use, such as drafting reminder messages, and expand once you see consistent results.
