2012 Volume 2
In This
Issue
Cloud Based Solutions for Customer Satisfaction, Retention and Shop Management
In Focus
- How Maplewood Audi
Got Its Service Advisors
Out Into the Service Drive
- JD Powers: Customers
Who Schedule Online
Are More Satisfied,
Spend More
Over the past several months, the Xtime team has been talking
with service managers and other dealer staff from around the
- Putting ServiceTab™ to
Work For Your Dealership
nation, getting feedback on what they need to make using Xtime
in their dealerships easier and even more successful.
What you wanted was more support in getting new employees
trained on Xtime. You also wanted more assistance with going
beyond the basics and learning to use all of Xtime's tools. To
that end, we're offering ongoing webinars hosted live by Xtime
trainers covering a variety of topic areas:
Add it Up!
– Scheduling Appointments
– Using ServiceTab™
– Driving Web Business
– Using Service Marketing Campaigns
170
– Understanding Services and Packages
– Opcodes for Services and Packages
– Pricing Services and Packages
– Managing ServiceCRM™
Webinars are offered weekdays throughout the day and are open to
service managers, service advisors,
appointment coordinators, BDC
reps–anyone who needs an
introduction to Xtime, a refresher
The
course or wants an answer to a
specific question.
In this issue, you'll also learn more
about ServiceTab™, a tablet that
service advisors can use to check-in
customers in under 5 minutes, right on
the drive. We'll also introduce you to
Maplewood Audi in Maplewood, MN,
“
“
which is using ServiceTab™ to improve
– Additional amount spent annually by customers who schedule an appointment online
vs. walk-ins
Source: J.D. Power and Associates 2012 U.S. Customer Service Index Study
– Percent of service customers scheduling appointments online at Suntrup Hyundai in
St. Louis, MO
WALL
Want to
Know More?
ServiceTab™ is increasing our thoroughness in the walk-around. It makes us go
step by step. That will mean more opportunities for upsells.
”
Elliot Silk
S e r v i c e D i r e c t o r, S u n t r u p H y u n d a i , S t . L o u i s , M O
The big drive for me is that ServiceTab™ makes our advisors go out in the service
drive to be with our customers. They're greeted when they come in. You're not
sticking them in front of a desk.
”
Ross Corey
S e r v i c e M a n a g e r, M a p l e w o o d A u d i , M a p l e w o o d , M N
customer satisfaction and create more
upsell opportunities.
$36
17%
– Number of check-ins using ServiceTab™
during one recent week at Maplewood Audi
in Maplewood, MN
“
Customers who schedule a service appointment online are notably more satisfied
with the service experience than are customers who call to make an appointment
or who drop by the dealership without an appointment.
”
J.D. Power and Associates 2012
U.S.Customer Service Index Study
Xtime University is a comprehensive online
resource with answers to dozens of questions.
To access it, log onto ServiceCRM™ and
click Help.
Live, hosted webinars are offered online,
Monday through Friday, starting as early as
6 a.m. PST/9 a.m. EST. Go to Xtime University
and click Training Calendar, then click Live
Hosted Online Training. To register, choose the
class, day and time that best fits your
schedule. You'll then receive a confirmation
email with dial-in instructions and a link to join
the class. Class registration ends 15 minutes
before class start time.
Follow us on Twitter at @xtimeServiceCRM.
We'd like to hear from you! Email us at
[email protected] with your ideas, comments
or suggestions.
Cloud Based Solutions for Customer Satisfaction, Retention and Shop Management
Xtime Experts
Ross Corey, Service Manager
Maplewood Audi, Maplewood, MN
After going live with Xtime about a year ago, Ross Corey, Service Manager, decided to give ServiceTab™ a try. "The big drive for me is that ServiceTab™ makes
our advisors go out in the service drive to be with our customers," Corey said. "They're greeted when they come in. You're not sticking them in front of a desk.
You're talking to them as a person, as opposed to sitting there at a computer. ServiceTab™ gives you the opportunity to do a complete walk-around, to notice
damage and note it, to offer to fix it, and to offer more upsells."
Make the Most of the Walk-around
Noting minor body or wheel damage is especially key, he said. First, it protects the dealer from getting blamed for it. It also gives advisors the opportunity to make
an additional sale. "It's a polite way of telling them they have a
big scratch on the car, would they like us to get a body shop
estimate for it? Or, we noticed some damage to your wheel.
I can get it fixed for you while it's here," Corey said.
Knowledge is Power
The immediacy and mobility of ServiceTab™ is helping uncover
upsell opportunities in other ways, Corey said. Corey assigned
his warranty administrator to review all scheduled appointments
the day before arrival.
Her job is to find out everything about the vehicle and what
services are due prior to the customer's arrival. She
checks to see if the customer purchased a prepaid
Audi Care maintenance plan. She checks to see if any
mandated recalls need to get taken care of, or if there
are any Audi service actions, or voluntary fixes that
the manufacturer is offering, and if customers with
certified pre-owned cars have a factory-extended
“
While you're
standing with the customer, you inform
warranty. All of that gets noted in Xtime using specific
them of all the things you've done for
codes. When the customer pulls up into the service
them even before they've arrived.
drive, service advisors have all of the information
already at their fingertips on ServiceTab™.
R o s s C o r e y, S e r v i c e M a n a g e r
Maplewood Audi, Maplewood, MN
”
"While you're standing with the customer, you inform them of all the things you've done for them
even before they've arrived," Corey said. "You build a lot of value and a lot of trust. The customer gets the message that we're taking care of the car for them.”
Maximize Revenue
The process also ensures the service department is maximizing revenue potential by not leaving any warranty or manufacturer paid work on the table. Using
ServiceTab™ makes tracking deferred services simple, so that the next time the customer comes in, the service advisor can remind them about what still needs to
get taken care of.
Audi owners tend to view their cars as more than just a car, he said. "For a lot of people, that vehicle is their baby. So you're out there with them, with their vehicle,
with their baby, and you build relationships. And that can go a long, long way."
2012 Volume 2
Exploring Xtime
By 2015, technology industry analysts predict that sales of
If the customer agrees to have the work done, tap "Now." If
tablets will hit 500 million units annually, overtaking sales of
they're not ready to do the work today, but they may consider it
PCs. "Essentially anything we once thought of as
at a later date, tap "Later." The third option is "Never," if the
pen-and-paper activities can now be supplemented by a
customer declines outright.
tablet," technology analyst Gene Munster recently told the
San Jose Mercury News.
3. Service Menu: After you've completed the inspection,
ServiceTab™ will pull up a menu of
With ServiceTab™, dealers have a way to stay ahead of the
factory-recommended service based on
technology curve–while increasing opportunities for upsells,
the customer's mileage, along with a
easily tracking deferred services and offering an enhanced
price. For example, if the mileage is at
service experience for customers. Jim Bonney, longtime service
44,000, the recommended service for
director at Buerkle Hyundai in St. Paul, MN, said he's a firm
42,000 and for 45,000 would appear.
believer that using tablets on the service drive makes for a
This is a key opportunity for upsells.
great first impression.
ServiceTab™
TECH
tips
Getting Started: To
deploy ServiceTab™, dealers
need tablets, print software
and a good printer. Here's what
we recommend.
– Tablets: We recommend the
Samsung Galaxy 7.0 Plus.
"When customers arrive and we can walk out to them with a
tablet, and their appointment and information is on there, you
do have a little bit of a 'Wow' factor," Bonney said. "It makes
you look more professional and more accurate."
Here are a few things you should know about ServiceTab™ and
what it has to offer your dealership.
Getting Started: When customers drive up, the service
advisor heads out to greet them, ServiceTab™ in hand. The
advisor logs in using their username and password, and a
Keep in mind, the recommended service menus are generated
An iPad compatible version
based on mileage, not service history, so the menu may pop up
released May 1.
even if the customer has already had that 45,000 mile service.
You will need to take a quick look at their Service History, which
you can do right from the tablet.
type in a key word and have access to the full catalog of
tablet to your printer, so you
services with prices to show the customer, right on the screen.
can print hard copies of
4. Review: You're just about done! You'll be able to see the
Customer requested items and the cost
estimate, the Add Services, and Deferred
Services, along with a total.
1. Check-in: The advisor can see the customer name, make
and model, appointment time and VIN if
it's already in the system. If not, advisors
can quickly scan the VIN using the tablet.
is there.
PrinterShare, which links the
information contained in the
the screen. From there, it's a four step process.
the advisor can see why the customer
should also have
This is when you can also offer individual services. Advisors can
mobile version of the Xtime appointment ledger appears on
Simply touch the customer's name and
– Printer Software: Dealers
repair estimates.
PrinterShare is available for
free at printershare.com.
– Printer: A dedicated HP
LaserJet Pro 400 Wireless
You'll notice a pencil icon. This is where
Laser Printer is a good
you can offer discounts, coupons on
choice. If you're having
other specials. Discounts can either be a
issues with a portion of the
dollar amount (Buy 4 tires get $100 off)
estimate getting cut off when
or a percent (15% off brakes). Tap the pencil icon and the
you print, use the "Short
discount will be automatically applied.
Form for Estimate" option
Service managers can set up discounts in the Xtime dealer
when prompted.
portal in a few easy steps. Just go to the Services tab, choose
2. Inspection: The advisor does the walk-around, using
ServiceTab™'s multi-point inspection
checklist. For each item, the advisor taps
the screen and marks off whether the
condition is "Good, Fair or Poor." If the
condition is fair or poor, the advisor can
show the customer, right on the drive,
Manage Settings, ServiceTab™ Discount and type in what
you'd like.
Finally, have the customer sign his or her name right on the
tablet and print out your estimate. Note: ServiceTab™ creates a
repair estimate. Service advisors will need to create the RO
after the customer is on his or her way.
Ross Corey, Service
Manager at Maplewood
Audi, installed the printer
near the service drive so
that service advisors can
what the issue is and what's
retrieve repair estimates
recommended to deal with it.
from the printer quickly.
2012 Volume 2
Cloud Based Solutions for Customer Satisfaction, Retention and Shop Management
Xtime Top Five
4. Use ServiceTab™ to Protect Your Dealership
Every service manager has had the experience of a customer claiming the
service department dinged, scratched or otherwise damaged the vehicle. To
Getting the Most Out of ServiceTab™
1. Use the Audio Function To Record Important Customer Info
avoid this, during the inspection, point out any body damage, and offer to
repair it or get an estimate to repair it. For added security, take a photo of
the body damage by clicking the camera icon.
During the inspection, advisors can tap the microphone icon to record audio
notes. Whatever you say ("Do not wash car," "Needs car by 2PM") will be
automatically translated into text.
5. Use ServiceTab™ to Track Deferred Services
If a customer declines a service and you choose "Later" on
ServiceTab™, it will be recorded as a deferred service that you or your
There are two Notes options: Shown to Customer,
which will appear on the estimate and the
BDC reps can follow up on. The next time the customer comes in for
an appointment, advisors will also able to view deferred services at
repair order, and Not Shown to Customer, which
a glance, offering another opportunity to make the sale.
is for internal use only. Keep in mind, ServiceTab™
Want to Know More?
Notes stay with the appointment, but do not become
Check out the Xtime ServiceTab™ video from the 2012
part of the customer's permanent record, or
NADA Convention & Expo here:
identity, in the Xtime dealer portal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXqMXy0gQXU
You may have to experiment with the audio function
a bit. If the tablet doesn't recognize a word–"vehicle,"
for example–try saying "car" instead. Sometimes the
tablet will come up with some funny interpretations of
the spoken word, so you may need to do some editing, but
fixing a word or two is a lot faster than typing each word.
2. Use ServiceTab™ to Upsell On the Drive
You do the inspection, point out to Mrs. Smith where her tires
are worn, but she still wants to check with her husband
before buying new tires. Use the camera function to send an
email with a photo right from the tablet to the spouse.
Let's say the sticking point is price. Here's where your
programmed discounts can help. Service managers handle
this option in one of two ways:
– Some service managers want their advisors to have the ability to offer
discounts on the drive. With ServiceTab™, advisors can be granted the
ability to manually change a price.
– Some service managers aren't comfortable with that, so the manually
adjust option can be turned off for the advisors and only allowed for
the service manager. It's up to you.
3. Use ServiceTab™ to Upsell Off the Drive
Ask the Xperts
My advisor has recently changed his schedule. How do I
change his hours on Xtime?
It's very easy. Log in. Go to the Dealership tab on the upper right portion of the
page, and select Advisors. Then, select the advisor whose hours you need to
switch, then choose Hours and adjust from there. Finally, click Save. Follow
Make use of the audio function to leave information about deferred
similar steps to delete a service advisor. For more, see the FAQ section on
services that will help service advisors or appointment takers make the
Xtime University.
sale the next time.
How do I change the availability of my shop hours?
For example, let's say you see worn tires. You could simple say, "replace."
It's similar to changing advisor hours. Go to the Dealership tab, select
Or, you could note that the "left right tire is bulging and shows uneven
Dealership Hours, and adjust your opening and closing times and click Save.
wear," or that the "customer didn't have time to wait for the repair." That
For more, see Xtime University FAQs.
gives the appointment taker information to help them upsell more
effectively the next time.
xtime.com