Creative Ways to Keep Customers Coming Back After a Repair
It’s the end of the month, and you have increased sales compared to last month. For an auto repair business, this sounds like great news. But only if those new customers come back. Customer retention is a serious criterion for any service-based business to succeed. It’s a lot easier to retain existing customers than to acquire new ones. Yet there are times when auto repair businesses struggle in a quarter, and it’s challenging to offer the right service to prevent the churn rate.
Multiple factors like the services you offer, the way to deal with clients, the appointment scheduling experience, and whatnot, all play a crucial role in customer satisfaction.
Which is why we find it imperative to share some jumping-off points for you to build a strong customer base and have them keep coming back to your garage door.
Why customer retention is important
To reduce the cost of growth, it is important to have a strong customer retention rate. This way, your decision-making power is absolute, and you can predict new expansion opportunities.
Because attracting new clients is 25x more expensive (and tough luck), you can focus on creating strategies to encourage existing customers to revisit whenever they need a repair or inspection. You can hire new skilled resources to improve service quality and improve a good word of mouth, too.
Besides, an existing customer is likely to spend more on repairs than a new client. Whether you are upselling or cross-selling, they would be willing to go along with your plan. Hence, you have a predictable revenue stream.
4 Creative strategies to keep customers coming back for repair
Whether you’re interested in boosting sales or strengthening your customer base, try the following strategies to keep them engaged and committed to your service business.
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Onboarding experience
First impressions are the last, they say, so focusing on how you onboard a customer matters the most. It sets the tone of your entire future relationship with the customer.
Offering transparency in terms of processes and workflows gives customers a better insight into how the auto repair is run in the first place. Collecting information such as their full name, contact details, including email address, should be part of the onboarding process.
It helps build trust and offers an initiation point to have two-way communication with the customer. They open up about concerns related to their vehicle, and you can offer useful insight about the inspection and the required repair.
To avoid starting on the wrong foot, invest in a step-by-step onboarding process to ensure that customers know they have come to the right place.
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Automate campaigns
Don’t wait for the customer to show up at the front door. To proactively avoid a flight-risk customer, focus on creating a marketing campaign to capture their attention with a discount or a coupon.
Smart marketing tools such as CRM platforms help service businesses to automate campaigns, prepare catchy and vibrant emails to customers at the right time. 4th of July coming up? Send a promotional email right away. You brought in a new customer? Send a welcome email with a coupon for the next three months.
Using an intuitive CRM system for auto repair shops makes it easier to engage with customers through text and email. Also, sending post-service emails for feedback is another proven tactic to ensure that your customers remember you. It builds up the customer’s confidence in your services and boosts satisfaction.
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Offer upgrades
Despite popular opinion, upgrades do not have to be costly. But well-timed upgrades create a huge impact on customers’ experience. A customer coming for a brake repair can be offered a package at a premium to get new wipers or a complimentary car accessory or other quality service.
Offering a template pack with extra oomph makes customers feel valued and seen. It’s a major win for you; not only do you cross-sell, but you also retain customers for good.
Besides, you can also offer free WiFi while they wait for a car wash or a minor repair. Simple additions such as setting up a phone charging and coffee station can make the wait time pleasant for your customers too.
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Celebrate milestones
Nothing makes a customer happier than receiving a birthday email from their go-to shops that contains a warm wish along with a discount offer for the month or week. Customers love being remembered by businesses, especially when a certain milestone is achieved. It could also be the anniversary of the first time they came to your auto garage for a repair.
Taking out time to celebrate such milestones with a quick warm note is an effective marketing strategy to keep customers coming back. Similarly, small acknowledgements like “it’s been two weeks since your last visit, let us treat you with a car wash!’’ can go a long way for those who value milestones.
Show your customers they’re valued
Customer loyalty can be easily earned if you target the right pain points. Want to take it up a notch? Then think creatively. Not only use advanced platforms to ensure service quality, but we also engage customers in a way that boosts their experiences.