Going Mobile – Are You In?

Mobile phones, mobile websites, mobile applications: the trend is clear. How many mobile devices do the members of your household use daily? Or more importantly, how many of your customers use their mobile device during their busy day?

One previously unutilized aspect is making an appointment at your shop. We have observed that the number of appointment requests from a mobile device to your mobile or desktop website is steadily increasing.  So you might ask yourself: “Why do I need a mobile application, if my mobile website takes care of it?”. Good question.

You might need both – the mobile website and the mobile application – in order to cover an expansive motorist base.

Why Both are Crucial

Mobile websites target mostly new customers, who find your website through mobile searches.

Mobile applications target existing customers, who’d like to have a convenient way of taking advantage of a promotion, or want to see vehicle-specific information to prepare their next visit.

Compared with mobile websites, mobile applications offer great benefits for effective communication. Once the app is downloaded and installed, it offers simple usability. Moreover, it allows us to send messages to your customer, even if they don’t have the app in use. This method is called push notification. It comes in several specifications, depending whether an iPhone or Android phone is used and which platform of push notification has been configured when downloading the app from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android).

The Way it Works

Lets look at our app on the iPhone. After the initial login with the customer’s email address or welcome code, the app turns into a shop specific screen, featuring your logo, shop name and phone number. Next time the app is launched, it goes directly to the shop-specific page. Let’s see how easily your customer engages with you:

 

1. Tapping the phone number calls your shop.
2. Tapping “Save Money” shows the promotion, configured on your AV Dashboard.
3. The vehicle image can be uploaded by you or the customer. Annual mileage and personalized service interval are also displayed.
4. The next service due date is shown, together with …
5. … your detailed recommendations from the last visit.
6. Tapping opens the “Schedule Appointment.”
7. Once the appointment date is selected and other details have been added, you customer can select whether the promotion should be added to the appointment (see below the “schedule appointment” page).

 

Appointment Calendar

As usual the appointment shows up on your AV dashboard and in your email inbox for quick response.

Push Notifications

As usual the appointment shows up on your AutoVitals dashboard and in your email inbox for quick response time. Let’s take a quick glance at the push notification: Once you configured and sent a promotion or any other message to your customers using your AutoVitals dashboard, the app icon on the iPhone shows how many messages are there to check and (if configured) the promotion pops up on the iPhone screen.

 

Can you see how this simple and clear user experience will engage your customers? Scheduling automotive appointments will no longer be a hassle or a chore, but a quick and painless tap of a mobile device.

 

But how will your customer know about the mobile application?

We will send out email promotions to all existing customers

We will apply a Quick Response Code (have arrow pointing to it) to shop brochures and coupons. One QR code works for both Android and iPhones, so it is easy to get the app downloaded. Once mobile users have done this, a simple turn of the screen will leave your site and promotions at their fingertips.

 

 

We are eagerly anticipating the launch, and depending how long Apple takes to approve the app, it will be released sometime in November. Please reply below if you interested in signing up or have any other questions or suggestions.