Epicor Service CRM Provides Key ‘Extra’ Employee for Customer Relations
Bruce Eccles believes in using technology to build and maintain strong customer relationships. His location in Dundas, Ontario, was Canada’s first-ever repair facility to use Service CRM tools, and he is closing in on two decades of leveraging those tools to help keep customers engaged and enthusiastic about bringing in their vehicles to his shops.
“We started using Service CRM back in 2003 when we realized we needed a more efficient and cost-effective way to send appointment reminders than mailing postcards and making phone calls,” Eccles says. “We didn’t really have the manpower to address and collate mailers, and constantly man the phones, so we saw the value in leveraging Service CRM to start communicating via email.”
It didn’t take Eccles long before he saw the potential to use Service CRM for much more than simply connecting with customers who already had appointments. It was also a great way to attract business by delivering promotions directly to the inboxes of those for whom the shop had email addresses. The dividends were almost immediate.
“We ran our first promotion, an oil change offer, just a few weeks after setting up Service CRM and achieved returns like we’d never seen before,” he says. “Our mailed promotions had generally received a less than 1% redemption rate. On that first Service CRM promotion, we got a 19% return!”
The speed with which Service CRM allows us to make strategic decisions on how to best drive cars into our bays— and tailor our customer messaging accordingly—has been an absolute game-changer for our business.
Over the years, as Eccles Auto and the needs of its customers have evolved, Service CRM has evolved along with them. Today Bruce and his team take full advantage of all the tools that now comprise the Service CRM system. They use it to keep a steady stream of communication to customers—via email, text and video, for everything from appointment reminders to promotional offers to “Happy Holidays” messages. At the same time, they utilize back-end reporting tools to better tailor their messaging, track customer needs, and even manage inventory based on the data they can pull.
“On the back-end, Service CRM’s greatest benefit has been its ability to essentially act as an extra, and much-needed, employee,” Eccles notes. “The speed with which it allows us to analyze performance, track customers’ habits, and make quick strategic decisions on how to best drive cars into our bays—and tailor our customer messaging accordingly—has been an absolute game-changer for our business.”
Ultimately, Eccles views the Service CRM solution as a powerful customer relationship tool that can stand alone but works even better as a complement to other activities.
“Obviously, face time and personal outreach are always going to be critical to maintain trust in our industry,” he says. “But with a strong digital presence and a little creativity, you can build even stronger relationships that make every customer touchpoint meaningful throughout the service process and beyond it.”
“Since we first signed on with Service CRM in 2003, our business has quadrupled,” he adds. “Coincidence? You tell me.”
