Strategies for anticipating workshop customers’ needs

Sometimes, the desire to attract new workshop customers is so strong that you may neglect those who already chose you as their professional car repairer.

Most people are unaware of this, but there is a wide range of possible actions that, if applied, can help to increase turnover significantly. One of them is to anticipate the needs of workshop customers who already rely on your services.

In this article, we will explain how to improve your customers’ returns by using predictive marketing. We will present what kind of strategy lies behind this term and, most importantly, how it predicts the needs of automotive customers.

Workshop data as a source of income

Today, the automotive sector is amidst a significant and unavoidable digitisation process. As a result, more and more workshops are implementing the use of new technologies that would have been difficult even to imagine a few years ago. Think, for example, of their presence on social networks, creating a company website, using instant messaging services with customers and, above all, implementing workshop management software.

This type of software is an essential ally in the workshop. It allows the generation of customer records directly associated with their vehicles and links the different repair or maintenance work carried out. Data such as the vehicle’s mileage, registration date, model, maintenance carried out, etc., are all invaluable.

Concretely, how can we exploit all this data and, more importantly, profit from it?

What is predictive marketing?

Predictive marketing enables the organisation of all this data through various algorithms. These can predict and detect customers’ future needs and provide them with customised solutions. It is thus possible to increase monthly turnover by anticipating the maintenance of their vehicles and offering them specific services at the right time.

In a workshop, it is crucial to pay attention to several factors to carry out predictive marketing actions. First, keep your customers’ and vehicles’ databases clean and up to date. Avoid bad habits, such as creating files in management software without filling in all the necessary fields. At first, it may give you the false impression of saving time. Nevertheless, it will lead to a severe lack of customer information in the long run. So, in addition to basic administrative details, it is essential to note down the address, mobile phone, e-mail, the exact model of the vehicle, mileage, registration date and next revision date.

Furthermore, it is paramount to correctly identify quotes and invoices with spare parts and operations performed on the vehicles. This way, it is possible to accurately determine the maintenance and procedures that have already been carried out. To this effect, the management software needs to organise all this data in the best possible way.

Once archived and organised, the data must be cross-referenced with the vehicle manufacturer’s original data so that we know what maintenance still needs to be carried out and when we need to inform our customer.

What benefits can predictive marketing software guarantee?

Predictive marketing helps improve customer return rates by reminding them of the exact overhauls or maintenance they need at best possible time.

Customers will consider this attention to detail very positively. Compared to competitors, customers will perceive your business as a professional workshop that proactively responds to their needs.

The end effect is an ideal win-win situation. Customers will be grateful because you will show care for them and be busy doing what you love and know how to do.