If you’ve made the decision to start using video in your service department, you’ve made a great decision. Video has a ton of use cases from showing customers what they can expect once they arrive, vehicle in-take videos, multi-point inspections, and quick personalized thank you notes. Customers need to see to believe to approve.
There are a lot of video software platforms available for your dealership’s service department, but which one is the right one for you? Let’s break down your options.
Your first option for helping people to see their needed repairs is to walk them back to their car. This is “free”, but this means:
1) customers have to stick around the whole time
2) it’s not the safest idea to have customers wandering around your service bays.
Another option for using video in your service department is to have techs use their own phone. This costs you nothing out-of-pocket but is bad idea because:
1) there’s no tracking or reporting
2) it’s eating up phone storage
3) customers can’t approve or deny the recommended services
4) you can’t tell when someone has watched the video
5) it’s hard to edit
6) it’s not TCPA compliant.
Please, don’t do this.
A common approach is to use the video tool included in your DMS tool or services suite. The benefit is that you’ve got all-in-one functionality, but this will definitely be your most expensive solution.
Also, video inside these platforms is just one small piece of everything they do, which means they can lag in features and functionality, and can be cumbersome to operate, leading to lower adoption and usage from your team.
The final approach is stand-alone video platforms designed specifically for automotive that are easy for any tech to use, affordable, filter out shop noise automatically, and allow customers to approve work directly from their phone. They typically integrate with your DMS, but are not full-service-do-everything-in-your-service-department-platforms, as they’re not intended to be.
If you’re still on the fence about video (and according to JD Power over 70% of dealerships still aren’t sending photos or videos for repairs), we can help you navigate the alternatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of using video in the service department?
Using video in the service department offers multiple benefits, such as providing customers with a clear expectation of what to expect upon arrival, recording vehicle intake videos, conducting multi-point inspections, sending quick and personalized thank you notes, and helping customers visualize needed repairs to gain their approval.
What are the different options for incorporating video into our service department?
There are several options available:
- Walking Customers to Their Car: This is free but requires customers to stay on-site and can be unsafe.
- Techs Using Their Own Phones: This has no out-of-pocket cost but presents challenges such as lack of tracking, storage issues, no approval functionality, difficulty in editing, and non-compliance with TCPA.
- Video Tool Included in DMS/System Suite: Offers all-in-one functionality but is expensive, may lack specialized features, and can be cumbersome to operate.
- Stand-Alone Video Platforms: Specifically designed for automotive use, these platforms are easy to use, affordable, filter shop noise, and allow direct customer approval from their phones. They usually integrate with DMS systems but focus specifically on video functionalities required by the service department.
Why shouldn’t techs use their own phones to record videos?
Using personal phones is discouraged because it lacks tracking and reporting capabilities, consumes phone storage, prevents the ability for customers to approve or deny services, doesn’t allow monitoring of whether videos have been watched, makes editing difficult, and is not compliant with TCPA regulations.
What are the drawbacks of using the video tool included in our DMS or system suite?
While DMS-integrated tools offer comprehensive functionality, they come with some drawbacks such as higher costs compared to other solutions, video features that may lag behind dedicated platforms in terms of innovation and functionality, and cumbersome operation leading to lower adoption and usage among the team.
What are the advantages of using stand-alone video platforms designed for automotive?
Stand-alone video platforms offer several advantages including ease of use for technicians, affordability, automatic filtering of shop noise, direct customer approval of work via their phones, and typical integration with DMS systems while focusing specifically on the video functionalities required by the service department.
How prevalent is the use of video in service departments?
Despite its benefits, over 70% of dealerships are still not sending photos or videos for repairs according to JD Power.
How can we decide which video platform is right for our service department?
To choose the best video platform, consider your specific needs and budget, evaluate the ease of use and adoption potential among your team, assess the platform’s functionality and integration capabilities with your existing systems, and ensure compliance with relevant regulations such as TCPA. Consulting with a specialist can help navigate through the various alternatives and find the best fit for your dealership’s service department.
