Customer loyalty, and the revenue tied to it, are directly tied to the overall consumer experience that can be summed up in a single word—trust. Trust is an intangible quality that you can only achieve when customer expectations and shop deliverables merge, overcoming the transactional barrier.
According to a 2019 study by JD Power & Associates, fairness of charges and service quality account for over 33 percent of how consumers choose their aftermarket repair facilities, followed closely by the service advisor (18 percent) and service facility (16 percent).
Customers want a few simple things from their service center: reputable and reliable service, quick and convenient maintenance and repair, and—above all—trust in their staff. The best shops can check all these boxes as crucial to their success: they earn trust through reliable work and great value; they build relationships with customers, transcending the “transactional barrier” so many other businesses struggle to get over; and they deliver on customer expectations time and again.
Now service shops can put CARFAX’s brand reputation to work for them through the CARFAX Car Care Program. For more than 35 years, consumers have trusted CARFAX to help them buy and sell cars with confidence. In fact, over 94 percent of consumers know and trust the CARFAX brand. CARFAX’s renowned Vehicle History Report is an essential tool that consumers continue to see as a critical component and trusted source for determining vehicle investment decisions.
The CARFAX Car Care Program enables shops to provide quality service to their customers in three distinct ways:
1) Credit on the CARFAX Report
It’s essential that your service records appear on the CARFAX Vehicle History Report. Simply put, customers expect this. Vehicles with service records reported on the CARFAX Report have higher resale values. And with those resales, you can basically hand your business card to the 2nd owner. Service history follows the car regardless of where it ends up, and a second owner is likely to bring the car back to your shop, especially if that CARFAX report indicates the car has been well maintained. A vehicle’s service history can even be monitored through the CARFAX Car Care app for mobile phones.
2) Technicians become Trusted Service Consultants
When technicians leverage the CARFAX Service History, they turn a repair transaction into a service consultation backed by CARFAX, an already trusted third party, helping to transcend the aforementioned transactional barrier into something more personal. Car Care program participants can access over 5.3 billion records in the CARFAX Service History Check, allowing your team to:
- Capture unperformed maintenance
- Make better service recommendations
- Increase repair orders
- Grow customer loyalty
One in five cars on the road has an open recall. As a CARFAX Service Shop, you have the opportunity to act as a trusted advisor to your customers by alerting them to open recalls on their vehicles.
3) Faster Check-In and Fewer Errors
You’ll also streamline check in processes with QuickVIN, which offers instant license plate-to-VIN conversions. You will help reduce costly errors when ordering parts. Having VIN-specific information on every vehicle at your fingertips will help you order the right parts no matter what, saving valuable time and money.
- Easy to use for service writers
- Offer faster customer check-in
- Reduce errors by helping technicians instantly identify and input VINs based on license plates
The CARFAX tools are available for FREE through most common shop management systems.
The CARFAX Seal of Quality
When shops join the free CARFAX Car Care program, they receive the Car Care badge that can be proudly displayed on their website, social media, and (of course) on their front door or storefront. Consumers know and trust CARFAX, especially when it comes to making investments in their vehicles. Demonstrate that you provide the quality service expected by CARFAX consumers. Grow your business based off of the confidence that CARFAX provides consumers in buying, selling, and now maintaining their vehicles. Join the CARFAX Car Care program today. It’s free, and will be the best money you’ve (n)ever spent.
Click here to learn how the CARFAX Car Care Program can help your shop.
This article is sponsored by CARFAX.
