Buddy Toups, Service Manager for Infiniti of Lafayette, manages three technicians and two service advisors for this Louisiana dealership servicing about 300 vehicles a month. To streamline appointment setting – and put control in customers’ hands – Infiniti of Lafayette started using Xtime hosted service CRM (customer relationship management) systems two years ago.
Xtime services used there include Dealership Scheduling, Online Scheduling and Electronic Service Menus. With all customer appointments, including those by phone, now booked through Xtime, scheduling is visible to all authorized service personnel. This depth of visibility will be even more important as the dealership moves into their new facility this year that will double its size.
Prior to installing Xtime, appointments were scheduled using paper documents and then keyed into the dealership’s dealer management system. The process was terribly inefficient and not very user friendly, Toups said.
“For Infiniti customers who live their lives by appointment, our ability through Xtime to ensure that the time and day they booked for service will indeed be available when they arrive. That’s a critical requirement that we must simply meet,” he added.
With Xtime, we have access to customers’ entire service histories at our fingertips as we’re speaking to them.
Buddy Toups
Service Manager, Infiniti of Lafayette
“With Xtime, we have access to customers’ entire service histories at our fingertips as we’re speaking to them. Having this depth of customer and vehicle information so readily available helps us get to know customers and their vehicles better – and, as a result, Xtime helps us grow customer service and customer satisfaction as well as maintain our desired level of productivity,” Toups said.
XTIME HELPS INFINITI OF LAFAYETTE:
- Simplify and organize appointment scheduling: Whether customers book their service by viewing Xtime’s online automotive scheduling software on the dealership’s website or service staff does it from their desks, scheduling is easier, faster – and more visible to help management better load the shop. “Xtime gives us great visibility into our appointments – who recreated what appointment and when – and clicking a VIN tab gives us the vehicle’s service history,” Toups noted.
- Maximize appointments: Customers using the dealership’s Xtime service e-menu select recommended and desired services and book their own appointments. Because the online appointment schedule is the same as that seen by dealership staff, customers book only available days and times. They may also call the dealership and schedule with the dealership’s Xtime call center.
- Build customer trust and comfort: Electronic service notifications keep customers advised of their vehicles’ service needs based on scheduled maintenances, recall notifications or other service reminder or promotion emails. When they arrive in the service lane, an electronic board announces their arrival, making them feel special.
- Increase service revenue: By helping to maximizing shop utilization, Xtime helps keep technicians productive.
PROVEN PRODUCTIVITY
Performance data extracted from Xtime provide compelling evidence for its impact on service processes at Infiniti of Lafayette. This table provides a recent one-month overview:
| Appointments Booked via Xtime | Overall Show Rate | Web Show Rate | Repair Order Dollars | Ave. Per RO Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97.6% | 87.9% | 100% | $41,375 | $245/$263 web |
| Online Schedule Activity via Xtime | Selected Services | Time/Day Searches | Booked Appointments | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.3% appointments booked | 13 | 10 | 7 | 0 |
Toups said Xtime streamlines the entire booking and scheduling process.
“Without this visibility into our work, it can be too easy to overbook. With it, we can instantly see what our day looks like and respond proactively. Xtime gives us a complete view of how many loaners are needed, how many waiters are scheduled, and we have the ability to add notes or ‘customer alerts’ for customers who may have special needs, and we can easily see how many hours we have scheduled for our technicians,” Toups said.
“We also have the ability through Xtime to email customers when their vehicles are ready for pick up. With Xtime, sudden change is easily accommodated. I simply tweak the day’s workload to keep work flowing evenly and productively so we load up the shop and increase our hours per RO. Xtime has been an invaluable addition to our service process and we are only using a small portion of its capabilities. It’s a fantastic tool, and we look forward to tapping into all of its resources when move into our new facility,” Toups said.