Let’s start with a common mistake many businesses make when implementing digital signage at an auto repair shop, and how it makes their customers feel.
Imagine this scenario, from the viewpoint of your customer: your car needs an oil change so you take it to the local auto repair shop on the corner.
In the lobby, they used to have one of those white signs with interchangeable letters to display their menu of services and pricing, but you notice they have upgraded to a digital menu board.
You look at the board for a few seconds expecting it to provide you with some interesting information, but it’s just playing a static image of their menu. You make your way to the waiting room where they have a few car magazines and a television.
After 5 minutes of commercials, you get bored with the television and start scrolling through Facebook on your phone. Your 20 minute oil change feels like it’s taking an hour and you start wondering if it would be easier or faster to do your own oil change at home…
If your customers are bored and annoyed, your auto repair shop probably isn’t using digital signage correctly.
What Can You Do Better?
With some unique content an auto repair shop could be taking advantage of customers’ wait time, keeping them happy and entertained, and maybe even get them to interact in a fun and meaningful manner.
Here are a couple ideas:
- People love fast turnaround. If your shop really commits to the 20-minute oil change, why not use your signage as a countdown timer? Show the customer’s name and their time remaining so they know exactly where they stand in the queue and how much longer they’ll actually be waiting.
- Every 10 minutes, share an interesting piece of car trivia. Five minutes after you show the trivia, ask a question about it on screen. Tell the viewers to give their answer to your front desk attendant to receive a small discount on their service today, or for a coupon for future use.
- Some customers don’t think about important maintenance until it’s too late. Share seasonal driving tips and promote related services or products, and encourage your customers to make their next scheduled maintenance appointment today.
- Showcase some before and after photos. This works especially well with body or paint repairs and allows you to show off just what your staff is capable of.
- Use a “branded frame” integrated with a cable feed to keep your shop at the top of mind even when customers are tuning in to a television program in your waiting room.
At Spectrio, we have lots of experience with creating unique digital signage content for auto repair shops. If you’d like to see some samples of our work, or you’re interested in more information, we’d love to hear from you!
Contact us here or call us at 800-584-4653.
(Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)