Mobile Service Scheduler - How much would you pay for this?

[Jeff Kershner]

@autoRevenue just released their Mobile Service Scheduler and I REALLY WANT IT!



I use a host of @utoRevenue's products. I'm a huge fan of their online scheduler, email marketing and direct response services. So wanting to add their new mobile scheduler this only makes sense. Plus, I want to have the ability to wrap a message around this. Something different!!

Plus - I've messed around with it and overall they have done a nice job with it.

Here is the deal though - and I know @autoRev might not be happy with me for posting this but maybe with some feedback of the community here, It will allow me to make a decision.

They want $169.99 a month for this! I want it so bad but I don't see where or how it's work this. I thought it was going to be part of the upgrade and not something additional they were going to charge for.

I'm trying to justify the spend. How much is it worth to a dealer to get a mobile appointment? $1.00, $2.00 or $3.00. let's say $3.00 for the hell of it. I would have to schedule 70 service appointments a month on mobile at that rate. I know I'm not going to come out of the gate with even half that.

Am I being stupid about this - would you pay $169.99 a month for a mobile service scheduler?

If I'm being stupid or cheap, speak up and let me know. Maybe I am..

 

[emilymoore]

How does it work? It is a separate site? Is it an app? Or does it integrate with your current mobile website?

 

[D. Rawls]

At the bottom of the matter is how effective the app is going to be for creating appointments. Ask the service provider to give you a 60-90 day no-obligation trial period. If you get the desired result, pay the $450 for the previous three months, sign up, and move forward.

 

[Jeff Kershner]

Finally got my dealers onboard with this! Working on getting the mobile scheduler linked to from our Dealer mobile sites.

I'll give everyone an update once we have it up and running for awhile.

 

[john.quinn]

One of the reasons we liked Time Highway -- and on-line scheduling in general -- was the theory that more on-line appointments would reduce the amount of phone calls, and therefore missed phone calls, and un-returned voice mails, etc. Unfortunately, that never really happened. But, if there is a tool that would help facilitate better Service communication while decreasing actual time-on-phone, then $169 is a bargain. I'd track phone traffic, and see if it makes a dent.

 

[JamieS]

Working on getting the mobile scheduler linked to from our Dealer mobile sites.

This was going to be my question! If cleanly integrated with your mobi site as well as potential apple/android apps it sounds like a home run at $169.

 

[bzweifel]

I'm trying to justify the spend. How much is it worth to a dealer to get a mobile appointment? $1.00, $2.00 or $3.00. let's say $3.00 for the hell of it. I would have to schedule 70 service appointments a month on mobile at that rate. I know I'm not going to come out of the gate with even half that.

Am I being stupid about this - would you pay $169.99 a month for a mobile service scheduler?

If I'm being stupid or cheap, speak up and let me know. Maybe I am..

Jeff,

Just my thoughts after a quick once over:
-you are trying to justify this purchase from a revenue generation standpoint. This isn't going to pay for itself through additional appointments.
-I would try to justify it from an overhead reduction standpoint.

Scenario:
I assume you have a BDC or someone who schedules service appointments over the phone, correct?
Take their wage, $10/hr * 40 hours a week = $400/week * 52 weeks = $20,800 year / 12 = $1,733/ month

Have your salesmen or a manager help the customer install the app at delivery while they pair the bluetooth, etc.
Explain the benefits to the customers. If you integrate it enough to be able to eliminate a human scheduler you will come out ahead. As always, this will require you somehow sell your sales floor and service writers on the idea. Maybe you could offer to take walk-in's on a one time basis as long as they download the app for the future? Not sure if that would be frowned upon but you get the idea. I think the habitual walk-in customer would be open to this concept. Normally they are very unorganized and wish there was an easier way.

Just my take. Never worked fixed ops though, take it with a grain of salt.

 

[JamieS]

Have your salesmen or a manager help the customer install the app at delivery while they pair the bluetooth, etc.

Yes this is absolutely key, with or without the scheduler. If you have an app this must be part of the delivery process.

 

[Christine Speedy]

bzweifel makes an excellent point about when to introduce it to customers. AFter that, I think the opt-in will be severely diminished.
I would never clutter my smart phone with a dealer service appt app. Sorry, but it's too valuable of real estate on my phone for something I'm rarely going to use, in addition to unknown privacy protection ( and I'm not going to take the time to read it). Online appointments - yes, definitely, 100%. A .mobi version of their online appt setting would be far more useful.



Implement the .mobi version first, measure your baseline of call volume and online appts, then test adding the mobile app. I suspect that the incremental value may be minimal, unless you get them on the app at the time of car sale.

 

[bzweifel]

when did we start letting guests post? #mainstream