The power of Tekion in Fixed Ops for consumers, dealers and OEMs

As the only mobile-first, end-to-end Fixed Operations digital technology, Tekion prides itself on providing the products and services that make the service experience the most streamlined and efficient it has ever been. From online scheduling to remote payment options and everything in-between, consumers, dealership personnel and OEMs all reap the rewards.

Streamlined Operations

An easy-to-use and comprehensive mobile check-in tool and advanced OBD-II technology work together to automatically create ROs and dispatch. Then, the consumer portal allows customers to view their vehicle’s status, approve work, and pay their invoice. In addition, several zero-contact options mean customers don’t have to step foot in the dealership if that’s what they prefer. And the game changer is that all these technologies are built in as part of Tekion Automotive Retail Coud (ARC), meaning that ARC truly is one comprehensive platform that runs your entire business.

Online Scheduling: First Impressions Matter!

If a dealer is only focusing on the consumer experience inside their business, they are missing the boat. The scheduling interaction is where it all begins, setting the stage for the remainder of the process. If it’s not seamless, simple, and transparent, the uphill battle for CSI (not to mention user adoption within the department) has likely already begun.

Consumer benefits

• Modern, simple and secure UI
• Easy 3-step appointment booking
• Categorized services to easily choose what service is the best fit
• Easy auto-fill login without need to remember password
• Automatic appointment time suggestions based on service type and available resources
• Personalized service recommendations using Machine Learning algorithms
• Shorter check-in wait times
• Unprecedented transparency for status of repairs
• Multiple drop-off and pick-up options, including Zero Contact

Dealership user benefits

• Daily, weekly and monthly calendar views categorized by advisor, shop, transportation, appointment status, and more
• Technician calendar details current workload making dispatch process efficient
• Controlled appointments based on capacity of shops, advisors, transportation, and technicians
• Personalized recommendations using ML algorithms help in upselling
• Detailed reporting reflects total appointments, walk-ins, show rate, cancelled/missed, and various trends around them
• Customizable display screens so dealerships can dictate overall process flow
• Appointment audit logs show when appointment changes were made and by whom

Consumer Experience

When asked to explain the number one benefit of Tekion in their business, Cade Simpson, General Manager at Ewing Auto Group in Plano, TX had a quick and emphatic answer: “Consumer experience!” He went on to say, “it never came up with our previous DMS because it wasn’t a consideration in how they built their technology. Our processes were built around what their DMS was designed to do, not the other way around.”

In addition to being focused on the consumer’s experience, Tekion prides itself on being user friendly and intuitive. True innovators understand that one does not happen without the other. If a tool is easy for the user to understand and navigate, it will lend itself to faster, simpler and more transparent interactions with consumers.

Another of Ewing Auto Group’s team, Bob Calabrese, Client Service Director for the group (including one of the top 5 in volume Mercedes Benz dealers in the nation) recalls how he was able to assist checking service customers in on the service drive on a busy Saturday using Tekion’s mobile check-in tool from his phone, having never used it before. “I wanted to decrease wait times for those customers. I knew I had the app on my phone, so I just opened it up and started checking customers in. I didn’t have any doubt that I was doing it correctly; It was that easy, and the technology is that smart.”

Efficiency

For several Tekion Dealer Partners, the increased efficiency they have experienced in their Fixed Operations has allowed them to eliminate the need for paper and printers 100%. For Joe Castelino of American Motors Group, tapping into the power of the Tekion platform meant improving operational efficiency and staff productivity, both leading to improved guest experience.

Leadership at American Motors Group was easily able to overcome the obstacle of OEM compliance in their quest to become a totally digital operation. After a 2-day audit, one slight adjustment was made, and the OEM certification was granted.

Becoming digitized meant that synergy improved across the department, efficiencies increased across the entire sales process and in other departments as well, while simultaneously creating the most transparent experience for their clients.

Among other milestones, Joe was able to help his team achieve:

• 0% need for most paper supplies
• 100% clarity for customers
• 30% more RO capacity per day
• $64K per year saved on paper and accessories
• $9K+ additional revenue from Machine Learning-driven service recommendations
• 75% customer adoption of Tekion’s Secure Key Lounge Zero-Contact pick-up service

You can learn more about the transformation at American Motors Group here

Plan for decades, not just tomorrow

Although Tekion ARC is built as one single cloud-native platform that’s highly scalable to grow with any size business, we also build our applications with easy integrations in mind because that is what’s best for the automotive ecosystem, including other technology providers, OEMs, and consumers most importantly. The applications are configurable and integrate faster, are easy for dealers or OEMs to adapt to align with any brand and are modernized and built for the future.

“Our biggest learning curve was deciding what we wanted our processes to look like so that we could configure Tekion around them. And they are processes that benefit us AND most importantly, our customers – not just today, but moving forward for decades.” - Cade Simpson, General Manager, Ewing Auto Group