Research at Auto Repair Compare (ARC) found the automotive aftermarket has experienced a cultural shift in the way people shop for automotive repair services, especially among millennials. As a result, the company developed the ARC Smart Quoter, a user-friendly product for auto repair shops giving them the ability to offer instant quoting services to their customers, online or over the phone.
The ARC Smart Quoter can accurately quote any auto repair in 60 seconds, according to the company.
“The days of manual quotes and ballpark estimates are long gone,” explained Rick Goodwin, ARC executive vice president. “There is a major distinction between an estimate and a quote. Today’s customers are comparing quotes, so shops must be competitive. At the same time, the quote must be accurate and profitable. To strike that difficult balance, we developed the ARC Smart Quoter.”
Goodwin says today’s consumer is a frequent online shopper. They have done online research and have an idea of what’s wrong with their car. They demand instant information and need a quote, many times just to know what they need to do to find the money to afford the repair.
ARC research data found that six out of 10 consumers that get an auto repair quote when requested from a shop, will make an appointment with the same shop. The data also shows that nine out of 10 consumers who do not receive an auto repair quote when requested will call another shop.
ARC shop customers report that the ARC Smart Quoter gives them the support they need to produce accurate quotes for every job. ARC’s Smart Quoter has a wide range of options, built-in calculations, customizations and document builders to help shops quote with confidence. Smart Quoter can easily integrate with a shop’s current website to allow shoppers to enter year, make, model and part information and receive an accurate quote in 60 seconds.
The ARC Smart Quoter system generates each quote using a shop’s labor rates and parts pricing from its local distributors. Because each quote is generated in 60 seconds or less, it gives the team at each repair shop the time to serve customers and not spend it looking up information.
The product was field tested for more than two years in the shops of auto repair professionals.
For more information, visit www.autorepaircompare.com.
