Xtime Unveils New Service Management Features to Maximize Customer Retention and Dealer Profits at NADA 2019

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --The auto industry is evolving at a faster pace than ever before, and so are customer expectations. Faced with margin compression, tightening competition and softening vehicle sales, dealerships will need to reinvent the customer experience in the service department to drive loyalty and protect their bottom line.

In the face of these challenges, Xtime will be introducing a series of new, innovative features to Spectrum, the automotive industry's leading, fully integrated, cloud-based service management platform, at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention in San Francisco later this month. The new enhancements to Xtime's Spectrum will enable dealers to further optimize customer retention and dealer profitability.

Released alongside these product developments will be Jim Roche's second book, "Fast Break: Creating a Customer-Centric Operating Philosophy for Automotive Service," and the second phase of Cox Automotive's 2018 Service Industry Study.

New enhancements to Xtime's Spectrum service management platform

Xtime Spectrum features three improved functions that will streamline the service management process for consumers and dealers: New Consumer Scheduling, Xtime Texting and Engage Tablet Reception.

1. New Consumer Scheduling:
   Xtime's completely redesigned Consumer Scheduling tool offers a more convenient and seamless booking experience for consumers, allowing them to easily arrange vehicle service appointments anywhere, anytime via multichannel scheduling across desktop, mobile, telephone or in-person at the dealership. The tool will now feature a mobile-first design, Google login option, as well as Find Me via phone and email, enhanced navigation, and OEM branding.
   
   
2. Xtime Texting Tool:
   Xtime Texting will be an entirely new platform with three key new features: Message Center, Xtime Messenger and Arrival Text Notification. Xtime Texting will provide easy status updates and improved customer communication for dealers. The new Xtime Messenger mobile phone application enables advisors to engage with customers on the go and in real time, while the new Message Center ensures every customer conversation is logged and stored automatically in the Xtime Cloud. The new Arrival Text Notification function ensures customers immediately receive a new automated welcome message on check-in, simplifying every customer interaction and giving consumers the ability to easily text their trusted dealership at any time during the vehicle service process.
   
   
3. Engage Tablet Reception:
   The revamped Tablet Reception within Xtime Engage offers a consistent, positive customer service experience. The new service lane check-in and check-out process offers increased efficiency and gives dealers instant access to service details and vehicle history. Now available on both iOS and Android devices, the revamped interface offers a more powerful search functionality that provides better results and access to a cleaner, more accurate and integrated customer-vehicle database, preventing duplicate records. In addition, the redesigned Customer Check-In functionality is now a single, clickable page which offers greater transparency, and speeds up the vehicle walk-around and inspection process. 

"To meet the high demands of today's consumers, Xtime is constantly developing new enhancements to empower dealers with the tools they need to exceed customer expectations," said Tracy Fred, vice president and general manager for Xtime. "By harnessing the power of Spectrum to manage their fixed operations, dealers can build customer loyalty, increase retention and drive profitability."

"Fast Break" book provides roadmap for dealers to create a customer-centric service department to accelerate revenue growth

"Fast Break: Creating A Customer-Centric Operating Philosophy for Automotive Service" is the much-anticipated follow-up to Xtime's first book on fixed operations, "Fast Lane: How to Accelerate Service Loyalty and Unlock its Profit-Making Potential," by Jim Roche, vice president of marketing and managed services.

Drawing on more than 35 years of automotive fixed operations high-tech experience and consultation with over 2,000 dealerships, in "Fast Break," Roche outlines how dealerships can increase their service market share and achieve profitable growth by focusing on a customer-centric philosophy.

Using real-life case studies, "Fast Break" serves as a roadmap for how dealers can implement best practices and place the customer at the center of their strategy to optimize a service department's profit-making potential. To thrive, dealers must be agile and explore adopting new technology, online scheduling, courtesy mobility solutions and improved facilities, alongside sharing techniques.

"In today's competitive market, adopting a customer-centric approach is essential to service growth," said Roche. "There is a huge gap of unrealized revenue potential in the service department, and dealerships must pivot now to seize that opportunity."

"Fast Break" will be available at Xtime's NADA 2019 booth 2111S, as well as via Xtime's website.

Second phase of 2018 Cox Automotive Service Industry Study released
Cox Automotive, Xtime's parent company, also recently released the second phase of its 2018 Service Industry Study, which gives dealerships insight into consumer preferences and highlights the need for a revitalized service experience.

The study revealed that an estimated 70 percent of consumers who purchased or leased a vehicle from a dealer did not return to them for service in the past year. This amounts to an estimated $266 billion in annual lost revenue across all franchise dealers¹ – and a huge area of potential growth.

In response to these findings, the research highlights a series of valuable opportunities for dealerships to build customer loyalty and differentiate their business from third-party service providers by offering a service experience that is convenient and stress-free, by incorporating price transparency and online scheduling, embracing mobility solutions and providing service valuation analysis.

The complete report of Cox Automotive's 2018 Service Industry Study Phase 2 is available here.

¹Estimate based on revenue calculations from 2017 NADA Dealer Profile Data and the 2018 Cox Automotive Service Industry Study.

About Xtime
Xtime increases customer retention for automotive dealer service departments by using technology to transform the ownership experience. Improving customer satisfaction and retention drives dealer revenue and profitability. Xtime is committed to delivering the experience consumers demand – an experience which emphasizes value, convenience and trust.

Xtime books 44 million service appointments and processes 120 million repair orders annually. Twenty-nine global OEMs have chosen Xtime to drive that same type of success for their businesses, converting $9 billion in service revenue for more than 7,500 dealerships across three continents.

About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive Inc. makes buying, selling, owning and using cars easier for everyone. The global company's 34,000-plus team members and family of brands, including Autotrader^®, Clutch Technologies, Dealer.com^®, Dealertrack^®, Kelley Blue Book^®, Manheim^®, NextGear Capital^®, VinSolutions^®, vAuto^® and Xtime^®, are passionate about helping millions of car shoppers, 40,000 auto dealer clients across five continents and many others throughout the automotive industry thrive for generations to come. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with revenues exceeding $20 billion. www.coxautoinc.com

SOURCE Xtime

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