About the Host:

Brad Hurlock is the voice behind the Garage Grit Podcast and co-owner of AA Shop Marketing. With a keen focus on helping independent auto repair shops succeed, Brad enjoys delivering practical insights and industry expertise to his listeners with every episode.

The Panel
Chris Barker is from Myers Tire & Auto Center of Statesville, NC. He started out in an independent shop, then worked for a big box store but found that he wanted a more personal connection with customers, so came back to a, single location shop. Myers has 8 bays handling roughly 34 cars/day. They are located in downtown Statesville in a business district. Myers is currently using the HITS Shop Suite.

Gerald Martin is a co-owner of Martin Auto Service of Anna, IL. Martin’s is a 3rd generation shop, started in 1972. Martins is a 10 bay shop in the process of adding 8 more bays. Once completed, they will have roughly 15, 000 sq ft of shop space. Anna, IL is very rural so the customer base travels quite a distance to get to the shop. Martin’s uses Autoflow.

Colleen Shannon and her husband own Shannon Family Automotive in Folsom, CA. When they started in 2011, they were just 2 bays. The shop’s local community has roughly 90k people, mostly suburban. In 2023, they expanded again into 13 bays. Shannon Family Automotive switched to ShopGenie a little over a year ago.Episode Summary

In this episode of the Garage Grit Podcast, host Brad Hurlock discusses the transformative power of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems in auto shops with guests Chris, Gerald, and Colleen. The conversation covers the implementation and evolution of CRM platforms, the benefits and processes of comprehensive vehicle inspections, and their positive impact on customer relationships and business efficiency. Key topics include tackling initial CRM implementation challenges, advanced features like digital vehicle inspections (DVIs), the integration of online appointment scheduling, and the use of key performance indicators for effective shop management. This episode provides valuable insights into streamlining auto shop operations and maximizing performance with modern CRM solutions.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to the Garage Grit Podcast

00:51 Meet the Shop Owners

00:57 Chris's Shop Journey

01:46 Gerald's Shop Legacy

03:45 Colleen's Shop Growth

05:27 The Evolution of CRM Systems

06:00 Implementing and Streamlining CRM

08:13 Choosing the Right CRM Platform

14:19 The Importance of Personal Touch in CRM

16:42 Challenges and Benefits of CRM Adoption

34:59 Employee Buy-In and Training

40:50 The Importance of Personal Touch in Customer Service

41:15 Leveraging AI for Efficient Review Management

43:04 Utilizing AutoFlow's Rainy Day Folder

45:21 Effective Marketing Strategies and Challenges

56:54 Future Innovations and Feature Requests

01:04:58 The Role of Digital Vehicle Inspections (DVIs)

01:11:22 The Benefits of Online Appointment Scheduling

01:15:35 Concluding Thoughts and Future Topics

Resources

Myers Tire & Auto Center 

Martin Auto Service

Shannon Family Automotive

HITS Shop Suite

Autoflow

ShopGeniePodcast Facebook Group

AA Shop Marketing

Check out this episode as our panel discusses how they use their CRM for their auto repair shop. Perfect for anyone looking to improve or manage customer relationships through shop specific software. Join the conversation in our private Facebook group. Would you like to share your CRM experiences? Contact us on the podcast website.