ALLDATA has a new product to showcase: ALLDATA Shop Manager. It’s a shop management system seamlessly integrated with ALLDATA Repair or ALLDATA Collision. It simplifies creating shop documents like estimates, repair orders, and invoices, and it’s with this simplification that you’re able to appreciate the efficiency of this product. This article will serve as an exploration of the features that showcase this efficiency.  

TOP THREE WAYS TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS

Over the past few months, the automotive industry has experienced challenges unlike any we’ve seen before. With the onset of COVID-19, customers stopped calling, parts stores experienced disruptions in their supply chains and shop owners throughout the nation were wondering if they were going to close their doors for good.

There are roughly 750,000 automotive technicians and diesel mechanics nationally, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. Let’s say that you had the good fortune to have hired 10 of the best technicians in your area. Their skill levels range from fledgling lube technicians to highly qualified master technicians. What can you do to ensure they keep their toolboxes anchored in your shop for years to come?

Without a doubt, the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic will be the defining event of 2020. Along with memories of mass closures, social distancing and financial volatility, we will also remember how communities and nations across the globe were bound together in solidarity to overcome a common threat.

The coronavirus continues to impact everyone – in widely varying degrees. As the situation plays out in the next weeks and months, it’s more important than ever to stay connected with your customers.

The health, safety and well-being of our customers, our employees, and the community at large remain ALLDATA’s top priority during these unprecedented times caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19.)

While most of North America “shelters in place,” essential automotive-related businesses – including gas stations, auto repair shops, and retailers like our parent company AutoZone – continue to serve the needs of first responders and the general public who rely on safe, reliable transportation.

We’ve gathered the best health and safety practices from our customers and throughout the industry to keep your business running – and to keep you, your employees, and your customers safe.

It has been said that you only get one chance to make a first impression. While that is true, it is equally true that we get multiple chances to improve on or ruin that impression. Nowhere is that truer than in customer relations. It’s also true in marriage… but that’s a subject for another time and place.

Universal Technical Institute (UTI) is the nation’s leading provider of technical training for people seeking careers in the automotive, diesel, and welding industries. They also offer motorcycle, collision repair, marine mechanics, NASCAR, and manufacturer-specific training. Founded in 1965, the first UTI school was located in Phoenix, AZ and only had five students. It started with a single subject: automatic transmissions, with a diesel program added to the curriculum in 1968. It wasn’t until 1983 that UTI added a second campus in Houston, TX. 

One of the biggest trade shows in the automotive industry is right around the corner: SEMA 2019 is taking place November 5 – November 8 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. With over 3,000 products in the New Products Showcase, educational seminars, product demonstrations, special events, and networking opportunities, the list of stuff to do is overwhelming. We’ve done the research and compiled a list of tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your SEMA experience.

For all of its collision repair information and automotive diagnostics, the crew at Bennett Dunlop Ford Collision Centre constantly calls upon ALLDATA to repair approximately 200 cars monthly.

This dealership group has four locations in Canada and three of these feature body shops, all of which are busy and consistently receive five-star reviews from its ecstatic customers.

Shops struggle with parts pricing and sometimes ignore the link between parts markup and shop profit margins. Healthy shops often sell parts for more than the “street price.” The concern shop owners face is how much over that retail price they should mark up the parts and how to make the markup process as painless as possible.

There is a “science” (and some math) to parts-pricing strategies. There are also software tools available to help you with this daunting task. When these strategies are used properly a shop will improve profitability and will avoid leaving money “on the table.”

At the NIADA Convention and Expo, George Verkamp (shown above), Vice President of Sales & Business Development at ALLDATA, and Doug Turner, Director of Service Operations at Byrider, revealed a statistic: the #1 reported problem facing independent dealers today is the increased cost of doing business. Why? Running a service department is increasingly complex and it’s more and more difficult to maintain margins.

YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005 in an office above a pizzeria in San Mateo, California. One year later it was one of the fastest growing sites on the internet. Today, over 45% of smartphone users access YouTube. People access YouTube not only for entertainment; they visit to learn how to tie a tie, remove ingrown hairs, clean clogged drains, or how to safely shear sheep in the springtime.

We know it’s a significant problem. So this past January, we surveyed shop owners, service writers, and technicians and across the country to get their take on the technician shortage in the automotive repair industry.

What did they say is the primary cause? And what should the industry do about it?

ALLDATA provides a certification program for ALLDATA Repair^®: the CAIS (Certified Automotive Information Specialist) Program. It’s essentially a test to show how well you can use ALLDATA Repair. As soon as you pass with an 80% or higher, you’re a Certified Specialist; the personalized certificate is immediately available for download and you can then request to receive a free CAIS patch for shop uniforms.”

Both Aaron Stokes and Rich Diegle know their stuff. Not only is Aaron Stokes the founder of ShopFix Academy, he is also the owner of six repair shops with almost 20 years of experience in the car repair industry.

Having access to OEM repair information has many benefits for those in the collision repair industry. Not only does it ensure a vehicle is repaired properly for the customer, but it can also potentially limit liability for a body shop and the insurance company, according to Satwinder Mangat, president of ALLDATA, an AutoZone Company.

As always, our friends at I-CAR provide the collision industry classes and programs that promote safe collision repair and profitable shops. At SEMA Education Days, I-CAR comes out huge with 13 courses that are structured around individual roles within the industry. Additionally, passing these courses will count to your I-CAR Gold and Platinum Class programs, giving attendees the ability to enjoy SEMA and further their industry credentials. In the interest of promoting best practices in the collision industry we have provided the class list for your consideration.

ALLDATA was recently recognized for its contributions to innovations in our industry: in August alone, ALLDATA received innovation awards from both PTEN and NACE Automechanika Atlanta.

Every year, PTEN recognizes the industry’s most innovative products of that year. Their panel of judges consists of techs and shop owners, and this panel evaluates each nomination for their contribution to the vehicle diagnosis and repair process, as well their ability to increase shop productivity. This year, ALLDATA won two 2018 PTEN Innovation Awards: one for ALLDATA Collision Advantage in the Computers and Software Category, and one for ALLDATA Diagnostics in the Scan Tools Category.

Aaron Stokes is the epitome of the busy and successful entrepreneur. Not only is he the owner and operator of six repair shops and a rental car company, but he is also an active family man and the host of the popular radio show “Fixin’ Cars with Aaron Stokes” on Nashville’s 99.7 WTN. He is the founder of Shop Fix Academy, and travels frequently to speak at events and venues throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico. Recently, we were able to interview him and ask him the question we all are thinking: how does he do it ALL?

Some of your customers will soon experience their child leaving for college. In many of these cases, these young adults are taking the family car with them. Unfortunately, many of your customers have not prepared their children for using and maintaining that car while it is far away from home (and from you).

As their trusted automotive service expert, you have the opportunity to provide them guidelines for their child’s use of the car – which could also potentially build stronger customer relationships.

Aaron Stokes is the epitome of the busy and successful entrepreneur. Not only is he the owner and operator of six repair shops and a rental car company, but he is also an active family man and the host of the popular radio show “Fixin’ Cars with Aaron Stokes” on Nashville’s 99.7 WTN. He is the founder of Shop Fix Academy, and travels frequently to speak at events and venues throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico. Recently, we were able to interview him and ask him the question we all are thinking: how does he do it ALL?

April is the optimum time to remind your customers to get their cars ready for spring driving, summer road trips, and to deal with any lingering issues they might have put off over the winter months.

That’s why April is highlighted as National Car Care Month by the Car Care Council. Their goal is to focus attention on the importance of car care and preventative maintenance.

International Marketing Research, Inc. (IMR, Inc.) has paired with AutomotiveResearch.com and released their findings about how shops are investing in their businesses and what these shops consider their greatest threats. One of the biggest takeaways: everyone is worried about equipment cost but not everyone is investing in it.

The Car Care Council highlights two months during the year to focus attention on the importance of car care and preventative maintenance – National Car Care Month in April and Fall Car Care Month in October.

April is the optimum time to remind your customers to get their cars ready for spring driving, summer road trips, and to deal with any lingering issues they might have put off over the winter months.

As Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc throughout the Texas and Florida regions, they left a tremendous amount of destruction and debris in their wake—including nearly 1 million damaged or submerged cars, with Hurricane Harvey destroying between 300,000 to 500,000 vehicles and Hurricane Irma destroying another 200,000 to 400,000 vehicles.

U.S. used-vehicle sales will rise in 2018 on swelling off-lease returns, while new-vehicle volume will decline modestly, forecasters say.

Because dealerships typically generate bigger margins selling used vehicles than new ones, U.S. franchised dealers will be better positioned for the change than the manufacturers and suppliers of new vehicles.

ALLDATA is very proud to announce that its newest bundle, ALLDATA Collision Advantage, won 1^st place for SEMA’s Best New Product Award, Collision Repair and Refinish Product category.

On Thursday, July 27, ALLDATA partnered with Google’s Automotive Marketing team to provide a free one-hour webinar on “Best Online Marketing Practices” for automotive shops, presented by Google Product Specialist Matt Krystofik.

For years, people have been writing about Millennials and their impending impact on the way dealerships do business but here’s a little news for you: the Millennial generation is now.

It’s mid-summer already – can you believe it? For folks across the country, including your customers, that means a road trip could be in the works. You want your customers’ vehicles to be well prepared before they head out, which could mean extra service work coming in for you. You also want them to have a great time once they’re out on the road.

Having a dedicated, solid service writer is key to the growth and success of any repair shop. He or she is the point person – the one who is on top of everything, knows where all the vehicles are, when the parts are arriving, when the technicians are going on break and what time each customer is picking up. Really… they do it all.

The first “writing” part of the job requires the Service Writer to translate what the Customer is saying or “reporting” into a format that can be easily read and understood by the technician.

The Car Care Council highlights two months during the year to focus attention on the importance of car care and preventative maintenance – National Car Care Month in April and Fall Car Care Month in October.

If only we had the power to read minds like Mel Gibson in the year 2000 hit movie, “What Women Want.” And even though it’s February, we’re not talking about what women want for Valentine’s Day. No, we’re talking about what women want when it comes to servicing their automobiles. And when you consider industry trends, it’s clearly a subject worth exploring.

Getting organized is one of those things most of us have resolved to do at multiple points, both in our careers and personal lives. Whether it’s your professional tool cart or the kitchen junk drawer, we often procrastinate dealing with the issue because it’s hard to know where to start. That’s why we were so excited to run across this article by Tess Collins in Ratchet+Wrench.

With the stiff competition in the automotive industry there’s one thing that repair and collision shops need to put at the top of their resolutions for the new year, take advantage of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools.

2016 marks ALLDATA’s 10th year at SEMA and it promises to be the best yet. While you’re in Las Vegas, be sure to stop by ALLDATA Booth 10623, where we’ll be launching landmark new technologies—like our updated ALLDATA Repair, and showcasing our entire product suite of automotive repair and shop management solutions.

During the early years of my career, I noticed that many dealership owners or general managers thought the service department was just a necessary expense that was required by the manufacturer.