One concern that many shops have with service estimates is consistency. The problem with verbal quotes is that there is no record or ‘proof’ that the dollar figure the customer is quoting was the actual quote given to them. Sometimes, two different service advisors may arrive at different quotes for the same job.

Auto/Mate makes it fast and easy to create and save a service estimate in the system. Saving service estimates allows your service advisors to verify customer quotes and offer consistency to your customers. Here’s how it works:

Let’s imagine Jennifer Jones, a service customer, calls the service department to get a price quote for a job; say a fuel pump replacement. Jennifer also asks how much it costs to get a new timing belt and water pump. While she is on the phone, the service advisor pulls up Jennifer’s customer file in service. The service estimate icon is plainly visible on every record. All the service advisor has to do is click on the estimate icon, add the hours and pricing, and record the price quoted. From here, the quote can be printed or emailed to the customer so they have a written record as well.

When a customer is in the shop and needs more work done on the vehicle, or there is the potential for an upsell, it’s easy to print out the service estimate and hand it or email it to them.

This same service estimate icon is also visible (if one is saved) in the “Create RO” and “Create appointment” screens within Service Front End when viewing a customer record. This allows any staff member who is making an appointment to access and verify the service estimate quote. When a service advisor is creating an RO, the information from the service estimate can quickly be transferred to the RO, saving time for both the advisor and customer!

In the event a writer or service advisor is out to lunch or on vacation, anyone in the shop can pull up a customer’s record to see what price quote was given. No more excuses for verbal-only quotes, and no more unhappy customers!