Express Oil Change & Service Center, a network of nearly 175 automotive service locations across the southeastern U.S., has achieved record growth of mechanical service sales at stores using the Activant Integrated Service Estimator system from Activant Solutions Inc.
The Activant ISE system is a Web-based estimating solution that enables service locations to quickly access the parts and labor information needed to estimate and complete virtually any common automotive repair.
Express Oil reports that its mechanical sales have risen an average of nearly 20 percent per month over 2009 since the company implemented the Activant system, with the July and August increases reaching 24.4 and 26.3 percent, respectively. One of the nation’s fastest growing automotive service chains and a top-performer in the fast-lube category, Express Oil indicates that it attracts 35 percent more vehicles per day per store and registers 52 percent more revenue per store than other lube businesses.
“We’re not about being average; we’re about being exceptional in every area of the business, and particularly in the way we interact with our customers,” said Russ Steinbeck, senior vice president, franchise support, training and operational systems, for the Birmingham, Ala.-based franchise network. “The Activant system isn’t simply helping us grow our sales; it has allowed us to deliver a truly superior experience for customers with vehicles that require mechanical repairs.”
Readily adaptable to shop systems, the Activant ISE solution provides one-click access to Activant’s industry-leading database of nearly 8 million parts covering some 148.5 million applications, as well as an aftermarket flat-rate labor guide, repair jobs database, interchange, and VIN decoder. All parts, labor and supplier pricing information is automatically imported to the POS system for fast, accurate and professional estimates, work orders and invoices.
The system has helped Express Oil increase not only mechanical sales but also consumer confidence in technician knowledge (up 15 percent, according to its recent surveys). In addition, nearly 95 percent of the company’s technicians reported that the Activant system has helped improve their ability to communicate with customers.
“Before implementing Activant (ISE), our technicians were manually generating estimates,” Steinbeck explained. “When you do that, there’s a lot less confidence and precision in the process. Customers start to negotiate and mechanics were more inclined to mark down prices because they might be uncomfortable in certain sales situations.”
“The Activant Integrated Service Estimator solution has been a game-changer for several leading automotive service chains,” said Paul Salsgiver, executive vice president, Activant. “It opens the door to a much broader range of services and helps dramatically increase the speed and accuracy of the estimating, parts procurement and invoicing processes.”
For additional information regarding the Activant ISE solution, call (800) 380-9015, visit www.activant.com, or write to [email protected].
