One of the most impactful channels of communication for any brand is SMS marketing. The text-based avenue offers tangible results that translate to real business growth. For instance, 98% of text messages are opened by consumers, and the average click-through-rate (CTR) for SMS marketing is 80%—30.5 times higher than the CTR for email. 

Just these few metrics shed meaningful light on the value that SMS marketing holds for auto shops that are looking to grow. However, it can be challenging to determine the perfect way to approach this communication channel. We’re here to help. In this article, we’re going to give you five repair shop messaging examples to assist you on your SMS marketing journey. Let’s get started!

1. Scheduling an Appointment

The first type of text reminder that you can send out to your customers is to schedule an appointment. It’s a strong way to introduce them to your brand’s SMS messaging because it directly offers value to their experience. 

As the name implies, you’re simply sending a text to your customers to schedule an appointment with your shop; it’s wise to include a link to your online booking platform to make the process easy for the customer. This type of text should be paired with key consumer information that will bolster the urgency of the reminder.

Here’s an example of just that:

Hey Michael, John here from Auto Excellence! We noticed that you’re due for a 50,000 mile oil change, as well as a filter change. We have a few open appointment slots for next week. Just use this link to schedule yours directly! https://schedule.com

The primary benefit derived through this type of text reminder is increased customer retention. Since you’re personally reminding customers to schedule an appointment, giving them reasons why they need to, and making it easy, more customers are more likely to do business with you.

2. Appointment Confirmation

The appointment confirmation function is simply to provide the customer with a friendly reminder that their appointment is coming up. It offers your shop the opportunity to add relevant instructions and details that the customer should know about their upcoming appointment. 

You can even include a link that will instantly allow the customer to add their appointment to their calendar. This type of reminder should be sent out only once: immediately after the customer books an appointment.

Here’s an example:

Hi Kim, thanks for scheduling your inspection at Auto Excellence! You’re scheduled to come in at 10:30 AM on May 31st, 2022. Be sure to bring your ID, registration, and car insurance so that we can perform your inspection. If you have any questions, just reply to this text. You can also add this appointment to your calendar by simply clicking this link! https://calendar.com

One benefit of sending appointment confirmation texts is that customers have the ability to add them to their calendar, thereby reducing the chances of missed appointments. It also decreases the odds of a customer coming in unprepared (without their ID, insurance, etc.).

3. Service Reminder

This type of reminder message works in concert with the appointment confirmation. In fact, it’s really meant to supplement the effect of the confirmation. Since you’re sending out the confirmation message immediately after the customer books an appointment, they’re likely to forget about it in the coming weeks. 

That’s why sending out a reminder message one week before the scheduled appointment is perfect. Not only does it conveniently remind the customer about their service, but it also leaves enough time for your shop to fill the open space in case the customer cannot attend.

Here’s an example:

Hey Robert, just a quick reminder that you’re booked for a tire rotation and filter change for 8:30 AM on June 12th, 2022. If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, you can do that here: https://reschedule.com. Otherwise, please reply to this message with “yes” to confirm.

As the example illustrates, these text messages allow the customer the flexibility to reschedule/cancel their appointment if something has come up, or confirm that they’ll be attending.

4. Last Reminder

Consider sending an appointment reminder 24 hours in advance of the appointment. What you’re trying to accomplish with this message is to ensure that there aren’t any last-minute hurdles that would prevent your client from coming in. 

Life happens. Even if your customer has been planning to attend their appointment for weeks, something could come up the day before that makes it impossible for them to make it. 

Here’s an example:

Hi Jacob! We look forward to seeing you tomorrow at 3 PM for your vehicle’s inspection and oil change. If for some reason you can’t make it and would like to reschedule, just follow this link here: https://reschedule.com. Otherwise, reply to this text with “YES” and any questions you might have.

This final reminder message seals the deal for both you and your customer. Not only does it provide maximum transparency to them regarding their appointment, but it also enables you to plan for any no-shows via the information you gather through the text.

5. Follow Up

The last example of SMS messaging that your repair shop can utilize is follow-up reminders. These messages aim to gather a rating or review from the customer after they have received service from your auto shop. Make sure you take time to thank them for doing business with you and then lead into the ask.

Here’s an example:

Kyle, thank you for coming in to Auto Excellence this morning for your tire rotation. We hope you were pleased with our service, and appreciate the opportunity to serve you and your Honda! If you have a moment to spare, please let us know your thoughts about your experience today; it would go a long way for our business. https://review.com

A short, simple message thanking the customer will incite a positive reaction as they read the text. This primes them up to be more open to leaving a review or rating. Make sure the review process is quick and straightforward; you don’t want anything discouraging customers from leaving a positive review.

Make It Easy

Now that you have a quality supply of text message examples to use for your repair shop, it’s time to put them to use! With that said, manually overseeing the drafting and deployment of every text message is a tedious task that requires a lot of time. That’s where automation comes in. 

By outsourcing the SMS marketing process to software, you boost your business’ efficiency. You no longer have to allocate an employee to hand-write and send out messages; instead, you set up a full-scale system that automatically manages SMS marketing from start to finish!

As former auto shop owners, the team at BayIQ understands that marketing efforts are important but often didn’t have the time to manage them. That’s why they decided to create a solution. 

BayIQ is an industry-level software that streamlines a variety of marketing endeavors for your shop—from loyalty programs, email campaigns, and promotions, to—you guessed it—SMS marketing. It integrates directly into your existing system to efficiently and effectively track data and monitor progress while taking menial tasks off your hands so you can do more with your time!