SAN FRANCISCO--May 15, 2012: ClearMechanic, provider of technology to improve the auto repair experience, today announced a solution that allows customers to book instant repair and service appointments online.
“Even sophisticated online scheduling tools used by dealerships require three to four minutes of data entry to make appointments, which is unheard of in other industries.”
Launching this summer at select repair centers in the San Francisco Bay Area, customers looking for a service center can visit Clear Mechanic, search for appointment availability at multiple dealerships and repair shops, and instantly book an appointment with their provider of choice.
"Today, customers need to either wait for an emailed response to schedule an appointment, which can take up to 24 hours, or make a phone call during business hours," said Brad Simmons, CEO of ClearMechanic. "Even sophisticated online scheduling tools used by dealerships require three to four minutes of data entry to make appointments, which is unheard of in other industries."
Simmons continued, "By giving customers the ability to schedule instantly online, we can cut that time by more than half. The service department will have fewer interruptions from phone calls, fewer walk-ins and the ability to book customers during nights and weekends. It's a win-win."
Traditionally, dealership service centers have struggled with how to capture younger consumers. Studies show the age of average dealership service customers is now 50 years or older. ClearMechanic's new solution helps these service centers capture the elusive Facebook generation by giving younger car owners the option to make instant online appointments, just as they expect from restaurants, airlines and hotels.
"ClearMechanic is introducing a long overdue solution in the automotive repair industry. It's exactly like an OpenTable for service repair centers," said automotive service expert Ronald Rameshnauth of OilReset.com.
The new solution will work on a pay-for-performance model, only charging the service center a flat referral fee when a customer makes a confirmed appointment through the ClearMechanic website. If customers do not book appointments through ClearMechanic, then the service center pays nothing.
ClearMechanic is currently inviting a limited number of Bay Area service centers to participate in the pilot program, with a consumer roll-out planned for this summer. Interested Bay Area service centers, with high satisfaction scores on leading reputation sites, are welcome to submit their service centers for consideration by visiting Clear Mechanic.
About ClearMechanic, Inc.:
Founded in 2009, ClearMechanic has proven experience creating award-winning applications for the automotive repair industry. Their existing mobile and web applications have supported 200,000 repair recommendations and bring transparency and ease to repair center customers. ClearMechanic's goal is to create a win-win for service centers and their customers and bring today's Internet customers back to the service bay.
