By Colby Horton
Shop Site of the Month
Fox Collision - Tulsa, Okla.
www.foxcollision.com
This site's unique framed navigation and pleasing color scheme presents the professionalism of the shop. Customers have the ability to track vehicle progress as well as schedule an appointment online. A virtual shop tour, list of frequently asked questions, and customer survey make this site informative and interactive for visitors.
Web Wise
Service Information and the Internet
Last year, the Automotive Service Association (ASA), the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (Alliance) and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers (AIAM) reached a historic agreement regarding independent repairers' access to service information and diagnostic tools. And although the group agreed on an Aug. 31, 2003, deadline to comply, most vehicle manufacturers have already posted the sought-after information needed to repair today's complex vehicles on dedicated Web sites. The Internet is the key tool that will streamline this information into independent repair shops around the globe. If your shop does not have Internet access, it's definitely time to adopt the Web into your everyday operations.
Last November, just a couple of months after the original agreement, vehicle manufacturers were demonstrating their service information Web sites for attendees of ASA's Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS). This was the first glimpse of what was to come.
All of the service information Web sites are subscription-based, but most can be customized to meet your shop's needs. For example, Ford's service information site, www.motorcraftservice.com, allows you to select subscriptions based on vehicle-specific information, diagnostic information and all vehicles/all model years information, to name a few. This way, if your shop's specialty is foreign vehicle repair, but you occasionally work on domestic vehicles, there is a subscription designed for your needs. Independent repairers pay comparable fees to dealerships.
So where do you find a list of service information Web sites? ASA is committed to informing its membership, as well as the industry at large, of emerging service information Web sites. As vehicle manufacturers continue to adhere to the agreement, their sites are posted in the "Related Links" section and the Members Only area on the ASA Web site, www.asashop.org.
In addition, links to the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) Vehicle Information Matrix and complaint form can be found on the ASA site. To make it easier for industry professionals to provide NASTF with information that will identify any problems service technicians may encounter through the use of the service matrix, ASA has created an online complaint form that can be completed online and sent directly to the appropriate parties. This complaint form can be found in the "Related Links" section of the ASA site under the heading "OEM Service Matrix."
Net Numbers
According to industrywide statistics, independent repair facilities service 70 percent of all vehicles that are out of warranty.
Source: J.D. Power and Associates
ASA Web Ways
Members Only Receives Redesign
This month, ASA unveils a completely revamped Members Only section on the ASA Web site, www.asashop.org. New features include Web-based e-mail, a new online store complete with shopping carts and search engine, and easy access to information members need to run a successful business, including the latest on service information Web sites. To access the Members Only area, click on "Member Login" on the ASA home page and enter your six-digit ASA member number into both the name and password fields when prompted.
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Net Worth is written by Colby Horton, ASA's electronic communications manager. He can be reached at (800) 272-7467, ext. 234, or by e-mail at colbyh@asashop.org.
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