Adding wheel alignment services to your quick auto repair business is an excellent way to boost your shop’s profitability and appeal. For one thing, you likely see dozens of customers each day coming in for oil changes, brake checks, or tire rotations, so incorporating wheel alignment technology can be an effective way to increase revenue.
In addition, vehicle owners don’t always have time to visit specialized alignment centers that might include comprehensive services like suspension repairs, steering component replacement, and complete chassis inspection. By setting up a quick repair-alignment combo, you can provide visitors with a one-stop shop where customers can quickly get their routine maintenance done, have their alignment checked, and be on their way.
If you’re interested in integrating wheel alignment services into your auto repair business, it’s first important to understand the basics of how it works. Read on to learn more about offering alignment services, including several advantages this investment can bring to your repair shop.
How To Incorporate Wheel Alignment Services in Your Shop
Adding any new service to your business takes careful planning, so long before you get started, you’ll want to draft a comprehensive implementation plan. This should outline your startup costs like alignment equipment, technician training and customer information displays. You’ll also want to consider monthly costs like calibration, equipment maintenance and alignment consumables. Once you’ve estimated your investment costs, you can determine the potential revenue per alignment and how much profit it will bring to your repair business.
If you’re buying ready-made alignment equipment for your shop, you’ll need to ensure that your service advisors are trained to easily offer alignments when customers come in for other services. Ideally, you should have several different tiers of alignment options available. For example, customers could pay $75 for a basic front-end alignment or $120 for full four-wheel alignments that include camber adjustment, toe correction, or free follow-up checks within 30 days of service.
Main Benefits of Adding Wheel Alignment Services
There are numerous reasons why it can be advantageous to invest in alignment equipment. By understanding the advantages of this investment, you can proceed with confidence knowing you’re creating new value for your business. Here are some of the primary benefits of incorporating wheel alignment with your quick repair business.
Enhance Customer Convenience
One of the biggest advantages of in-house alignment services is the speed and convenience they offer. For customers too busy to schedule separate appointments at specialty alignment shops or dealership service centers, a quick alignment at your repair shop offers a simple and easy solution.
Increase Revenue Streams
Starting an alignment-only business from scratch can be a challenging and costly endeavor. However, by setting up alignment services within your existing shop, you can capitalize on the customer base you already have to boost your monthly revenue. Furthermore, alignment services can be easily recommended during routine maintenance visits, so even if customers didn’t come in specifically for alignment, you can generate additional revenue through proper inspection procedures.
Meanwhile, customers who visit your shop exclusively for alignments will be more likely to purchase other services, like oil changes or brake inspections. In this way, your alignment operation and repair business can work to complement one another, effectively encouraging customers to spend more at your location per visit. This extra income can then be used to bolster your working cash flow, help cover overhead, or pay for expansion projects at your facility.
Improve Shop Traffic
Offering wheel alignment at your repair business will give people an additional reason to visit your shop, increasing customer traffic each day. This higher visitor volume will contribute not only to more sales, but greater word-of-mouth advertising and improved brand awareness within the community. Given time, you can begin to attract more and more repeat customers, helping you to carve out a greater market share of local business. If there are several other repair shops or alignment centers in the area, increased foot traffic will allow you to maintain a competitive edge.
Increase Your Marketing and Cross-Promotion Opportunities
By offering alignment packages or a maintenance rewards program, you can easily set up a marketing strategy that augments both sides of your business. For instance, you can offer a discounted alignment for any customer who purchases a complete brake service. Conversely, if your operation includes tire sales, you can offer free alignment checks to customers who purchase a new set of tires.
Another simple idea is to create loyalty cards for customers that provide them with a free alignment check for every three maintenance services they purchase. You can also consider combining incentives from both your alignment and repair services into a single preferred customer membership plan, giving patrons access to perks like discounted labor rates, free seasonal inspections, unlimited alignment checks, or rebates on select services.
Maximize Your Business Potential Today
At APO Garage Equipments, we seek to provide auto repair shops and operators with the comprehensive support they need to thrive. Our team will ensure all your alignment essentials are covered, from equipment calibration and preventative maintenance to technician training or equipment upgrades. If you’re unfamiliar with how alignment systems operate or the upkeep they require, we also offer certification courses in our learning center so you can embark on your next business investment with confidence.
If you’re ready to learn more, contact us today to get started.
