In one of our past articles we shared web statistics on how a large percentage of the tire and automotive service industry are using outdated web browsers.  In some cases this is caused by web sites dealers are using because these sites may only support old web browsers like Explorer 6.0.

We know the internet has changed our lives and will continue to change the way we live and do business.  The browser wars are not the issue here, the issue is we cannot move forward and continue to support outdated standards and software.  Google understands this and knows to make better software, they have to draw a line for supporting old technology in order to move into the future and create new standards.  This week Google Apps Admins received the follow ...[more]

What if a fire or other disaster struck your home or office, or your hard drive suddenly failed? What if your computer was completely destroyed? Would you be able to recover your data, or would it be lost forever? In this day and age, these are questions we have to ask ourselves. So “what if” this were to occur? Do you have a disaster recovery plan in place? Or have you procrastinated, and put off secure data storage for another day?  Many businesses think about backing up their data about 5 minutes after a catastrophic data loss. These questions should make you think about how important your information is and how you should prepare for the worst.

One option is to back up to an external drive, but there is one important rule to backing up your data you need to understand. Your data files should exist in two places or it’s not fully protected.  Once data has been lost, it is lost, and there is no inexpensive way to re ...[more]

One of the things which set an efficient “Super User” apart from an average user of Tire Power software is knowing your software’s windows and features.  Being able to quickly find pertinent information on the window makes your job easier and helps you serve the customer better.  For example, if a user is on the ‘View Customer History’ window, and wishes to see which mechanic was assigned to a particular job on a particular invoice, you can find it very quickly if you take the time to learn your software’s windows.

Inside the ‘View Customer History’ window, find the customer’s invoice which has the service you need to find the mechanic for.  Click on the invoice to highlight it, which will then bring up the contents of the invoice in the detail window at the bottom of the screen.

Once the contents o ...[more]

I am sure that you have all heard the saying “The Little Things Add Up”.  No matter what area of life you think about this saying holds true.  Customer service is no exception.

Most of your customers can go to any number of tire shops, but why do they choose you?  If you were to ask your customers why they keep coming back most of the time you would not be given the answer you expected.  Usually it is something small and might be something that has slipped your attention.

The best way to find out if your customers are happy is to ask them. Incorporating customer surveys into your marketing efforts is a great way to identify the areas you are doing well in and also the areas you need to improve.

There are many ways to survey your customers. You can:

• Create an anonymous survey and offer it to your customer once the service has been completed
• Call them after the visit and ask them the survey questions
• Mail/email a sur ...[more]

Landfills everywhere are overflowing with old tires. Why not give them a few extra miles? There is a new trend of making old tires into sandals. The best instructions on making tire sandals I found were at the blog What The Cool. All you need is an old tire, a Dremel (or other tool to cut through the steel belt), old carpet scraps, adhesive and some plastic bags.

Other tire sandals instructions:

Makezine

Used-Tire.net

The recent decline in the US economy has affected us all as consumers in some way. Most products have increased in price, tires especially. When those prices increase, fewer products are being purchased by the consumer, meaning more product stays on the store shelf. When more products stay on the shelves, less is ordered from the manufacturer. The tire industry is not immune to this trend.  This leaves manufacturers with a large surplus of tires waiting to be sold. The overall time frame from when a tire rolls off the manufacturing line to when it is sold to a customer, until the end of its tread life has increased. No one knows how long the new time frame is. You could be selling or buying tires much older than you actually think. Just because you bought it does not mean it is new. In general, tires shouldn’t be run if they are more than 6 years old. But how do you know how old a tire really is?

All tires are equipped with a number from the Department of Transportation; i ...[more]

Google Wave is a self-described “personal communication and collaboration tool” announced by Google at the Google I/O conference on May 27, 2009. It is a web-based service, computing platform and communications protocol designed to merge e-mail, instant messaging, wikis and social networking. It has a strong collaborative and real-time focus supported by extensions which can provide spelling and grammar checking, automated translation among 40 languages along with numerous other features.

At the 2009 Web 2.0 Expo in New York City, Gina Trapani (author of the “Complete Wave Guide” and founder of lifehacker.com) gave an informative talk on the basics of Google Wave and how it may be used for team-based document collaboration. Here is a link to view Gina’s full 15 minute talk, “Making sense of Google Wave”.

htt ...[more]

Although change can occur at any time, the beginning of a new year offers a great starting point. As a business owner, you may have established some resolutions for your tire and automotive service company.  What would you like to see change this year? Is there anything you want to do differently? Are there any processes you want to change? What areas do you want to improve? Take time to reflect on the past year and write down exactly how you want 2010 to be different. Get a clear vision of this in your mind and establish concise goals which will achieve your desired end-state. Next, think of the steps you will need to take to make that a reality and develop a plan of action.  It is imperative to write everything down. Think of this as your blueprint.  A contractor may have a vision in mind of the home he is about to build, however he would not attempt to begin construction without first having the blueprint in hand. This action plan will be your blueprint for success. The power ...[more]

I love working in the Tire Industry.  The ubiquitous products are a mainstay of modern civilization:  Everybody needs them; they have a lifecycle, and all the goods, services and travel that ride on tires make the world go round.

The downside of tires is environmental impact.  In the last decade the United States passed the 400 million mark for number of scrap tires sitting in heaps.  But the last 20 years have also seen innovative ways to recycle and reuse spent rubber.

At the turn of the recent century, markets existed for 78% of the scrap material available.  That number has climbed into the 80’s since then with new uses for used tires including highway noise ...[more]

Facebook is more than a website for friends to connect with each other. It is also a great marketing tool which is boosting brand recognition and sales for local businesses everywhere.

Here are 3 ways facebook can help your local tire and automotive service business:

1. Customer Service

You can setup a facebook business page for your company. This is a great way for your customers and prospects to find and connect with you. Here you can answer questions, get feedback and build relationships with customers in your area. To get started, go to our Social Media Resource Center and download the ‘How to put your business on facebook’ guide.

2. Affordable Marketing Communication

Local tire and automotive service shops need to communicate in a cost effective way. Creating a facebook business page allows them the ability to post news, events, promotions and any other useful information i ...[more]