Taking control of customer data: Curtis Cars’ journey to aftersales success

Curtis Cars, an authorised Toyota dealership in Northern Ireland, has been a cornerstone of the community for over 25 years. Founded by the father of current Dealer Principal Richard Tannahill, the dealership operates with a small but dedicated team in Ballymena and a Toyota Service Centre in Coleraine.

Like many other car dealerships, Curtis Cars faced significant challenges in managing customer communications and service bookings — until they discovered Autoflows.

How Curtis Cars used to manage customer communication and service bookings before Autoflows

Before implementing Autoflows, Curtis Cars were having issues with how they digitally reached out to their aftersales customers. Richard Tannahill explains, “We had a bit of a struggle with different reports being taken off our Dealer Management System. Often, we were not sure if the reports we were generating were correct, leading us to feel that we were missing out on inviting all our customers. It was messy.”

The lack of overview over their outreach often led to duplicated efforts internally and even multiple contacts with the same customer, which put a lot of pressure on the service team. “We sent out text message reminders to customers, but we didn’t find it overly successful. We weren’t able to see how many text messages were successful in terms of conversion rate,” he admits. Without a good overview of who was being invited, they ended up doubling up on reminders, which Richard described as “looking unprofessional” and “potentially pushing customers away.”

Shifting gears: How things changed with the introduction of Autoflows

The introduction of Autoflows marked a turning point for Curtis Cars. Autoflows has provided them with a seamless, automated solution for managing customer communications and service bookings. “When Autoflows came on board, we found that we know if, first of all, the mobile number is valid and that the text message has definitely been sent and received,” Richard notes. This validation step eliminated the guesswork and ensured that communications were reaching the intended recipients.

The dealership now employs a multi-channel approach for their aftersales outreach, which has proven to be highly effective. “With Autoflows, we first send an email reminder for the service. If they forget, the second text message reminder a week later is of real good value because it means then that they can actually book the vehicle in and that it’s not inconvenient to the customer,” Richard explains.

With Autoflows, they have made it a lot easier for more of their customers to book online, which matches the expectations of the modern customer. “In today’s busy world, some customers just prefer to have things done nice and simple. To be able to offer the customer the option of booking online has been a significant progress in our business,” Richard says. “After all, you wouldn’t ring up and book an easyJet flight these days.”

The Autoflows impact on Curtis Cars

The impact of Autoflows on Curtis Cars has been profound. Alex Dollard, Service Manager for the Coleraine branch, highlights the operational improvements: “Spreadsheets go missing, and bits of paper would get lost or left incomplete. We often didn’t know if someone had contacted a customer. With Autoflows, I can see straight away what’s going on with each customer. There’s a clear pattern, and I can easily check if a customer has been contacted. It just makes life easier.”

For Curtis Cars, Autoflows has been nothing short of transformative. “Having the technology to make sure that all the data was gotten out of the system correctly has really helped improve things,” Richard says. “Autoflows—I don’t know why we didn’t have it sooner. We would be lost without it. For us, it’s a very valuable tool, and yeah, I would recommend it to most dealerships.”

Ready to transform your dealership’s aftersales operations and join the ranks of success stories like Curtis Cars? Curtis Cars’ journey with Autoflows demonstrates the importance of taking control of customer data to streamline aftersales communication processes, enhance customer service and maximise profitability. Contact us today for a personalized demo and discover how Autoflows can empower your dealership to reach new heights.