Queens Auto Reigns Supreme, Expands Tire Repair Business

Overview

Queens Auto Services’ story is one closely tied to the American dream. Baltazar Gonzalez started his career in the auto industry as a for-hire mechanic. Eventually, he broke out on his own, selling used tires and offering mobile services. After a decade of hard work, Gonzalez's business is a thriving auto shop and tire dealer with multiple locations. 

The growth is also due to Gonzalez's deep connection with his community. "I hear nothing but good things about Mr. Baltazar," Queens Service Manager Al Perez said. "He goes the extra mile to service the customer. He'll go out (and) get their cars if they're stranded, or he'll go out there and service a tire."

With that personal touch, Queens needed software that let them match excellent in-person customer service with transparent and efficient communication. While they looked for software to enhance their shop, they were also opening up a second location in Queens. They needed to modernize their technology to handle increased workloads and efficiently track inventory and jobs between shop locations. 

"Shopmonkey offered a variety of tools, " Perez said. "The other companies we looked at are limited on what they're offering in their packages."

With Shopmonkey, Queens has nearly doubled the number of customers it serves per day. They've installed effective communication practices and streamlined workflows quickly, helping them as the business grows.

The Challenge

Expanding Business | Customer Communication | Lack of Options

By adding another location, the challenge of efficiently tracking inventory across both locations was imperative, and they needed new shop management software to do so. They were also concerned with monitoring work in real-time, which was impossible within their current systems.

Communication with customers was already a pain point for Queens when they just had one shop. Adding the second location was the catalyst to solve the need for effective customer communication so they could build upon the excellent service they had become known for.

 Gonzalez had created a reputation in the community, but still, the hurdles of running an auto shop remained. Without modern shop management systems, they could offer their customers only so much insight. 

They needed to find a solution that met all of their needs as a shop — just getting organized with a shop management wasn’t going to cut it. They needed a comprehensive solution that also equipped them to drive shop efficiency, customer experience and business insight. As they searched for solutions, they found that some softwares included only a partial package that wouldn’t address all of their issues running an expanding business.

"The limitations (of other software) could hurt our business, you know?" Perez said.

The Solution

Efficient Workflows | Transparent Communication | Ease of Use Between Locations

Queens chose Shopmonkey because it had everything they needed in one place. As the business has expanded, Shopmonkey has allowed the shop to handle nearly twice as many customers per day. 

The new software has been a game changer for the business. Now, with two locations, they are seamlessly monitoring inventory across locations and reducing the costs associated with carrying inventory. Improving inventory management has also enhanced the customer experience — parts are where they need to be when they're required, speeding up the time necessary to complete the job. Shopmonkey helps shop staff with precisely what they need without the unpredictability of the shop's previous systems.

The customer is at the forefront of Queens' minds, and Shopmonkey has helped them enhance their experience at the shop. 

"There's a lot of open windows for us to communicate with the customers," Perez said. "Sending them pictures of vehicles is a big plus. They also receive (digital) estimates, so they know exactly what they are looking at — line by line, category by category."

"Keeping track of 20 cars in one day can be very stressful. With Shopmonkey we can categorize what's going on with each vehicle."

Technicians can easily communicate with their customers with text alerts and status updates on their vehicle. Queens' clients have praised the transparency of the communication. On the tech's end, it's helped them get the job done quicker, no longer needing to go back and forth on the phone. 

"Keeping track of 20 cars in one day can be very stressful," Perez said. "With Shopmonkey we can categorize what's going on with each vehicle. It's simpler to keep a timeframe, simpler to communicate with the customer, and to get cars out on time."

Seeing the status of all jobs, tracking inventory over multiple locations, and quickly communicating with customers all in one place is part of what makes Shopmonkey so valuable for Queens' growing business. Their staff especially appreciates the dashboard that lets them check in on the shop's status in real time. As they continue to grow the business, Shopmonkey will continue to help them scale without any bumps in the road.

"It's just a great service to work with," Perez said. "You can't go wrong with Shopmonkey."

Check out this video to learn more about how Queens Auto Services continues to scale their business and keep their customers happy: