Auto shop layouts are about more than the number of car-repair bays or parts storage areas you have. Would you say your auto shop has instant curb appeal? Is your shop layout in a way that will deliver the ultimate on-premise customer experience?
Customer wait times may range from a few minutes to several hours or even the entire day. The last thing your customers want is to sit in a cramped waiting room sipping bad coffee while daytime TV blares in the background.
Today’s car service owners prioritize customer engagement—letting that steer their auto shop layouts to give their patrons an ideal customer experience.
What’s the importance of auto repair shop layouts?
The Automobile Association reports that a full-service car appointment can take up to three hours. Of course, repairs can take even longer depending on their severity, staffing and more. With most drivers waiting on-premise until their car is ready, auto shop layouts should have customer engagement and comfort at the heart of their design.
In our ultimate guide to marketing your auto repair shop, we cover everything you need to make your auto shop as inviting as possible for new and existing customers. Why is it important to have the right shop layout, though?
The correct auto body shop layout increases the efficiency of repairs
Take an inventory of your premises. Are you using every inch of functional space available? Can your mechanics easily access tools and parts? Do you have enough repair bays to accommodate every appointment? Auto shop layouts should be as functional for repairs and maintenance as they are comfortable for your customers. In fact, the two go hand in hand.
When your auto repair building design is efficient, and your team has access to the supplies they need to do the job, they’ll also work more efficiently. Their efficiency can equate to a shorter waiting time for your customers.
A good garage shop layout improves the customer experience
Consider each of your customer touchpoints. From the waiting room to private consultation areas and restroom facilities, would you want to spend a lot of time in any of these places? Are they comfortable? More importantly, do they have the modern customer experience in mind?
To achieve an appealing maintenance shop layout, take into account the following factors:
- Is there ample space for working professionals or families?
- How comfortable is the seating and lighting?
- Is free WiFi available, and how is the connection speed?
- Is there a designated child area with toys, games, and digital screens playing kid-friendly entertainment channels?
- Can I create a refreshment station with various drinks and snacks?
- Am I using my digital screens to enhance customer auto-education, engagement and more?
UPshow CONNECT is enhancing auto shop layouts worldwide by centering the customer experience above all else. It is the leading on-premise performance marketing cloud designed to revolutionize your digital screens into an educational, engaging and entertaining experience for the modern auto-shop customer.
A well planned auto body shop layout prioritizes safety for employees and customers
Your team and customers have a legal right to be safe on your premises. While there’s no doubt you follow safety regulations, such as OSHA auto-shop compliance guidelines, here are some other ways to make your shop layout extra safe:
- Adequate lighting in all work areas and customer touchpoints
- Safety barriers or partitions to keep customers safe if they visit the repair bays
- Keeping spare parts or other non-kid-friendly supplies out of reach
- Clear pathways throughout the shop and repair zone
- Warning signs that are visible around dangerous areas
- Shop-specific safety guidelines on your digital displays at all times with UPshow’s fixed panel and multipanel display features
Garage workshop layout ideas that keep customers happy
As an auto shop owner, your mission is twofold. First, you want to achieve the ideal auto body shop layout that will make your customers comfortable and happy. Second, you want to keep customers driving back for all of their automotive-repair needs.
Divide your shop into functional zones
Does the thought of creating (or revamping) your mechanic shop organization design leave you feeling lost? There’s no need for a shop overhaul all at once. Instead, start small by dividing your premises into functional zones to make the customer experience positive.
For easier accessibility, consider designating some of the following zones in your mechanic shop layout:
- Reception area
- Waiting room area
- Repair bays
- Diagnostic area
- Parts storage
- Auto supply storefront
- Employee break room
Ensure your shop layout has clear pathways between areas
Not all customer consultations will take place in the waiting room. Sometimes, your customers want to see the mechanic’s progress in the repair zone. For their safety, you’ll want to maintain clear pathways through all areas where a customer might venture. Not only will they feel safer navigating the premises, but their safety is also less of an insurance liability for you.
As an extra safety precaution, use UPshow CONNECT to digitally display a map of your premises to make navigation easier. You could also display QR codes linking your customers to an interactive map and safety precautions on their personal devices.
Improve your waiting room with digital signage
Your waiting room receives more customer traffic than any other area in your mechanic shop layout. Since customers spend the most time here, you have an opportunity to enhance their experience with UPshow CONNECT for the automotive industry.
Whether your waiting room is a 16x16 feet space lined with a dozen chairs or an entire floor glassed in with repair bay views, you can leverage UPshow CONNECT to power your digital screens and give your customers the on-premise experience they deserve by:
- Creating educational auto-related content via Canva integration
- Playing 500+ entertainment channels, including hyperlocal and live stream content
- Tuning in customers to over 50 channels of UPshow Premium Audio
- Displaying helpful way-finding content via UPshow’s fixed or multipanel displays to help customers acclimate to your mechanic shop layout
Start engaging your customers in the waiting room with UPshow CONNECT
Engaging your customers begins in the epicenter of your auto shop layout: the waiting room. With UPshow CONNECT powering your digital screens, you can deliver the ultimate customer experience anywhere on your premises.
Contact our team today for a free custom demo of UPshow CONNECT. Let us show you how to revolutionize your mechanic shop layout and customers’ on-site experience with digital signage.
