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Websites can be kind of a mysterious thing if you haven’t worked with them a lot. They’re a bunch of code that somehow generates a place on the internet that tells people all about your shop, and…well, you get the idea. It’s all very sci-fi at times.
But alas, we are in the twenty-first century, and a business—any business—without a website is already behind. Our friends at Fullbay have encouraged skeptical shop owners to look at their websites as their internet storefront, a 24/7 general store with all your information on it so customers can find you at any hour on any day. You can use that analogy to make it easier to gauge how a website is doing. After all, if your store (even your virtual store) isn’t attracting visitors…you’re probably doing something wrong, right?
That way has merit. But today, we’ll try something new.
You’re probably familiar with employee reviews, right? Or at least looking at an employee’s productivity. It’s part of running a business. So put that mindset to work on your website and look at it like you would a staff member.
Wait, my website as an employee?
Yep. You heard us (or read us). Think about it: your website may not be a technician or a parts manager, but it’s still part of your business. You pay its wages, after all—usually to your web host and web designer, if you’ve got one. Possibly your web designer is your 16-year-old cousin who tinkers on Wordpress in their spare time.
There’s other perks to thinking of your website as an employee
- It doesn’t need, want, or take PTO.
- It’s probably a lot cheaper than your living, breathing employees.
- It doesn’t suffer from the maladies of the living, like stomach flu, social media drama, heartbreak, allergies, hangovers, flat tires, or arguing over whether the Star Wars sequel trilogy is as terrible as it seems.*
It does occasionally need updates and checkups from a doctor in the form of a web designer, but that’s usually a lot cheaper than an MRI.
So, here’s your big question: Is your disembodied, code-filled employee performing the way they should?
Here are three questions to ask yourself.
Does it behave professionally?
Look at your human employees. How do they act around each other and customers? They’re probably polite, right? They don’t eat snacks over an open engine. They certainly don’t drink all the coffee and not make more.
You wouldn’t put up with that kind of behavior from a live person, so why put up with it from a machine?
- Your employees should show up to work on time, not three hours after they’re meant to clock in. Your website should show up to work on time by loading quickly on computers and mobile devices.
- Your employees should be pleasant to customers, answering questions politely—not cracking gum and telling them, “I dunno dude, whatever,” when a question is asked. Your website should be easy to navigate and show customers where to go—whether they want to visit your blog, schedule service, or call you.
- Your employees should be healthy and not sneezing in customers’ faces, spreading germs all over the place. Your website should absolutely not crash a visitor’s phone or computer because it’s so old and out of date that browsers can’t load it.
- Your employees should be neatly dressed, if not in uniform. Definitely they should not be in flip-flops and a Hawaiian shirt and bathrobe unless it’s Halloween and they’re dressed up as The Dude. Accordingly, your website should not be so frighteningly constructed that it sends people running screaming into the night. We repeat, your shop website should not be the Hawaiian shirt of the internet.
Now, if your website is drinking all the coffee and not making a new batch, we’re sorry to tell you that you no longer have a shop website. You have Skynet and it’s about to plug us all into the Matrix.
Does it earn its keep?
Your technicians are your moneymakers—they perform maintenance and repairs, and your customers pay for that.
Your website should also be a moneymaker—it drives customers and their vehicles into your open bays.
You can generally tell if a tech isn’t getting their work done. A vehicle doesn’t get repaired on time, or keeps coming back for the same (or related) issues. Your website is a little tougher to gauge, but it should do the following:
- Allow customers to book service right online through a scheduler/calendar.
- Give customers the option to call and ask for information or make an appointment.
- Provide customers with the information they need about your shop—such as your open hours, your techs’ qualifications, and more.
Basically, yes, you’re paying for your website, but it should be a good return on investment because it sends you customers. That’s money back in your shop’s wallet.
Any employee can improve.
So, what do you do with a talented tech who is maybe a little misguided? You help them out.
The team at Dieselmatic has a lot of experience in updating and improving websites. We do it for our clients all the time—Adrenaline Diesel’s site saw a 1065% increase in visitors after we brought their website up to scratch. And let’s not forget Onsite’s 3830% increase. Math may be mysterious, but it doesn’t lie.
Think of Dieselmatic as the awesome trainer who will help your employee, Joe Website, finally reach his full potential. No more Hawaiian shirts or lackadaisical responses to customers—just quick, efficient service and the kind of work that drives revenue.
And he always makes more coffee.
*I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL
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