CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Openbay, the award-winning auto-repair marketplace, announces OpenbayASP, a native iOS app for Automotive Service Professionals that brings a mostly offline industry, online. OpenbayASP combines the online-to-offline customer-acquisition power that Openbay delivers to its network of service professionals with the benefits of a mobile platform. OpenbayASP promotes transparency between repair shops and consumers via text, video and photo exchange to explain diagnoses or confirm vehicle issues. Shop owners and operators use OpenbayASP to review incoming service requests in real-time, respond immediately with quotes, communicate with consumers, schedule appointments and process payment.
“Openbay’s community of repair professionals were integral to the development of OpenbayASP,” said Rob Infantino, founder & CEO of Openbay. “We’re dedicated to meeting their needs and to helping grow their businesses. This mobile platform positions shops to efficiently acquire and communicate with in-market consumers. Openbay customers benefit too – OpenbayASP brings transparency to auto repair, enabling shops to share video and photo of vehicle issues, so customers are better informed about the need for repair and maintenance.”
OpenbayASP gives shops the flexibility to attract today’s online consumers, who value the ability to make educated purchase decisions and will appreciate remotely seeing and hearing explanations of recommended and completed repair work. Service providers are encouraged to routinely use OpenbayASP’s complimentary multi-media exchange to inform customers, strengthening trust between the shop and the consumer.
Early Feedback from Automotive Service Professionals
“I love it. The app makes me want to use Openbay more, especially for customers’ sake – they can see everything, and I like the messaging features especially when customers can’t take a phone call.” – Rob Burden, service manager of Bonita Valley Auto Care, Bonita, CA
"It's great being able to hop in and out of the app throughout the day. Now I don't have to dedicate time to sitting at a computer. Also, the video and photo-sharing function is a game-changer – customers appreciate seeing what's going on, without even having to be at the garage." – Arto Dermovsesian, president of Arto’s Service Station, Watertown, MA
OpenbayASP Highlights Include:
- Instant notification of service requests from local, in-market consumers
- Simple quote submission; quickly price and add notes
- Customer-messaging capabilities: create and share text, video and photo messages with customers to help explain and/or gain approval for repair work
- Notifications when ‘Automated Quotes’ (for pre-selected, commonly priced work) are sent and accepted
- To-Do list, with overview of daily activities, including customer messages, active requests, appointment confirmations
- Appointment scheduling and adjustment
- Ability to edit and update repair quotes on the spot
- Payment processing
- Track history of Openbay revenue and bookings
OpenbayASP is available to Openbay-approved automotive service professionals. Businesses interested in joining Openbay may learn more here. The mobile app supports iOS 8.2 or later, is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, and is now available on the Apple App Store – download app.
Openbay Background
Openbay has an unbiased marketplace and a
no-risk, pay-on-performance policy: there is no monthly or annual
subscription fee for service providers to join Openbay. Openbay collects
a fee only once work that originated with an Openbay service request has
been completed.
Consumers select a shop based on a range of criteria, including: location, ratings and reviews, warranty, certifications, and price. Openbay users’ decisions are driven by quality and convenience; 70% do not select the lowest-priced quote. There is never an obligation to submit quotes on Openbay, and when capacity allows, the platform helps to stabilize businesses by exposing them to new, in-market customers. The average age of an Openbay vehicle is ten-years old (compared to the national average of 11.5-years old) and well into the maintenance and repair phase.
About Openbay
Openbay is an award-winning online marketplace
that gives consumers a smarter way to care for their vehicles by
allowing them to compare, book, and pay for auto repair and maintenance
services. In 2015, Openbay announced OpenbayConnect, which provides
connected-car-device users with instant vehicle-diagnostic information.
Openbay is headquartered in Cambridge, MA, is privately held and its
investors include Google Ventures, a16z seed, Boston Seed Capital, Stage
1 Ventures and several individual investors.”
Connecting with Openbay:
Corporate Website: http://www.openbay.com
Download
Openbay’s Mobile App: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id724979552
Download
OpenbayASP: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/openbayasp-openbay-for-automotive/id1021671009?mt=8
Social:
Blog: http://www.openbay.com/blog
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/openbay
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/openbay
Openbay, OpenbayConnect, OpenbayASP, and Openbay logos are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Openbay, Inc.
