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Learn more about iCARumba and what we offer the automotive service provider
What is iCARumba?
iCARumba is the Web’s leading automotive service portal, designed to help car owners find all the car care services they need -- and to help automotive service providers find new customers, build stronger business relationships with suppliers, and manage and promote their service centers with powerful new Internet-based tools. When shops sign up with iCARumba, they create their own unique set of pages for consumers to view information about their shop, find special offers and make appointments online.
What is proCARumba?
proCARumba is the private page on iCARumba where the member shop can manage their shop’s iCARumba pages. The proCARumba page has tools to create, add to, modify or delete information about your shop, plus manage your shop calendar, post special deals or promotions, find business building information and more. It is an effective business tool that allows you, the shop owner or manager, to control your Internet presence, promote your business and improve your bottom line.
How do I become an iCARumba member shop?
You must sign up as an iCARumba TopShop in order to join our nationwide network of shops. Once you’re a TopShop you gain access to all of the proCARumba features. There’s much more to TopShop, too, so please have a look at the TopShop brochure. To sign up, you simply e-mail us or call our toll-free Customer Service number, 800-939-1107.
What is iCARumba’s Commercial Use Agreement and Terms of Service?
Our Commercial Use Agreement is the agreement we execute with each service center that becomes an affiliate of iCARumba. It spells out the terms and conditions of our agreement, including the fees and liabilities of each party. You must accept the Commercial Use Agreement to be an affiliated service center. The iCARumba Terms of Service describe what all users, including the consumers, may, and may not, do with information they collect at icarumba.com; additionally, the Terms of Service describe the limitations of our liability for any information or actions consumers take here. We request that all visitors review the Terms of Service before using our site, so please click on the link to go there.
What if I don’t have Internet access at my shop?
Service centers that don’t have an Internet connection can set up and manage their website by simply calling iCARumba Customer Service at 800-939-1107. We can either fax you appointments that we receive for your shop; or alternatively, we can phone you up with those appointments (please note there is a $2 surcharge for each appointment we phone to you).
What does it cost to be an iCARumba member shop?
You must sign up for iCARumba’s TopShop Accelerated Marketing System to be included in iCARumba. But the fees are nominal: There is an annual licensing and hosting fee of $350, and thereafter a $100 monthly fee. TopShops gain many powerful marketing features above and beyond the proCARumba services; have a look at the TopShop brochure for the complete rundown of features.
How exactly does the Dr.CARumba feature troubleshoot vehicle problems for consumers?
The Dr.CARumba feature is a database-driven "smart question" system. Car owners select symptom and conditions for the vehicle in question, and the Dr.CARumba system will list possible causes. Additionally, we provide a live chat feature where visitors to iCARumba can send questions about car problems to our Automotive Service Advisors to answer online. However, in all cases customers are informed that an inspection by the shop is required to confirm needed repairs or services.
How do you provide cost estimates for various types of service?
We provide cost ranges only, not a fixed price, derived from the estimated service cost for an average of six vehicles. Estimates are based on the aftermarket labor times from Chilton’s and factory parts pricing. We do an estimate for the service on each vehicle, throw out the low and high vehicle costs, and average the remaining four.
Do I have to perform the service for the cost estimate given by the Dr.CARumba system?
No. Our estimates are advisory only, designed to give the consumer an idea of what a specific service generally costs. By the way, we’ve found our cost estimates are frequently helpful to shops, as consumers with no idea of what goes into a repair or service get a realistic appraisal of how much it should cost.
How do consumers set appointments with my shop?
Consumers view a basic monthly calendar for your shop that shows what days are available and whether mornings, afternoons or evenings are available. On your proCARumba page you simply specify how many appointments you’ll accept from us on any given day, and when that number is reached your calendar automatically shows the day as unavailable. You can change your calendar instantly online or by calling iCARumba customer support.
How do I manage my calendar or promotions if I’m not online? Call Customer Service at 800-939-1107 and our personnel will assist you.
How quickly will I learn of an appointment and how much lead time will I have?
As soon as a customer requests an appointment, iCARumba will immediately send you an e-mail or FAX with all vital customer and vehicle information. Your calendar will initially be set to one day as lead time for all appointments but you can change this when you access your proCARumba page.
What if I don’t normally take appointments?
The appointment is actually a drop-off time that assures the customer you have scheduled time to work on their vehicle and will be expecting them.
What if a customer doesn’t show up for the appointment?
iCARumba provides you with the customer referral that includes all the vital customer and vehicle information. Upon receiving our notice, we suggest that you contact the customer and thank him for selecting your shop and confirm his appointment. We believe a customer that goes through the process of finding your shop, learning more about it and deciding to set an appointment is much less likely to be a no-show. We automatically assess the referral fee, but if the customer is a no-show, you need only to call or e-mail us and we’ll cancel the referral fee. Customers can cancel appointments online up to one hour prior to the appointment and no referral fee will be assessed.
Do I pay each time an existing customer sets up an appointment?
Yes, if the service appointment is made through iCARumba. However, if you refer a customer to iCARumba, we will waive all future referral fees for that customer returning to your shop. Our online scheduling is a convenience for your customers who want to be able to handle these details through the Internet. It also helps you by reducing phone time during business hours and allowing you to be accessible to your customers any time of night or day every day of the week.
What are the Premium and Discount Service Requests?
These features were conceived as a tool to help you balance your work flow. It allows consumers near you to send out a "Request for Service" to invite shops to send them a proposal for work they want. The Discount Service Request is a tool to help you to fill in your slow periods by bidding on work when you need it. The Premium Service Request allows you to offer "premium" services to customers who are willing to pay extra for a special service like vehicle delivery, a car wash or other services you can charge extra for.
Who can view my bid for jobs posted for the Premium and Discount Service Request?
Only the person requesting the service can see your bid. No other shops can view your bids, nor can you see any other shop’s bids.
How does the customer satisfaction rating system work?
Once work has been performed, we ask customers who schedule work through iCARumba to complete a quick online survey that rates their service experience in four areas: Overall Performance, Price, Quality of Service, and Convenience. Their ratings are added to your composite ratings; visitors to iCARumba will only see your average overall rating, not any specific ratings survey or personal comments. This way, a single bad ratings survey will have minimal impact on your overall service ratings index. And, when a customer provides detailed comments, we forward these to you only. This provides you with feedback and an excellent management tool to improve customer service and correct problems that may cause complaints.
What is iCARumba’s Privacy and Security Policy?
It is our policy to disclose to all users, including the consumer users, all the personal information we must collect from our visitors in order to provide our car care and scheduling services, and describe the measures we take to keep that information private and secure. We’ve compiled an extensive Privacy and Security Policy that we request you, and all our visitors, read. Click the link to go there.
I’ve got more questions before I sign up …
Then please give us a call! Dial our toll-free Customer Service number, 800-939-1107, to ask any questions you may have or for any kind of help with sign-up.
You can get started now by simply calling 800-939-1107 or e-mailing us at support.
Or, want to learn still more? Click back to Pro Home and browse some more, or go to our proCARumba Site Tour to preview functionality.
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