By Colby Horton
Shop Site of the Month
Domestic Auto Experts - Four locations in the Houston area
www.domesticautoexperts.com
This site offers several exciting innovative features. Among the features is the ability to watch the repair process live from each location's Web cam. The site's "Careers" section includes positions available, the ability to submit a resume online and a brief employment video. The "Repair Service" section includes diagrams of vehicle components. Graphical elements and well-written copy add to the integrity of the
site and the shop.
Web Wise
ASA Offers Members Free Web-based E-mail
According to DoubleClick's latest e-mail study, 39 percent of consumers say e-mail has replaced direct mail to their postal address. Yet for many automotive repair facilities, the use of e-mail to contact its customer base about shop news, specials and maintenance is not being rapidly adopted.
To help broaden their customer electronic communication efforts, ASA has created a Web-based e-mail tool that is free to its members. Incorporating the latest in Internet technology, ASA offers powerful and flexible browser-based e-mail access to all ASA national members. This benefit allows ASA members to access e-mail from anywhere at anytime, as long as the member has an Internet connection. This ASA Web Mail program is free and allows members to establish their own username and password upon registering. Providing 30MB of e-mail storage, this tool is invaluable in communicating with customers or friends and family.
First and foremost, this new program incorporates the ASA name by allowing members to send e-mails with the suffix ASAgo.com. Using these e-mail addresses helps associate members with the world's most dedicated group of automotive professionals.
The ASA Web Mail program mirrors the most sophisticated Web-based applications available on the Internet such as Yahoo!, Hotmail and Gmail. Members have complete control over this e-mail program. Members can establish e-mail folders to better organize their correspondence and create up to five signatures designed specifically by the member. In designing the program, ASA has created filters that can virtually eliminate unwanted SPAM e-mail.
Members can also use an interactive address book in the new program. Content of the address book can be as simple as keeping track of e-mail addresses, or more complex, such as allowing storage of phone numbers, addresses, alternate contact information, nicknames and birthdays.
ASA Web Mail also has the capabilities of checking your other e-mail addresses, creating one central line of e-mail communication. Members can also create filters for incoming e-mails. Filters screen incoming e-mail for keywords that you set up, redirecting them to certain folders in your e-mail account. For example, you can create a filter marked "ASA" that will redirect all ASA-related e-mail into a certain folder you have established. You can also use a specialized search mechanism to find e-mails you have misplaced. Searching by phrases, words or dates can help you locate e-mails that have been sent to your inbox.
To sign up for your free ASA e-mail account, visit the Members Only area of ASA's Web site, www.ASAshop.org, and click on "ASA Web Mail."
Net Numbers
Ninety percent of consumers report being online to send and receive e-mail multiple times daily, with 44 percent reporting "constant" usage.
Source: DoubleClick's Consumer E-mail Study, December 2005
ASA Web Ways
AMI Launches Online Self-Study Course
The Automotive Management Institute (AMI) will begin offering an online version of its required self-study "Automotive Service Management Course" this month. The online version of this course allows students to participate in interactive management training on topics ranging from sales and marketing, personnel management and financial management. After completing the six modules within the course, students will receive 12 credits toward the Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation. To order the course online, visit www.AMIonline.org and click on "Self-Study Courses."
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