The technology company Continental has expanded its digital product range for commercial vehicle fleet operators and workshops. Thanks to the TruckOn online booking platform, fleet managers and freight forwarders can now book their next workshop service throughout Europe and around the clock. Companies can maximize the uptime of their vehicles by making efficient use of drivers’ rest periods for services. This means, for example, that a truck on a tour lasting several days can be serviced during daily rest periods of up to 11 hours.
With this brand-independent online booking platform, workshops can have an online presence beyond their local region, optimize processes, gain new customers, and increase their capacity utilization. “TruckOn stands for workshop booking and fleet management 4.0. This makes us a pioneer in the market,” emphasizes Dr. Lutz Scholten, Vice President of Segment Tachographs, Telematics and Services at Continental. “Given the consistently high cost pressure in the transport sector, TruckOn creates real added value for the industry. We make it easy for workshops to get started with digitalization and become visible in the Web.” Starting with IAA Commercial Vehicles 2018, interested fleet managers and workshops can register at TruckOn.com. Continental will be presenting the online booking platform at the trade fair. The offer will be introduced in Germany, Italy and Spain, and other European countries will be added in 2019.
Search queries and ratings provide orientation
Fleet managers can now book appointments with just a few clicks, selecting the desired service for a vehicle, the location and the date. The filter function allows further search optimization, e.g. to the price range. All the relevant offers are clearly displayed in a list of results that are easy to compare – including the scope of the services and prices. When a fleet manager books a service via the portal, the vehicle-specific data is transmitted to the workshop, enabling the mechanics there to make all the necessary preparations in advance.
TruckOn also delivers the relevant information in the language of the country. Once a service order has been completed, customers have the opportunity to evaluate the service quality via a five-star system. These evaluations create trust and give other customers a first impression of the evaluated workshop – especially important when they’re booking a service in an unknown workshop that’s far away in another country.
Fleet operators can maximize their operating times by using the drivers’ rest periods for the next workshop service. Workshops open up a completely new customer circle. Continental’s new online booking portal TruckOn makes this possible – throughout Europe.© Continental AG
A range of more than 30 services can be ordered via TruckOn, including tachograph inspection, periodic inspection of trucks and trailers, battery service and tire service. Continental is continually adding new options.
New customers for workshops
The workshop enters offered services and prices in its profile. The offering then appears automatically in all relevant searches – regardless of whether the search has been initiated by the truck company in the next town or the fleet operator abroad. This gives the workshop a completely new channel for acquiring customers – with much less effort than is customary. It can open up a completely new customer circle because fleets find and contact them more easily. The workshop receives a message to inform it of enquiries and bookings. It immediately receives detailed information on the order, such as make, year and service required. Here too, TruckOn delivers the relevant information in the language of the country of the user. TruckOn also offers the option of managing all appointments efficiently online. A dashboard shows clear evaluations relating to the number of bookings and how the customers have assessed the service.
In order to use this e-commerce service, workshops must apply for membership at TruckOn.com. The pilot phase will start with a basic membership that includes all important functions. Workshops will pay a fee per booking, those who register now benefit from free membership until the end of 2018. Those who opt for a professional membership will benefit from additional features such as participation in marketing campaigns.
SOURCE: Continental
