Archive for January, 2010

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How can facebook help your local tire and automotive service business?

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Facebook is more than a website for friends to connect with each other. It is also a great marketing tool which is boosting brand recognition and sales for local businesses everywhere.

Here are 3 ways facebook can help your local tire and automotive service business:

1. Customer Service

You can setup a facebook business page for your company. This is a great way for your customers and prospects to find and connect with you. Here you can answer questions, get feedback and build relationships with customers in your area. To get started, go to our Social Media Resource Center and download the ‘How to put your business on facebook’ guide.

2. Affordable Marketing Communication

Local tire and automotive service shops need to communicate in a cost effective way. Creating a facebook business page allows them the ability to post news, events, promotions and any other useful information instantly.

3. Targeted Ads

Facebook offers cost-per-click (CPC) ads that can be targeted to the city you do business in. Cost-per-click means you only pay when someone clicks on your advertisement. These can be simple text-based ads or you can design an image to display. Visit facebook advertising to learn more.

Remember to check back often for new additions and updates on our growing Social Media Resource Center!

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MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR TIRE POWER SOFTWARE – Sorting Vehicle Lists Inside the ‘Search Customers’ Window

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Are you making the most of your Tire Power software?  Keeping abreast of new or not so obvious features can enhance your experience with the software, and make you and your employees more efficient.  In this continuing series of blogs, we will shine the spotlight on these features in order to help all our users make the most of their software.

A new feature we have recently added in Tire Power is the ability to sort the list of vehicles assigned to a customer on the ‘Search Customers’ window.  On this window, once the customer is selected on the left of the screen, the vehicles assigned to this customer are listed to the right.

Vehicle_List

Typically, if the customer only has a few vehicles assigned to them, it is not a big deal to see the desired vehicle and then select it to view the vehicles history.  However, if you are dealing with a customer with a vehicle fleet, a car lot, etc., you may have so many vehicles listed that finding the vehicle you are looking for can be a challenge.  With the ability to now sort the vehicle list by any of the columns, this will greatly speed up the search process.  Simply double-click the column header of the desired column, and your list will be sorted by the data in the column.  For example, in the image above, we were searching for a vehicle based on the unit number.  Since we keep the unit number information in the description column for the vehicle, by double-clicking on the ‘Description’ column header, we sorted the list by the unit number making it easy to view the list and select the vehicle we needed.  In this case, there really were not many vehicles to search from, but imagine if this customer had a list of 150 vehicles or more to search through.  Being able to sort this list would speed up your search process tremendously.  The next time you need to search a customer’s vehicle list from ‘Search Customers’, give this tip a try and let us know what you think.  Stay tuned for more tips.

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Posted in TCS News, Tire Power Software | No Comments »

Help Is Just One Click Away

Friday, January 8th, 2010

As software developers, our job is to design and build applications which are easy to use, work reliably, adhere to industry standards and are intuitive to use.  In the Tire Power suite we try our best to keep it simple!  But it is not always easy to make clear all the choices available for the end-user.  This is why we work so hard on creating great documentation!  No matter where you are in Tire Power just click the F1 key to get context-sensitive help.

The Help File contains:

  • Complete Feature Breakdowns – We walk you through each window and explain the controls and features.
  • “How To” Guides – Step by step instructions will walk you through any process.
  • Tire Power System Requirements
  • Software Installation Instructions
  • 3rd Party Integrations – All the information you need to setup any of our 3rd Party Integrations.
  • Searchable – Search the Help File for any topic!

Help MenuOur support team has done a great job in creating a help file which can lead you through the Tire Power applications.  The Help menu (see image) is also full of helpful links!  The TCS Help File takes you to the Help File.  The TCS Remote Support is our support client we use to connect directly to your PC and provide instant one on one support.  There are also links to the TCS website, TCS blog, our social media sites, documentation and the About window.

The Help File is also available under the Documentation menu as a PDF (Tire Power User’s Guide) along with the release notes from the current version and other 3rd party vendor documentation.

So the next time you are scratching your head trying to figure out what you are missing…just click F1!  Help is truly only one click away!

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PRESS RELEASE: TCS ANNOUNCES FREE START-UP SERVICES FOR TIRE DEALERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

(Cookeville, TN, January 7, 2010) — Today TCS, software provider for the tire and automotive industry, further sharpened their competitive edge, rolling out their latest technology service for the tire and automotive service industry:  Utilizing the soaring growth of social media to enhance the bottom line for their customers and clients.  This expansion of services comes as a result of the recent partnership between TCS and JTMarCom, a Nashville-based social media marketing firm co-founded by John Taylor – a longtime tire industry PR executive.

2009 was a year of phenomenal expansion for social media, and the business benefits of reaching audiences of such magnitude are at the forefront of TCS’ new comprehensive strategies.  Current estimates number social media participants worldwide at over 1 billion, with Facebook.com passing the 350 million user mark early this December.  Over 700,000 businesses have a presence on Facebook, and TCS, along with JT MarCom, is aiding their customers in reaching out to this and similar markets with several new free programs and options:

+          TCS is now offering a free 30-minute consultation session to educate customers on how to generate revenue and build trust via social media in their area.

+          A wealth of DIY whitepapers, educational tools and tips for tire and automotive service industry professionals are available as part of a growing social media knowledge base on the TCSTire.com website.

+          Further, TCS is providing a 30-day free evaluation of their customers’ social media efforts.  Experts will analyze what they are doing right, where they could improve upon, and give suggestions on how they can keep moving forward in their Social Media strategies.

+          For clients who desire to outsource management of their social media programs to ensure maximum and sustained business results, TCS and JTMarcom are providing multi tier strategic plans based specifically on goals, objectives, and desired results.

“Our customers’ success is the primary component of our company’s success,” explains TCS president Barry Reese.  “That’s why we’re offering free consultation on social media marketing with the ability to expand it into a full strategic plan.  We feel very strongly that companies in the tire and automotive services industries need to embrace and leverage the growing influence of social media now; they cannot afford to wait.”

Reese said social media, if done correctly, is a great way for independent tire dealers to level the playing field with the national retailers.  “Independent tire dealers cannot outspend their national rivals in advertising, but they can use social media to establish meaningful, lasting relationships with local consumers and enhance their brand in their market area.  Best of all, social media applications are free to businesses and consumers, but it takes time and the proper expertise to use them correctly and maximize its potential.”

“We’ve worked with hundreds and hundreds of tire dealers over the past two decades on local marketing programs, so we understand what it takes to drive business at the grassroots level,” JTMarCom’s Taylor said.

Taylor added, “Teaming up with TCS on this new initiative made perfect sense because they too understand what it takes to make a dealer successful and offer proven and powerful software and Internet-based solutions customized for the tire and automotive service industries.”

Taylor said the program by TCS and JTMarCom is unique in that it understands what can and cannot be achieved via social media, and is based on the  two companies’ strong commitment to keeping abreast of the technologies which change almost daily and decades of traditional tire marketing experience.  “Social media is the shiny new toy so there are so-called “social” media experts popping up all over the place.  What makes us different is that we truly understand the tire and automotive services business and how social media can be effectively utilized to move the needle,” Taylor noted.

Reese added, “TCS’ goal is to assist our customers, clients and even visitors with understanding this nascent technology and how to utilize it in the tire and automotive service industry.  By always researching new technologies, TCS can better serve our customers by helping grow their reputations and business footprints.”

The central hub of the TCS social media connect program is online on the TCS website at www.tcstire.com/social_media.  From that location users can collect information, subscribe to whitepapers and receive updated information about social media marketplace technologies and real-world applications.

This is just one more example how TCS is focused on the future of technology in the tire and automotive industry. For more information on TCS products and services for the tire and automotive service industries, visit www.tcstire.com or call (888) 449-8473 to speak with one of their Sales and Support team members.

About JTMarCom

Headquartered in Nashville, TN, JTMarCom is an Internet marketing firm specializing in social media marketing and headed by 20-year tire industry veteran John Taylor.  Relying on its broad experience in marketing for tire dealers and tire manufacturers and a staff dedicated to staying at the forefront of the quickly evolving social media landscape, JTMarCom helps its client realize bottom-line benefits from social media.  For more information, visit www.jtmar.com.

About Tire Company Solutions

Tire Company Solutions, a Microsoft Certified Partner, develops and markets both off-the-shelf and custom software solutions, ecommerce platforms and support and consulting services to independent tire and automotive service companies.

In business within the Windows environment for over 15 years, TCS has created information technology solutions for tire and automotive centers with one focus: making them more profitable.  In addition to the software, TCS offers ecommerce solutions, consulting services and website creation for its customers.  For the latest news, information or an online demonstration, visit the company’s website, www.tcstire.com or call 1-888-449-8473.

The Company is headquartered in Cookeville, TN.

CONTACT:

Molly Reese
TCS – Tire Company Solutions
888-449-8473
sales@tcstire.com
http://www.tcstirepower.com

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