Shuttle OnDemand by RedCap – A New Way to Transport Customers

Flexibility and convenience are important for any store owner, but unfortunately, many stores still manage inconvenient methods of transporting customers. Traditional shuttle services can be unfavorable to both customers and stores; meanwhile, maintaining a fleet of loaner cars is not very profitable.

That’s why some store owners are looking for alternatives to car fleets or a traditional shuttle service — just ask Frank Leutz, owner of Desert Car Care in Chandler, Arizona. Leutz has used an on-demand service for years, which has created the flexibility for its customers that it strives to provide.

The backstory

In Leutz’s 25 years as a store owner, its goal has always been to provide a full service experience to every customer who walks through its doors. From the moment they walk through the door, until they drive their cars off the field, Leutz wants a complete and seamless experience for its customers.

Like any store, it had fleets of loaner cars or employed a part-time shuttle driver to transport customers while awaiting repairs. But if you brought your vehicle to Desert Car Care today, you wouldn’t find a fleet of lenders, and Leutz hasn’t needed to keep a shuttle driver on call in years.

The problem

Running convenient and cost-effective operations is important for any store, but unfortunately it hasn’t been easy to provide convenient and cost-effective trips to and from stores. Owning and maintaining a fleet of loaner vehicles is expensive, and traditional shuttle services are not only expensive but inconvenient, providing a frustrating experience for customers waiting for repairs.

Years ago, Leutz had a driver who arrived at his store at 8 a.m., with eight customers waiting to be driven to work. There were even times when Leutz himself drove customers to their destinations.

This moment was disruptive for Leutz, its customers and its business.

“It’s big, big, old news,” he says.

The solution

This has changed since Leutz started using RedCap Shuttle OnDemand. Shuttle OnDemand, which adapts Lyft’s national carpooling service for the automotive industry for customer shuttles, creates a more convenient experience.

Leutz customers can request a car at their convenience, providing the flexibility that didn’t exist with a traditional shuttle service.

Customers experience OnDemand through the Leutz brand, including logos, text message content and driver tracking pages.

“RedCap just gives us that flexibility…it’s a win,” says Leutz.

Although one criticism of the service remains the expense — it costs Desert Car Care about $2,200/month — Leutz says it’s still cheaper than hiring a driver, and he’s found other ways to compensate. the costs.

Additionally, Lyft covers liability, taking that liability away from the store. Although Leutz has received mostly positive feedback, there have been rare instances where its customers have had a bad experience with service or the driver. These complaints have been handled by Lyft.

“They’re very professional about it,” says Leutz. “So you kind of mediate through a third party there. ‘Cause who’s got time to sit there and examine the weeds on this? So the responsibility is huge.

Integrated DMS software allows Leutz to communicate with customers, send invitations and reconcile shuttle expenses, which are billed monthly, not per transaction.

The following

Leutz hasn’t looked back since he started using RedCap’s services. They became a big part of his business model at Desert Car Care.

He no longer needs to keep a bunch of lenders around him; he hasn’t needed to use a traditional shuttle service in years; and its customers have raved about the convenience and flexibility that Shuttle OnDemand provides.

The feedback shows it.

Another selling point for Leutz has been the surveys provided by RedCap that allow it to hear directly from its customers’ experiences. Insights from the surveys have been a great way to understand what Leutz’s business has done successfully and what it can do to continue leveraging its full-service experience.

“We are continually planting the seed, as part of our service experience, by reminding people that we absolutely want to know how we did. … We continually remind people that we always want to do better, so this is a win for us,” Leutz says.

In addition to Shuttle OnDemand, RedCap also offers services called Roadside OnDemand and Parts OnDemand, the latter of which delivers parts right to your doorstep.

This was a huge advantage for Leutz.

Desert Car Care is about 25 miles outside of Phoenix. Traveling back and forth to the Valley of the Sun is arduous – it can take half a day before they get all the necessary parts, which delays productivity. If they are working on repairs and suddenly realize that a part is missing, it can be delivered within 30 minutes.

“I can keep shifting productivity without having to worry about ‘We have to keep this car overnight,'” Leutz says.

This is important to Leutz as part of their business model at Desert Car Care which provides transportation for any vehicle they don’t complete in the estimated time.

Takeaway meals

For any shop owner looking to provide a convenient, cost-effective, and flexible transportation service, an on-demand car service might just fit the bill. Leutz has fully integrated RedCap’s services into its business model, and it won’t be making any changes any time soon.

“The flexibility of all of that, time management, all of those things that we’re looking for, not just for that service experience and for the consumer, but time management, productivity on our side, on our side. We are able to sail, to do more and to be competent,” says Leutz.

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