Vic Vaughan Toyota of Boerne is ready to get its new service center off the ground.

The dealership in the San Antonio suburb of Boerne, Texas, will break ground on its 28,639-square-foot facility with a ceremony Tuesday.

“As our dealership continues to grow, so does our commitment to providing an unparalleled service experience for our customers,” dealer principal and CEO Shawn Vaughan said. “This new facility will not only expand our capacity but also introduce cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices, reinforcing our dedication to innovation and environmental responsibility.”

In a news release, the dealership said the new construction will bring the service center and main shop from 19 service bays to 48 and raise the dealership’s total for all of its shops, including the make-ready Tundra engine shop, to 70 bays. The expanded facility will cover 39,054 square feet, one of the largest in Texas, and will “significantly enhance” its capabilities to be able to service more than 200 vehicles per day.

When completed in 18 to 22 months, the service center will raise the dealership’s total footprint to 81,136 square feet on almost 18 acres.

To staff the new facility, Vic Vaughan Toyota of Boerne said it will expand its service team to more than 100 employees and technicians. The service center will feature new, state-of-the-art service technology and equipment, the dealership said, designed to optimize efficiency and precision in maintenance and repairs, and will incorporate rainwater collection for more eco-friendly operations.

The dealership said its investment in the expanded service center reinforces its dedication to “providing the fastest, most efficient and customer-centric service experience in the region” for the more than 200,000 services customers it serves annually.

“This groundbreaking marks a major milestone for Vic Vaughan Toyota of Boerne and the community we serve,” Vaughan said. “Our goal has always been to provide the best possible experience for our customers. This new service center will help us continue delivering top-tier automotive service for years to come and remain at the forefront as the premier Toyota dealership, not only in Boerne but in Texas.”

Marchex launches AI engagement tool for service

Marchex, a provider of conversational intelligence software, has introduced a new artificial intelligence-powered system designed to help dealership service centers understand their customer engagement, elevate customer satisfaction, recover lost opportunities and boost revenue.

The company said its Engage for Service addresses service department issues such as cost disputes, scheduling conflicts, missed calls, repair miscommunications, long wait times and lack of follow-up.

Marchex said Engage for Service’s capabilities include:

  • Service appointment bookings to help turn more calls into scheduled service appointments and increase repair orders. It also identifies poor service writer performance, allowing dealers to more effectively train staff.

 

  • Opportunity alerts via email or SMS on missed high-value appointment opportunities, including an AI-generated summary detailing the service discussed and why an RO was not set.

 

  • A survey for every interaction, providing a CSAT score and seven other sentiment factors for every conversation to create a complete picture of the customer experience.

 

  • Reputation rescue alerts to help dealers quickly follow up for when a customer has a negative experience – before the customer posts a negative review.

 

“The launch of Engage for Service underscores our commitment to providing dealerships with the solutions they need to increase revenue, reduce customer churn, and increase the value of the dealership’s brand,” Marchex chief revenue officer Troy Hartless said. “This new AI-powered solution will significantly help drive more ROs while increasing customer lifetime value.”