The vice president of American electric car manufacturers, Tesla, Jerome Guillen, puts on the last press conference on October 3, 2014 at the Paris Motor Show. The Paris Motor Show opens at public Saturday.
Eric Piermont | AFP | Getty Images
Elon Musk’s electric car company on Friday notified customers that Tesla service centers are now offering collision repairs, something the company has been talking about since 2018.
In a message to customers titled “Collision Repair is Here,” the company stated its ability to fix everything from teeth and scratches to “suspension and axle damage” to its own service centers as ” alternative to a bodywork “.
Services, including collision repairs, should represent a larger revenue segment for Tesla over time, as its cars will be out of warranty and the company will deliver more worldwide. Although Tesla reported $ 678 million in a combined segment of services and others during the fourth quarter of 2020, the company does not separate revenues from services separately. Overall, this segment grew 17% from $ 580 million in the previous year’s quarter.
Tesla operates 140 service centers in North America. The company aims to open more, including 46 during the first half of 2021, Tesla Automotive President Jerome Guillen revealed on Wednesday.
The service has been a painful point for many Tesla customers in recent months, to the point that investors asked executives of the fourth-quarter 2020 earnings call: “What is Tesla doing to improve the service experience? “Tesla had a reputation for exceptional customer service. Now it’s impossible to even call a service center and appointments are scheduled weeks away.”
Guillen replied: “For us the best service is not a service. Therefore, we put a lot of effort into trying to improve the quality and reliability of our cars. In the last two years, the frequency of visits to the service is reduced. by a third, so customers have to go into service less often, which is really the goal, there is no service. “
He noted that Tesla also offers a “mobile service,” during which a Tesla service vehicle and a car mechanic go to a customer’s car to fix it. Mobile visits now account for 40% of all service visits in North America and Tesla wants that figure to increase to 50% by 2021, according to Guillen.
But not all repairs can be done on a cell phone visit. For example, replacing the panoramic glass roof of a Tesla vehicle has to be done in a store.
Guillen also said Tesla is pushing all customer communications about the service through the Tesla app, which means that now Tesla service centers prefer or don’t just receive phone calls.
“The app is much better than the phone,” Guillen explained. “You can detect alerts directly from the car and schedule a service appointment. There is a written record of all communications between the customer and the service team. You can have photos there. You can take care of your payment without entering the credit card. and doing all this. You receive updates about the service. “
Guillen predicted that most other car companies will stay the same.
Here is the complete communication to customers:
Collision repair is here
January 28, 2021
Now fix small dents, scratches, scratches and more at your local Tesla service center as an alternative to a body shop. Our optimized repair flow allows for a quick and fluid experience when you need it most.
Collision repair services may include: suspension and axle damage, front and rear bumpers, hoods, lift doors, and mirror side caps, along with doors, wheels, and all glass repairs.
To schedule an appointment, select “Collision and glass repair” from the Service menu in the Tesla application and keep track of the service experience with step-by-step notifications.