Efficient Payment Management in Seasonal Business: How Ernst-Auto Optimizes Tire Changes
Seasonal Stress: When Tire Changes Slow Down Processes
Each year, the tire change season presents a significant logistical challenge for car dealerships. A high volume of vehicles must be serviced within a few weeks—often within very tight timeframes. In addition to the workshop workload, additional challenges arise:
- High customer volume: During peak season, the number of customers increases sharply, putting strain on both the workshop and administrative processes.
- Rising number of invoices: Every tire change requires a payment with an associated invoice—creating a significant administrative burden within a short period.
- Time pressure in payment processing: Many customers prefer to pay quickly after their tire change and drive off immediately. Delays at checkout lead to waiting times and frustration.
- Risk of errors due to manual processes: Paper-based invoices and manual allocations increase the likelihood of mistakes.
For Ernst-Auto, a family-run dealership with multiple locations, this used to mean that the service manager and accounting department spent considerable time reconciling payments every day. “It took at least an hour a day to check all incoming payments and allocate them manually,” explains Marcel Domanski, Service Manager at Ernst-Auto. To optimize this time-consuming and error-prone process, the company decided to implement bezahl.de.
The Solution: Digital Payment Processes for a Stress-Free Peak Season
With bezahl.de, Ernst-Auto was able to simplify and automate the entire payment process. The key optimizations at a glance:
- Automated payment reconciliation
Instead of manually matching incoming payments to invoices, bezahl.de automates this process. The system detects the payment, assigns it to the correct invoice, and posts it directly—eliminating manual reconciliation and saving up to an hour of work every day. - Faster payments with digital solutions
To accelerate the payment process, Ernst-Auto introduced the bezahl.de SmartKasse—a self-service terminal where customers can pay their bills quickly and contactlessly. - Payment and vehicle collection outside of business hours
Many customers prefer to pick up their car after work, outside the dealership’s regular hours. By combining digital payments with a key drop-off box, this is no longer an issue. - Reduction of paper receipts and administrative workload
Previously, most invoices were issued on paper, increasing the administrative burden. With bezahl.de, the process has been largely digitized.
Measurable Success: How Ernst-Auto Benefits from Digitalization
The implementation of bezahl.de has already paid off for Ernst-Auto in the first season. The key results at a glance:
- Up to one hour of administrative work saved per day thanks to automated payment reconciliation.
- Faster customer processing through contactless payment options.
- Greater flexibility for customers with the combination of digital payments and a key drop-off box.
- Fewer accounting errors due to automatic payment allocation.
- Reduced workload for employees, allowing them to focus more on customer service.
Conclusion: By digitizing its payment processes, Ernst-Auto has significantly reduced administrative effort while simultaneously improving customer service. Especially during seasonal peaks like the tire change season, optimized payment processing ensures smoother operations and higher customer satisfaction.
Why Digital Payment Solutions Are Essential for Car Dealerships
The introduction of bezahl.de demonstrates how digital payment processes can help dealerships manage seasonal peaks more efficiently. With automated processes, shorter waiting times, and reduced employee workload, car dealerships benefit from a win-win situation for both the company and its customers.
