A complete post-visit SMS sequence, triggered automatically, runs itself.
Here's a problem every dealership has, even the good ones. A customer picks up their car after service, they had a fine experience, they drive away, and then... nothing. Nobody follows up. Nobody asks how it went. Nobody reminds them about leaving a review. And 20 days later, when they might actually think about recommending you to a friend, there's nothing in their phone connecting them back to your store.
Your service advisors are busy. Your BDC team is already working the inbound calls. Nobody has the bandwidth to manually follow up with every RO that closes. And the OEM CSI surveys? Sampled, delayed, and arrive too late to do anything about a specific customer's experience.
Spokk runs the follow-up for you. A complete 4-step SMS sequence that starts automatically from whatever trigger makes sense for your store: QR code at the service drive, API from your DMS, or manual trigger from the staff dashboard. Let's walk through exactly what it does.
The default sequence
4 steps. Runs automatically. Customizable at every step.
This is what goes out from day one, before you've changed a single thing. You can customize it all, but most dealerships find the defaults are a solid starting point.
Step 1: Feedback Request
"Hi {{name}}, thanks for visiting {{company}} today! Quick question: how did everything go? Share your thoughts here: {{link}}"
Sent while the visit is still fresh. The link goes to your custom Spokk feedback form. Customer rates the experience, selects their advisor, and leaves a comment. Takes about 60 seconds. This timing consistently produces the highest response rates.
Step 2: Feedback Reminder
"Hi {{name}}, just a quick follow-up from {{company}}. We'd love to hear how your visit went. Only takes a minute: {{link}}"
Only sends if the customer hasn't submitted feedback yet. If they already filled out the form after Step 1, this step is automatically skipped. No redundant messages, no annoyance. Same verified link as Step 1.
Step 3: Google Review Reminder
"Hi {{name}}, glad you chose {{company}}! If you have a moment, a quick Google review would mean a lot to us: {{link}}"
Only sends if two conditions are met: the customer submitted feedback AND they haven't already clicked the review link. Happy customers get a personalized AI-drafted review ready to copy and post. If they already started a review, this step is skipped. If they never submitted feedback, this step is skipped too.
Step 4: Referral SMS
"Hi {{name}}, hope the car has been treating you well! Know anyone who needs service or is looking for a car? Share your code {{code}} and you'll both get a reward when they visit."
Unique referral code per customer, generated automatically. 20 days is enough time that the visit memory has settled and they've had a chance to mention your dealership in conversation. Both the referrer and the new customer get rewards you configure.
Smart skip logic
The sequence knows when to step back.
Wait, this is important. The automation isn't just a dumb blast of messages. Each step checks what's already happened before it sends. Here's how that plays out in real dealership scenarios.
Service customer who responded immediately
Scanned the QR code at drop-off, got the feedback SMS 2 hours later, filled it out right away. Feedback reminder (Step 2) is automatically skipped. Review reminder (Step 3) goes out at day 3 since they submitted feedback. If they click the review link and post, the system notes that the link was clicked.
Buyer who already left a Google review
Some customers, especially enthusiastic new-car buyers, will go leave a Google review on their own before any Spokk message arrives. Spokk detects that the review link was clicked (or can be manually marked) and skips the Step 3 review nudge. No need to ask someone who already did the thing.
Customer who replied STOP
If at any point a customer replies STOP to an SMS, every remaining step in their sequence is immediately cancelled. The opt-out is logged in their contact record. Nobody on your team needs to do anything manually. Carrier compliance is handled automatically.
Fleet customer who comes in monthly
Spokk has a cooldown setting that prevents a customer from entering the full sequence again within a set number of days after their last trigger. For fleet accounts or frequent service customers, set a 60-day cooldown so they get the sequence quarterly rather than monthly. You still get their feedback; you're just not over-communicating.
Why SMS
By the time the email arrives, they've forgotten what the service felt like.
Hear me out on this one. Dealerships have been doing email follow-up for decades. And it has a place. But for capturing a customer's actual experience while it's still vivid, SMS wins by a large margin.
Service customers check their phones while they're waiting for their car. While they're still in your lot. The 2-hour feedback SMS arrives when they can still picture exactly which advisor helped them, whether the waiting area was comfortable, whether the repair explanation made sense.
Email might arrive tomorrow, or it might land in a promotions tab where it sits unopened for two weeks. By then, the customer doesn't remember the specific details. Their feedback is vague. Their motivation to review is zero. SMS is the right channel for this, and the numbers back it up.
Customization
The defaults work. The customization is there when you need it.
Most stores start with the default sequence and adjust as they learn what their customers respond to. Here's everything you can change.
Message timing
Change any step's delay to fit your operation. Want the feedback request at 4 hours instead of 2? Done. Want the referral SMS at 30 days for buyers who just took delivery of a new car? Easy. Timing is fully configurable per step.
Example: post-delivery check-in at 48 hours for new car buyers
Message templates
Every template is editable. Customize the wording to match your brand voice, include your store's specific offers, or reference your service advisor's name. Dynamic fields let you personalize every message automatically.
Example: include your service manager's first name in the sign-off
Per-location configuration
Multi-rooftop groups can configure different flows per location. Your service department and your sales floor can have different sequences with different forms. Each location has its own QR code and its own reporting.
Example: different feedback forms for used car sales vs. certified pre-owned
Toggle individual steps
Don't want to send a referral SMS after a recall repair where the customer was inconvenienced? Turn off Step 4 for that flow. Want to skip the Google review step for a specific customer segment? Disable it selectively.
Example: disable Step 3 for warranty-related service visits
Add custom steps
Beyond the default 4 steps, you can add your own. A service anniversary message at 1 year post-purchase. A seasonal tire changeover reminder. A check-in specifically for customers who had a major repair completed.
Example: 'Hi {{name}}, it's been a year since you bought your {{vehicle}}! Stop by for your complimentary 1-year inspection.'
Cooldown settings
Set a minimum number of days between sequences for individual customers. Prevents over-messaging for fleet accounts, frequent service customers, or customers who've recently been through the full sequence.
Example: 60-day cooldown for fleet accounts that service monthly
How it starts
3 ways to trigger the sequence for a dealership.
You can start with the simplest method and layer in the more powerful ones over time.
QR code at service drive or sales floor
Print and display a Spokk QR code at your service drop-off counter or somewhere customers pass during the sales process. Customer scans it on their phone, confirms their name and number, and the sequence starts. No staff action required. This is the easiest way to get started immediately without any integration work.
API integration with your DMS
Connect Spokk to your Dealer Management System via REST API. When a repair order is closed or a vehicle is delivered, your DMS fires a trigger to Spokk with the customer's name and phone number. The sequence starts automatically. This is the cleanest path for high-volume stores that want zero manual steps in the process.
Staff manual trigger in the dashboard
Any staff member with access to the Spokk dashboard can manually trigger the sequence for a specific customer. BDC teams use this for walk-in leads, recent deliveries that weren't caught by the DMS trigger, or specific customers they want to follow up with. The manual trigger also lets you choose which flow to use for that customer.
Frequently asked questions
How does the automation sequence get triggered for a dealership?▼
Three ways. First, customers can scan a QR code at the service drive or sales floor, which logs the visit and kicks off the sequence. Second, your DMS can trigger it via API when a repair order is closed or a vehicle is delivered, which is the cleanest integration for high-volume stores. Third, any staff member can trigger it manually from the dashboard. BDC teams often use this when they want to follow up with a walk-in lead or a recent delivery that wasn't auto-triggered.
Can we customize the SMS message templates?▼
Yes, fully. Every step in the sequence has a default template that you can customize. You can change the wording, add your dealership name, include specific CTAs for your store, or create different templates for your sales department versus your service department. Templates support dynamic fields like the customer's first name, your store name, and the relevant link for that step.
What does 'smart skip' mean for the Google review step?▼
The review reminder at day 3 only sends if two conditions are met: the customer submitted feedback AND they haven't already clicked the review link. If they already clicked the review link after the feedback step (indicating they already left or started a review), the day-3 message is skipped automatically. If they never submitted feedback, the review reminder is also skipped because we don't want to send a review request to someone who may have had a bad experience and just didn't say so. This keeps the sequence feeling relevant and avoids annoying customers with messages that don't apply to their situation.
Can different departments (sales vs. service) use different sequences?▼
Yes. You can configure separate automation flows for different touchpoints. A post-delivery flow for sales might have different timing and templates than a post-service flow. The feedback forms referenced in each flow can also be configured differently so that sales buyers get questions about the purchase experience while service customers get questions about their advisor and wait time.
What happens if a customer replies STOP to one of the SMS messages?▼
Spokk handles carrier opt-out compliance automatically. A STOP reply immediately removes that customer from the active sequence and marks them as opted out in the contact record. They will not receive any further automated messages. If your team wants to manually contact them later, the opt-out status is visible on the contact so staff know not to trigger the automation sequence for that person.
Our service customers come in monthly for fleet vehicles. Will they get messaged every single time?▼
You can configure a cooldown period. This prevents customers from entering the full sequence again within a set number of days after their last trigger. For fleet accounts or high-frequency service customers, you might set a 60-day cooldown so they get the sequence once every couple months rather than every visit. You still get the feedback data, but you're not blasting them with messages every 3 weeks.
Is the referral SMS part of this sequence?▼
Yes. The 4th step in the default sequence, sent at 20 days post-visit, is the referral SMS with the customer's unique referral code. It's automatically generated per customer and tracked in the referral dashboard. You can disable this step for specific flows if it doesn't fit a particular touchpoint (for example, you might not want to send a referral SMS after a recall repair where the customer had to come in against their will).
How do we set up the QR code check-in at the service drive?▼
Spokk generates a printable QR code for each of your locations. You print it (or have it printed on a stand or counter card), display it at service drop-off, and customers scan it on their phone. No app required on their end. Scanning opens a simple check-in page where they confirm their name and phone number, which starts the sequence. Setup takes about 2 minutes.
What's the typical open rate we can expect for these messages?▼
SMS open rates are consistently around 98% across the industry versus about 20% for email. Response rates for SMS are around 45% versus 6% for email. The timing matters too: sending the feedback request 2 hours after the visit, while the experience is still fresh, produces significantly better response rates than waiting a day or sending an email a week later.
Can we pause or modify the sequence for a specific customer?▼
Yes. From the customer's contact record in the dashboard, your team can cancel a pending step, reschedule it, or mark the whole sequence as complete. If a customer calls in with a complaint and you're handling it directly, for example, you might want to cancel the review reminder step so they don't get an automated review request while an issue is actively being resolved.
Does Spokk work with Zapier or Pabbly for DMS integrations we can set up ourselves?▼
Yes. If your DMS supports Zapier triggers (many do), you can set up a Zap that fires when a repair order is closed and sends the customer data to Spokk via the Zapier integration. Pabbly works the same way. For dealerships that want to avoid a full API integration, this is a good middle ground that your BDC manager or IT team can usually set up in a day.