In today’s automotive industry, service departments are more critical than ever. Owners expect seamless digital experiences—from booking to payment—and dealerships must operate with efficiency and transparency to keep customers and boost revenue. Enter Xtime, a comprehensive fixed-operations platform from Cox Automotive. This tool is designed to optimize the service lane by combining scheduling, engagement, inspection and marketing in one modern solution.
What Xtime Does
Xtime offers a suite of modules tailored for every step of the service journey:
Schedule: Lets customers book service appointments online or via mobile anytime. Dealers gain real-time visibility into capacity, allowing them to service more vehicles in less time.
Engage: Revamps the check-in, service visit and check-out experience. Features include self check-in via mobile or tablet, live updates via text, digital payment options and tablet‐based walk-rounds with access to service history.
Inspect: Technicians can capture photos/videos of vehicle condition and send them directly to customers. This transparency helps drive approvals of additional work—which translates into higher dollars per repair order (RO).
Invite: A marketing/retention tool for service departments that helps reconnect with past customers, promote special offers, fill slow shop times and boost repeat business.
Integration: Xtime integrates with DMS (Dealer Management Systems), CRM platforms, payment processors and other back-office systems. This connectivity ensures smoother workflows and data continuity.
Together, these modules enable dealerships to deliver modern service experiences while improving operational efficiencies and boosting revenue.
Why Dealerships Should Take Notice
A number of key benefits make Xtime stand out:
Improved Customer Experience
Customers today expect convenience, clarity and speed. With Xtime, they can book at their convenience, receive status updates, approve work via mobile and pay digitally. That kind of experience builds satisfaction and loyalty.
Operational Efficiency & Revenue Growth
When bookings are managed, check-in is streamlined and inspections are visual and shareable, service lanes operate more efficiently. Dealers using Xtime report higher RO dollars, fewer no-shows and improved capacity utilization.
Transparency Builds Trust
Visual inspections (photos/videos) help customers understand recommended work. When they see it, they’re more likely to approve it—leading to higher ancillary revenue and better retention.
Retention and Repeat Business
With tools like Invite, dealerships are able to re-engage customers who haven’t visited recently or who declined work. This proactive outreach contributes to filling the service lane, retaining customers and increasing lifetime value.
Future-Ready & Digitally Enabled
As vehicles become ever more connected and digital expectations rise, having a platform built for digital workflows, integrated data and customer communications puts a dealership ahead of the curve. Xtime’s recent enhancements—improved video capabilities, upgraded messaging and deeper analytics—show its commitment to staying relevant.
Real-World Impact
Xtime provides metrics that highlight its effectiveness. For instance, dealerships using the platform reported near approvals of additional service recommendations “in as fast as 7 minutes” when multimedia inspections were used.
Also, according to older data, dealers using Xtime’s full-suite saw substantial increases in annual service revenues, show-rates and retention. These results illustrate that Xtime is more than theory—it’s been proven in the field.
Implementation Considerations
Of course, any transformative tool requires strategic implementation to realize its full value:
Staff Training & Buy-In: Advisors, technicians and parts staff must adopt new workflows—digital check-in, mobile payments, inspection sharing. Without user adoption, the platform won’t deliver.
Process Redesign: Service lanes may need to rethink their booking, check-in, inspection and payment flows to match the digital model.
Menu and Pricing Transparency: The service menu must be clear, pricing consistent and inspection visuals compelling. That helps customers say yes and builds trust.
Integration Readiness: Make sure your DMS, CRM, parts/inventory and payment systems are ready and able to seamlessly integrate with Xtime.
Metrics & Continuous Improvement: Use Xtime’s performance dashboards to monitor key indicators—such as utilization, approval rates, RO dollars, retention—and continuously refine processes.
The service lane has evolved. It’s no longer just about bringing a vehicle in, doing the work and sending it out—it’s about the entire ownership experience. Modern consumers expect a seamless digital journey, transparency, convenience and communication. Xtime offers dealerships a platform designed to meet those expectations while improving efficiency, revenue and loyalty.
By embracing Xtime’s Schedule, Engage, Inspect and Invite modules—and ensuring thoughtful implementation—dealerships can transform their service operations. The result? A service lane that doesn’t just support the business but becomes a strategic differentiator. In the competitive automotive retail landscape, Xtime isn’t just a tool—it can be a game-changer.
