TruVideo: What It Does and How a Dealership Uses It

A buyer's guide to inspection and walkaround video, and the CRM layer that turns a video link into a booked visit.

TruVideo is one of the names dealers hear most often when the conversation turns to video in the service drive. The company describes its product around a simple workflow: a technician records a short video of what they found during an inspection, the advisor reviews it, and the customer receives it by text with the estimate attached. The same recording tools are offered to sales teams for walkaround videos of specific vehicles and personal messages to shoppers.

Tools in this category usually include a phone app for recording, hosting for the videos, a customer facing page where the video plays, and some way to see whether the customer watched. Many connect to the dealer management system so the video attaches to the repair order.

Features, DMS connections and pricing change, so confirm what TruVideo includes today, which systems it connects to at your store and what the contract terms are, directly with the vendor.

The biggest shift in service communication over the last decade is that a customer can see the worn part instead of being told about it. People believe pictures and are suspicious of descriptions, especially when a stranger is recommending they spend money. A thirty second clip of a technician pointing at a cracked belt answers the question the customer was too polite to ask.

That is why video tends to move approval rates on recommended work. The customer sees the problem, hears the technician explain it in plain words, and approves from a phone without a phone call. The advisor spends less time selling and more time scheduling.

On the sales side the logic is the same. A shopper comparing three identical vehicles at three stores cannot tell them apart from photos. The store that sends a short video of the actual unit, with the salesperson using the shopper's name and pointing at the feature they asked about, is the one that gets the reply. Our automotive video marketing page covers the wider strategy.

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In service, the workflow is only as good as its consistency. Stores that get results record findings on every car that gets an inspection, not only the ones where the technician expects a big ticket. The advisor reviews the clip before it goes out, adds the estimate, and sends it while the customer still remembers dropping the car off.

A few standards separate a strong program from a weak one. Keep clips under a minute in service and under two minutes in sales. Show the part, say what it does, say what happens if it waits. Record in a quiet spot, because shop noise ruins more videos than picture quality ever does. Use the customer's name in sales videos and send within the first hour of the lead.

Managers should watch a sample of videos each week the same way they review calls. The difference between a technician who explains and a technician who mumbles shows up in approval rates within a month, and coaching fixes it quickly.

Use these questions to get past the demo reel and into daily use.

• Which DMS does it connect to at our store, and does the video attach to the repair order automatically?
• What does the technician need to do to record and upload, and how long does it take on a busy day?
• How long are videos hosted, and who owns them if we leave?
• What does the customer see when they open the link, and is it branded to our store?
• Which reports show videos sent, watched and approved, by advisor and by technician?
• How are text opt outs handled, and do they carry across to sales messaging?
• What is the contract term, and how is it priced per rooftop or per user?

Pay attention to what happens after the customer watches. A video that gets viewed and then sits unanswered for a week is a missed opportunity, and the follow up is where most programs leak revenue.

TruVideo records and hosts the video. Keep it for that job, especially in a service department where the technician workflow and the repair order connection are the point.

LeadLocate owns what happens around the video: the conversation it lives in, the follow up when the customer goes quiet, the call when they phone instead of replying, and the sales opportunity that often sits behind a big repair estimate. Those are the moments that decide whether a watched video turns into approved work or a booked appointment.

The two run side by side without an integration project. LeadLocate needs no DMS integration and no inventory feed to operate, so a store adds the calling, texting, automation and campaign layer while technicians and advisors keep their current recording routine. Customers come in through contact import, and the video link goes out from the lead record like any other message. The automotive service CRM page lays out where each category takes over.

A video link on its own is a one way message. Inside a LeadLocate text thread it becomes part of a conversation the store owns. Paste the link into the composer and it goes out as a trackable short link, so you see when the customer clicks it, right on the lead. The reply lands in the same thread, on the same customer timeline as every call, text and email, where a manager can see it.

RCS with automatic SMS fallback delivers richer, branded messages on phones that support it, while everyone else still gets a standard text. The AI writing assistant drafts the short note that goes with the link, and AI merge fields drop in the customer's name and vehicle so the message reads as personal even when an advisor is sending twenty of them.

Build the video into a Follow Up Process for sales leads: a day one step for a personal walkaround, then the texts, emails and calls that follow. The habit becomes structural instead of depending on whoever is having a good week. The inventory walkaround video page covers the sales side in depth.

Plenty of customers watch the video and pick up the phone. That call often arrives when the advisor is in the drive with another customer.

The phone system built into the CRM routes it. The IVR call flow builder sends callers where they need to go with your own recorded audio, call forwarding rings a list you build from your users, and business hours routing covers evenings. A missed call triggers missed call text back within seconds, so the customer gets a written reply and the approval conversation keeps moving. See missed call text back software for details.

Every call is recorded and transcribed, and Call Alerts flag the words you choose, such as approve, price or cancel, so a manager sees which watched videos turned into questions that need a quick answer.

Video raises approval rates, and some customers still decline. They saw the worn tires, they believe you, and the timing is wrong. That customer is the warmest service lead your store has, because they already know the work is needed.

Export the declined list and bring it into LeadLocate with contact import. A Follow Up Process sends a text a few weeks later that references the specific item, a reminder as the season changes, and a voicemail drop to the customers who never reply to texts. Scheduled sends release each wave at the hour your service lane has capacity. The declined service follow up page walks through the full play.

The same list feeds sales. A customer declining a large repair on an older vehicle is often ready to talk about a trade. The lead record carries up to five vehicles of interest plus trade in lines, round robin assignment hands it to a salesperson, and DealTracker desking puts a real payment on a customer deal page with e-signature.

Your account is set up for you, usually the same day, with numbers routed, users added and training included through the video library and live sessions. No DMS integration and no inventory feed are required.

Pricing is month to month with no long term contract. CRM Only starts at $199 a month and covers the texting, calling, automation, campaigns and reporting on this page. Plans that add exclusive local buyer leads start at $799 and always include the CRM, because the CRM is what receives and delivers them. Every lead in your zone is delivered to you and only you, prescreened at capture with the questions you choose, and backed by a replacement review. See the pricing page for every plan.

We cannot guarantee approval rates, response rates or revenue from any campaign, because those depend on your customers, your pricing and your market. What the software does is make sure every video sits inside a conversation someone follows up on.

What is TruVideo used for at a dealership?

It is best known for technician inspection videos that advisors text to customers with the estimate, and for sales walkaround and personal videos. Confirm the current feature set, DMS connections and pricing with the vendor.

How does LeadLocate work with TruVideo?

Keep TruVideo for recording and hosting. LeadLocate carries the conversation: the video link goes out from the lead record as a trackable short link, replies land in one thread, and follow up processes, calls and campaigns keep the customer moving.

Can we see when a customer clicks the video link?

Yes. Links sent from LeadLocate texts can go out as trackable short links with click stats, so you see the click on the lead and can time the follow up call or text.

What happens when a customer declines the work in the video?

Bring the declined list into LeadLocate with contact import and assign a Follow Up Process. The customer hears about the specific item on a schedule by text, email and voicemail drop, and the reply lands in the store's shared inbox.

Can our salespeople use video with LeadLocate leads?

Yes. Add a day one video step to a Follow Up Process, send the walkaround link from the lead record, and let the AI writing assistant and merge fields draft the note. The whole exchange stays on the customer timeline.

What does LeadLocate cost?

CRM Only starts at $199 a month, month to month with no long term contract. Plans with exclusive local leads start at $799 and include the CRM. See the pricing page for every plan.

See trackable video links, follow up processes and missed call text back running on one customer timeline. Month to month, no long term contract.

Prefer to talk right now? Call or text 844-376-2274.