Meineke Car Care Centers, with 900 franchises, has a huge ad budget, which it has been spending on Yellow Pages, TV, coupons, SEM and the Internet. Recently, Meineke has worked to integrate local ad opportunities under one “local expert.” But it has also been adding non-advertising marketing channels.

The company has noted real value from Yelp reviews, which have generated leads, and its “car care club” email reminders. Now it has launched an online scheduling service via Full Slate.

Meineke and Full Slate conducted a three-month pilot with 25 stores prior to committing throughout all the franchises. The pilot reinforced JD Power research showing that online scheduling brings in more elite and satisfied users who are also likely to spend more. Aspen Dental, a 300-office dental mega-chain, for one, says that online scheduling service has added $32 million in new revenues.

The scheduling space is one that should be watched closely. In addition to the attributes cited by JD Power, we’ve noted its likely ramifications on SMB email collection, deals, promotions and engagement.

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