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• See your garage through your customers eyes 

  High-quality service is defined by the customer’s experience while in your care and custody. Operational excellence ensures that the customer’s cars will be ready when promised and fixed right the first time.
      
  It’s about understanding what your customer is trying to tell you when they are communicating their frustrations with the vehicle as it is about the proper diagnosis and professional quality work.
  
  Moments of truth
  Selling service is perhaps the most difficult of all sales to make. Buying a product – something you can hold in your hand or wear - constitutes the purchase of something you can touch or feel. Purchasing a service is something else entirely. When a vehicle owner buys a service, that person is really purchasing a promise – a promise that will be fulfilled in the future. That requires trust and a great deal of faith.
      
  Your ability to perform is based upon a lot of things, not least of which is technical competency. However, you can’t demonstrate that technical competency until you are given the opportunity to do so. The vehicle owner can’t see technical competency. They can’t touch or feel it and you can’t hang it out in front of your garage like a sign.
      Service starts when a customer sees and responds to an advertisement, hears about your business from a friend or relative, calls, finds you on the internet or just walks in.
      
  For this reason, MOTs, or “moments of truth” have to be created – moments when a customer has the opportunity to come into contact with any member of your team where they will form an opinion about your business. These opinions will occur before, during, and after the work on their vehicle has been completed. They will ultimately define your personal and business success.
      
  I cannot stress enough the consistent execution of your processes and procedures is the catalyst for your business to be recognised as one of the best. Do a great job the first time, and something less the great the next, and you are unlikely to see that customer again! The more people you have working for you, and the more services and products you have, the greater the challenge it is to achieve this consistency.  
  
  Productivity
  All of this consistent high-quality service is only sustainable in your garage if your productivity and workshop efficiency levels allow you to make a profit. Productivity is a by-product of your technicians and reception staff having the ability to execute processes and procedures flawlessly. It will take more than one training course, the odd staff meeting or for that matter the odd investment in tools and equipment to reach the elusive dream.
      
  Survival in a complicated and changing world is about assumptions. Assumptions allow us to function when we find ourselves beyond the limits of our understanding and experience. When we talk about standards, we’re just defining these assumptions in a more scientific language.     
      
  Success in the garage business can be all about assumptions as well. We surround ourselves with a wall of assumptions to help us to make sense of the chaos we confront every day. To large degree, our success is based upon just how accurate many of these assumptions are. One of the ways we do that is to provide service based upon what we believe is best for the vehicle, assuming that what is best for the vehicle is best for the consumer when that might not necessarily be the case.  
      
  In the end, these assumptions are about what we believe the customer wants, needs, and expects from us, not necessarily what the customer’s actual desires and expectations are.
  
  Compelling value proposition
  A perfect example of this, is the constant battle between ready when promised and fixed right first time. My experience of running garages has taught me that these two topics jockey for position as the number one customer concern when vehicle owners are seeking a garage service or repair rather than the myth that price is first and only consideration.
      
  Understanding these topics, or you could say behaviours helps you learn about the relationship that exists between the provider of garage services and the recipient of those services. It is all about questioning our assumptions then re-creating a service environment that is responsive and respectful when it comes to those things are most important to our customers. It’s about who we are and who we will need to become just as much as it is about customer expectations, retention, loyalty, and satisfaction.
      
  In the end, it is about creating a compelling value proposition – something your target customer will not be able to resist – and then delivering your services in a total quality service environment. It’s all about managing the whole scope of your relationship with the vehicle owner, recognising that perception is reality and only perception matters to your customers.
  
  Confront your assumptions
  Take this as an opportunity to look at your relationship with your customers in a new and different way. Confront your assumptions about customers, business in general, and our industry and consider how different things could be if we change the way we look at them. Remember, if you change the way you see things – if you change your standards and assumptions about your customers, your business and our industry -  you may just change everything. In an industry like ours where confidence, self-image, and profits have been notoriously low, that might not be such a bad thing.
      
  If you have that elusive dream of becoming a great business, a local garage that’s respected in the community, respected by its customers and staff then accept now that you have to change the way you currently operate. You need to think about the business in a way you have never thought about it before. You have to see it in the future, not in the present. That’s exactly what I did before I started Brunswick Garage. I knew then that I could not be an all makes service operator and have the ability to provide the level of service that is required.
  
  Walk a mile in their shoes
  I encourage you to step outside your business, remove yourself as the owner and place those customer shoes on. Walk a mile in their shoes, so to speak. Take a stroll from outside your premises, look at your sign, your brand image, is it clean bright and inviting. Pass through your reception, is it welcoming to your customer, is it clean bright and warm. Are your customers able to wait while their vehicle is being repaired in a clean, bright warm area, having refreshments?
      
  Go through the workshop. Is it dull, dirty, things everywhere, are the technicians tool boxes clean and in order? Would you be happy to walk a customer of yours through to show them their vehicle or would you be too embarrassed?    
      
  You will be far more successful with their help and ideas of all your team than you could ever be without them. This new way of thinking will make your team feel valued and more important than ever before.
  
  Final thought
  If you don’t know where you are going, any road will do! Just remember, if you always do what you always did – you will always get what you always got.
  
  www.thegarageinspector.com
  
  

• No MOT exemption this time – Make sure your customers know that warns TechMan 

  TechMan is urging garages to make sure they customers know there’s no MOT exemption this time, and that they must make sure that they seek an MOT for their car if it is due.

• Brakes off! It’s time to accelerate… 

  With the country gradually emerging from lockdown, now is the time to forge ahead with your marketing. What should the message be though, and how should you deliver it?
  
  1: Let customers know you are open for business
  Your commercial customers and motorists alike should be aware of your opening hours, the PPE you are using and the new measures you are adopting in line with government social distancing guidelines. Have you enhanced your customer service to offer safe contactless pick up and drop off? If you have, explain how it works. This will instil confidence in those customers in self isolation, and commercial customers looking for a smooth, safe, and streamlined service – to contact you.
      
  What steps have you taken to ensure your unit is a safe, clean, disinfected, and welcoming space? Manage the expectations of all customers with regards to how long it will take to complete a repair, service, MOT etc. Is it likely to be longer than usual because of the new guidelines or you have (as is more likely) been swamped with work? Have you had to change any aspects of your service? For example, all customers must now contact you by telephone or email rather than calling in which is currently on hold. Inform customers, answer their most common questions and make it clear you are looking forward to welcoming them back and making their experience with you as good, reliable, and friendly as ever.
  
  2: Say what new services are you now offering
  Vehicles have been stuck on driveways for weeks only taken out for short runs. DPFs are likely to need cleaning and attention. Services are overdue. MOTs delayed. The list goes on. Make a list of your new services/additional vehicle checks with any corresponding offers. You will naturally distinguish between commercial customers for whom vehicle downtime means lost business and motorists keen to keep their vehicle in good working condition for longer than anticipated as they return to work. What are the specific vehicle problems each group may be facing? When you have your list of services and special offers plan the dates for releasing them, so you have a steady stream of enticing campaigns running over a 12- week period. Be sure to pull out all the stops for commercial customers. Can you offer them guaranteed early booking dates?
      
  Stuck for what to say to commercial customers by way of an introduction?  Try this: “As one of our VIP commercial customers we are welcoming you back with an exclusive VIP offer this month… plus an important update on the new services we have launched to keep your fleet safe and, on the road.”
  
  3: Use the phone
  You should contact commercial customers by telephone to let them know you are open. Be organised though. Rather than just asking a team member to make the odd call here and there, treat this as a campaign – the goal being you want to ensure that every one of these customers has been contacted personally within the first five days of you opening. Make the call as much about listening as well as informing, letting them know of your services, your welcome back offers and the changes you have made in line with the new guidelines. Use the call to update details and make corrections. What is the email address of the person you should be sending information to?  Is the trading address on your system still accurate? (Do not assume anything given the pandemic and the effect it may have had on a customer’s business).
  
  4: Get flyering
  Create an A5 flyer, or flyers,  combining the details of a new service, or services, and any corresponding special offers together with the information I shared in the first tip. Printing costs are at an all-time low so take advantage of this. Put the leaflets through the doors of homes in the postcode areas where most of your non-commercial business comes from now. Do likewise for your commercial customers with a different wording to reflect their needs and the services you have launched specifically for them.
  
  5: Get vocal on social media
  Promote your activities and offers on social media. Take some nice photos of your workshop with the message ‘Open for business.’ A picture of your team will go down well too. Add some human interest to your posts to encourage sharing and support.  Send the picture to your local paper. They are looking for good news stories so an accompanying message along the lines of the following will go down well: “The team at John Smith’s Motors are open for business with a freshly decorated workshop, full PPE and offering new services including contactless drop off and collection of vehicles plus a range of pre-service vehicle checks.”
  
  6: Use your calendar well
  Ensure campaigns are scheduled in your calendar so at a glance you can see: who the audience is (i.e. our VIP commercial customers), what you are offering (i.e. special offers on Kalimex six workshop products), what your message is (book your vehicles in for pre-service checks including a DPF check) how you are going to promote this campaign ( telephone call and two emails; one email to launch the campaign and one as a follow up) When it starts and ends (1 July – 31 July), and finally who is responsible for ensuring this happens (i.e. Colin our apprentice). If you can plan in this simple but effective way, workshop bookings will increase. Not only are you leaving nothing to chance, you are ensuring that shoestring marketing is driving those enquiries and bookings on a consistent basis – week in and week out.
  
  Good luck!
  
  Please do not hesitate to contact us at Kalimex if you want to know more about our Accelerate campaign for professional motor mechanics and the details of your nearest stockist. We are here to help and support you. Email colin@kalimex.co.uk or call free on 0800 783 3717.
  
  

• Subs holiday for RAC/Autofirst member garages  

  All garages in the RAC Approved Garages network, powered by Autofirst, have been granted a membership subscription payment holiday and are also being provided with a new COVID-19 code of conduct that provides guidelines on safe working.

• Hazy shade of winter  

  Many cars will be entering the Winter having been simultaneously neglected and under-driven since March, which isn’t a good combination. Now is the time to offer winter checks for your customers to see if anything is amiss.  
  
  Batteries
  On the battery front, VARTA recommends garages check all car batteries before the cold weather sets in as part of their ongoing Back To Better campaign. “2020 has no doubt affected vehicle usage,” said VARTA Technical Sales Manager Andy Cook. “Many cars will not have been doing their regular journeys. Where more than one car is owned, that second or third car may not be getting used at all.
  Andy continued: “Many drivers think that cold weather does damage to the battery, but it is actually heat that dramatically shortens the life-span of a battery, so by the time winter comes, older batteries are close to their limit. This coupled with many cars being parked up and not having the alternator re-charge the battery will result in higher than usual battery failures.
  
  Andy added: “While the battery test is not part of an MOT, VARTA are recommending as part of their ongoing Back To Better campaign, garages offer a pre-Winter battery test-check to all vehicle owners whilst the vehicle is in the workshop.”
  He concluded: “By offering a battery check to all customers, and replacing or giving advice on those batteries close to failure, workshops will have provided peace of mind and a reliable service to their customer base.”
  
  Rotating electrics
  Looking at the rotating electrics side, HELLA’s Senior Head of Marketing and Communications Helen Goldingay said that these parts need to be in good working order too, as they help the battery: “The starter motor is put under enormous strain, particularly when the engine is first started and in sub-zero conditions. It is, therefore, important to ensure it is correctly positioned and securely mounted in its housing. The terminal connections also need to be securely fastened and show no signs of wear or heat damage.”
  
  She added: “The alternator is vital to ensure the battery remains well charged and able to provide the power for the engine’s electrical system. To make sure it is functioning efficiently, check it is firmly secured and that the auxiliary belt that drives it is in good condition and at the correct tension.”
  
  Wipers
  Then there’s wipers. According to TRICO, garages should definitely include a free wiper blade check as part of their winter checks offering. TRICO’s Senior Marketing Manager Sam Robinson said: “During the long, bright Summer, UV rays from the sun could have damaged the rubber of the blade, so these will need checking to ensure they’re in optimum condition.
  
  “To assist, TRICO has compiled a checklist that they can use to assess the blade’s condition and identify if it needs replacing.”
  Clean screen: Clean the windscreen using warm water or specialist glass cleaning fluid, paying attention to the areas at the top and bottom of the wipe area. Also check the glass for cracks or chips.
  
  Safe and secure fitment: Check the blade is securely fixed to the arm. The blade should rotate freely, but there should be no wobbling or movement perpendicular to the arm.
  
  Blade edge check: Gently clean the rubber blade edge with a damp cloth or sponge. Check for imperfections in the rubber or splits, particularly at either end. Ensure that the rubber element returns to a central position and is not flipped over and set in one direction. If the blade fails any of these checks, it should be replaced.
  
  Wipe check: Spray the glass, operate the wipers and check that there are no missed areas, water smears or multiple streaks that impair vision. Blades that leave streaks or smears should be replaced immediately.
  
  Sam added: “As blades are not only affected by rain and snow, but also the UV rays from the sun, TRICO recommends that wiper blades are replaced every twelve months to ensure maximum effectiveness and visibility.”
  
  Brakes
  Moving onto brakes, Scott Irwin, Head of Technical Training at Textar, said: “A vehicle’s braking system can be put under heavy strain over the winter period, with ice, snow and sleet often covering the roads. While grit can help grip, the salt can have an adverse effect on the brakes, slowly corroding them over time. Nonetheless, grit will work more efficiently should the tyre’s tread level be at an optimum level.
  
  “However, one of the most important checks a motorist can get done over the winter is to have the brake fluid checked in their vehicle. As the fluid is hygroscopic, it absorbs moisture during its life in the car through the cap, hoses and joints that it passes. In colder months brake fluid will absorb more moisture. If the fluid is in a deteriorated state, it can cause further damage to the vehicle, such as damaging the hoses.
  
  “The recommended dry boiling point for Dot 4 LV fluid and DOT 5.1 is 260ºC , whereas the wet boiling point for DOT 4 LV is 160ºC  and DOT 5.1 is 180ºC, and this can be reduced by 30% as a result of just 5% of water contamination.”
  
  Scott continued: “While regular servicing will check the boiling point of the brake fluid, vehicle manufacturers recommend the brake fluid be changed a maximum of every two years if not advised to before. Changing brake fluid when recommended prevents brake failure and maintains the boiling point at a safe level.”
  
  He added: “Educating customers on the importance of checking and changing brake fluid is not only safety critical for drivers, but it also provides an opportunity for garages to upsell and create an additional revenue stream.”
  
  Video
  Once you gave performed a Winter check, you need to present the results. According to Gordon Grant, Global Sales Director at CitNOW, personalised video can help, while also give the opportunity for maintenance upselling.
  
  “As we approach Winter, it’s vital for motorists to start thinking about vehicle health checks and general maintenance, especially if their car has been sat stationary on a driveway for long periods during lockdown.
  
  “It’s easy to incorporate video into workshop and maintenance processes, with personalised and insightful videos created by technicians proving to be an effective method for upselling extra work, gaining quicker approval on additional recommended maintenance and delivering trusted advice to customers.”
  
  “Firstly, the use of video can be crucial for giving customers the confidence to come back. Secondly, video is now perhaps the most important tool for managing vehicle health checks (VHCs) and presenting issues to customers. Often, this leads to increased approval rates for new amber work, or picking up pre-existing amber work that has perhaps been overlooked during the pandemic.”
  Gordon added: “CitNOW is not only helping workshops book more work as a result of successful VHC videos, but is also helping to encourage customers back to the workshop and feel confident in completing work with our trusted partners.”
  
  

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