Take care of your customers and they will take care of you. It may be cliché but it’s true. As a workshop owner, you are always looking for different ways to grow your workshop and maximise profit. Sure, providing a great service or repair is vital but there is a lot more things customers look for before choosing a Workshop.
Here’s what customers look for in a workshop:
5-star customer service
I know what you’re thinking, it’s dead obvious right? But you would be surprised how many workshops miss doing the simple things. 72% of Australian motorists feel anxiety around visiting a workshop. If you want to grow customers, you need to provide customer service which is second to none.
Make your booking process easy! Give customers the option to book online. As competition continues to grow you need to offer something that makes you stand out. Remind customers when they are due for a service, explain to them why something needs to be repaired, give the car a quick clean, there are many ways your workshop can create a Wow customer service. The better your customer service is – the more customers you will acquire.
Online reviews
81% of customers base their buying decision on a business’s online reviews. Customers want to see what your workshop has done for others. Put yourself in your customers shoes, would you want to know the track record of a mechanic? You would be more enticed to book with a proven mechanic than those who are not.
People’s vehicles are important to them, they want to know who they are sending their vehicle to. To grow your workshop, you need to have online reviews. Online reviews can be implemented on Google, Facebook, or your website.
A fast and easy way to grow your workshops online reviews is by sending an automated reviews link via SMS to your customers at the time of job completion. To learn how to create an online reviews link click here.
Job efficiency
There’s nothing more frustrating than going to pick your car up from a mechanic and finding out it’s not finished. Customers are busy, we live in a world now where we need things to be quick and easy! To grow your workshop, you need to be sure you are completing jobs on time – every time.
We get it, sometimes things don’t go to plan, jobs can run over. That’s why it is so important you should be using a Workshop Management System. The benefit of using a workshop management system is you can simply your entire job process. Mechanics can assign jobs, provide live updates, and more importantly instantly remind customers if their booking is running overboard. The last thing you want is to lose a customer because of poor job management.
Price
We are not going to beat around the bush, if your services aren’t priced appropriately, you will lose customers. I’m with you! you need to have a decent margin to pay your overheads, but if your prices are not priced competitively customers will look elsewhere.
For workshop owners you need to research what competitors are offering customers and figure out a way you can offer them something better. As the saying goes keep your friends close but your competitors closer!
It is highly recommended that you consult with your accountant before making any changes to pricing. You need to understand what is feasible and realistic.
Final word,
There are so many things that customers are looking for in a workshop. The 4 primary factors mentioned above can make or break your workshop. At the end of the day, you need to make things as fast and easy for your customer as possible. Addressing the tips mentioned, your workshop will go along way to retaining and acquiring customers in the automotive industry.
About Workshop Mate
Workshop Mate is a web-based workshop management software that automates and manages your everyday tasks, including quotes, invoices, parts management, reminders, and more.
If you’ve never used Workshop Mate, now is the best time to have a go.
Call us on 1300 473 744 to find what sets us apart or click below to start your trial.