When a vehicle comes into the workshop requiring expensive but necessary work, a video showing and explaining the work can make a vital difference.

Volkswagen technician Andy was undertaking a VHC on a customer’s car and had the daunting task of explaining a series of concerns that cost in excess of £1,300 to fix. By using video to highlight and explain the seriousness of the work Andy secured approval for over £1,000 of the work identified.

How to break bad news better

The customer had brought the vehicle in for a shuddering sensation to be investigated but was not expecting a long list of other issues. These included a brake fluid change, gearbox oil and filter change, worn front brake discs, a shock absorber oil leak, as well as the discovery of the source of the shuddering – a running gear problem.

Andy used the video component of the VHC to show how the main problem occurred, a lack of grease had caused rusting and excessive movement in both drive shafts. He shows the resulting damage transparently and with a personal touch impossible to convey by email or on the phone.

The friendly but no-nonsense and succinct explanation, as well as showing the customer exactly the problems found and why it was necessary to put right, resulted in authorisation for the majority of the work required. The head of business contacted CitNOW to say the red work was approved as a result of video communications, with the customer better able to appreciate the issues raised.

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We regularly contribute to AM Online’s best video practice feature. View other video best practise examples here.

Want to learn how you can get your Workshop team making videos of this quality? CitNOW Workshop users can benefit from attending a free masterclass.