Turn up the heat on summer servicing

As things begin to return to something approaching normality and the ebb and flow of pent-up demand in vehicle servicing starts to level out, now is the perfect time to maximise other potential booking opportunities.

With the summer holidays upon us, and with it a sense of freedom restored, many people will be making the most of a staycation this year rather than a holiday abroad, taking longer trips than usual across the UK.

With many motorists thinking about hitting the road this presents a great opportunity for workshops to be proactive in reaching out to them. For example, over the past 18 months, many vehicles will have sat idle on driveways or taken fewer trips than usual. As a result, oil and lubricants may have remained dormant in these vehicles, which could potentially make their engines less efficient and lead to engine damage. Do your customers know this?

Video is a great way to clearly and effectively communicate the issues that could result from a car being left unused for a long period of time – and the benefits of bringing their car in for a summer health check. So, with this in mind, why not make the most of the CitNOW Workshop video app by creating new types of content for your customers?

Technician recording a CitNOW workshop video, showing the tyre tread depth

You can use the app to quickly and easily demonstrate to your customers everything you check during a vehicle’s service, highlighting relevant key features such as air conditioning checks, fluids top-ups and making sure the tyres and battery are in great condition. You could also use video to offer practical advice, such as highlighting the essential checks every driver should make before a long car journey.

Another potential source of revenue is from customers who had amber work identified on their vehicle in the last year. Many drivers may have been unable or unwilling to visit the workshop, so now is a great time to approach them. In a recent CitNOW survey*, we found that more than two fifths of motorists would be more likely to approve repair work on their car if they were sent a video of the vehicle that clearly showed them any work required. This is up from just one in ten of motorists in 2018, highlighting how important video has become for customers in the work approval process.

Video has become a must-have tool in the workshop for retailers and is one of the top additional services that customers value most. Make sure you and your teams fully utilise this technology this summer, to make your customers aware of the services you can offer to ensure they are ready to hit the road. We love to see CitNOW Workshop being used in creative and meaningful ways to effectively communicate with customers and help maximise bookings. If you use CitNOW Workshop in a new way, don’t forget to enter your best video into our Digital Spotlight Awards to gain recognition for your efforts.

*CitNOW poll of 1000 UK motorists, October 2020. Report link: Accelerating the Digital Customer Experience