An independent garage says it has successfully responded to the way in which customers now seem to look for vehicle services.
P&W Auto Services in Manchester, noticed a trend in the growing number of online enquiries it receives out of hours from late night surfers and, during what it assumes are TV ad breaks.
Trisha Pallister, co-owner of the family-run business, first noticed the change when she started tracking where and when the garage’s enquiries were coming from.
She said: “Years ago, if you wanted to book your car into the garage, you were restricted to getting in touch during opening hours. Now, I think people expect to be able to action things as soon as they come to mind – no matter what time it is.
“Thankfully, we were ahead of the curve. We commissioned a website and it’s literally like having another me that’s on call 24/7.
“My first job every morning is to respond to the email enquiries sent overnight via the website; we get at least four a day. These are almost always converted into bookings and those people then recommend us to other people.
“We get even more enquiries over the phone. It’s hardly surprising when you consider how high our website ranks in Google searches. We appeared in over 21,000 searches in March and from those, the enquiries that filter through are exactly the type of work we want.
“It’s because the site is built to attract what our potential customers are typing into the search. It’s something that can only be truly achieved with a bespoke site.”
Trisha also credits the decision to get a website as a game changer for P&W Auto Services’ growth.
She continued: “Overall, it has helped the business grow massively. People liken us to a small dealership – obviously without the price tag. We’re definitely intercepting work that would have gone to a main dealer and we’re seeing a lot of in-warranty vehicles and prestigious marques.
“If our website disappeared tomorrow, trade would drop off by at least 25 percent.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to bits with it. The team at Garage Services Online offer a customer service that’s rare these days. The whole thing was effortless, quick and not expensive.
“They asked me what I wanted. I got it. And boy is it delivering.”
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