Local garage bounces back thanks to website after losing half its customers

An independent garage in North Yorkshire has overcome 12 months of adversity to regain its position in the marketplace.

The future of AES Autoelectrical Services, based near Easingwold, was uncertain when owner Mark Shipman learned he was unable to renew the lease on its premises.

Despite securing a new unit, the business still wasn’t out of the woods. AES’ new premises were 15 miles away from its original base – and the customers it had spent 12 years servicing.

Mark said: “The move cost us 50 per cent of our customer base, simply because our new premises were too far away for them. And on top of that, there wasn’t the demand around our new premises for the marques we specialised in.

“It wasn’t ideal at all! So we adapted our offering, worked closely with our website provider and turned things around.”

Mark says despite the garage’s new premises being in a very rural area, the business has not only regained the lost 50 per cent customer base, it’s thriving.

“It became clear very quickly that we needed to push the more general garage services and build the business back up by responding to the local customers’ needs.

“We didn’t have the luxury of time for traditional word of mouth to kick in and it just doesn’t work the same anymore. Our website had been instrumental in our previous success so I knew exactly what to do.

“I called Garage Services Online who run our website and the team swung into action, they knew what needed to be done; they just ‘got it’.

“They changed the site to not only reflect the new AES, but the whole back-end too to ensure it attracted what people in the area were searching for in terms of garage services. The result was pretty instant and the phone started to ring.

“Even though business is back to where it was before, what the site continues to do is reinforce our reputation and portray exactly the right image of the garage – before the customer even picks up the phone. It’s so important, it’s what customers expect.

“Garage Services Online is, in my opinion, one of the best in the business. I was stung by other providers in the past but they continually prove themselves to have my business’s best interests at heart. There’s no smoke and mirrors; just honest, sound advice.”

Jim Lang, Garage Services Online’s MD, said: “Mark’s garage is the perfect example of not only how to adapt your business to changing circumstances, but that location isn’t a barrier to success when you have a website that’s finely tuned to your specific business needs.”