Garages across the UK are as busy as ever. Speak to most owners and they’re booked up well into 2022 which, on the face of it, is fantastic news for the independent garage sector. But is it?
If you equate your business to a car driving at 100mph all day, every day, it’s easy to see it’s not sustainable in the long run.
If the only thing you can ever concentrate on is steering the car steadily and safely in that moment; there’s no way you’re going to know what state the tyres are in, let alone what’s around the bend.
And what if you could drive at a steady 60mph and still achieve the same distance in the same time?
There’d be more time to check on your passengers, know the vehicle is good for another 10,000 miles and plan the route ahead.
Running a garage business is exactly the same.
What’s needed is a quick pit stop, just fifteen minutes, to check on your customers and plan where you’re going.
Do you know which route to take to pick up the best passengers?
That is, the customers looking for the work that earns you the most money.
Without doubt, the sat nav needed here comes in the form of a website.
Related: ‘Try before you buy’ free new website trial ends soon
One that works hard to navigate the way for you, flashes its full beam when customers go online to book a car service and answers their questions at eleven o’clock at night when a Google search tells them they need a diagnostics check.
And if all this is working with you to create a better customer experience and fine tune the work you want to attract, then a good website is as integral to your business as headlights are to your car.
If you can’t see where you’re going, the work you’re picking up is probably down to luck, not planning.
So back to that pit stop you need.
In fifteen minutes, you can easily switch and steer an old website into the fast lane or arrange to have a new bespoke one built with an independent garage sector expert.
Jim Lang is managing director at Garage Services Online, a website company that only works with the independent garage sector.
He said: “Some of the most successful garages were already busy before they even asked us to sort their website out.
“Now they say they wouldn’t be without one; that it’s almost like having a few extra pairs of hands.
“Crucially, their website is helping to navigate the business towards customers long before they drive into the workshop.
“Now that’s a sustainable route and one that’s achievable by any garage but only if they pull over for a few minutes.
“That’s all it takes.”