Garage hails website move for ramping up business

A Leicestershire garage has credited its website for convincing customers to drive past 20 other garages to use its services.

Castle Garage, in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, which recently won the Garage Hive Innovator Award, sought out specialist garage website provider Garage Services Online (GSO) to ensure the online representation of its brand was a “mirror image of the professionalism and service experienced by customers on the ground”.

Owner Chris Wileman (pictured) said the website has proven to have many tangible results for the business. But he said the proof that it truly portrays his customer service ethos online is because customers are driving past 20 other garages to get to his.

“Our website sets the tone for the whole customer experience,” Wileman said.

“Customer service starts so much earlier these days. From the minute someone clicks on a Google search result, their expectation is high. And if you don’t meet that, you can lose them in less than a minute.

“They want to find professionalism, instant answers and convenience. It’s likely they’ll have two anxieties at this point: ‘How much is it going to cost, and how long will I be without my vehicle?’

“If your website doesn’t work to reassure that customer, you’ve already fallen at the first hurdle. However, if it does, you’ve set the tone for your customer experience journey and people will choose you based on that.”

Online bookings

Wileman chose GSO to create and manage his website after the company was recommended by fellow Garage Hive users. As well as portraying the garage’s two sites professionally, he also wanted the website to pull in more servicing and MOT work, and less clutch and head gasket work.

“When the site went live, our enquiries doubled, and we saw a 30% increase in workload. We see less demand now for the time-consuming, less profitable jobs that don’t suit us,” Wileman said.

“We can plan the workshop better and life is easier for both the techs and office staff. Time-consuming calls are a thing of the past.”

The garage is also reaping the benefit of customers being able to book online. There’s a trend of customers booking work between 8-9pm, jobs he said they might have lost if an online facility was not available.

“A standard website isn’t enough anymore. Garages need a specialist website, made by people who know what they’re doing and know the industry. If not, you’re losing out on an enormous proportion of profitable work.

“My experience of GSO is brilliant. They are second to none and personally, I think their website work is unparalleled.”