GDPR: Taking the cake or the cookie
Got some time on your hands? In her second article for Aftermarket, Rebecca asks whether you should use it thinking about your GDPR policy
Published: 28 July, 2020
By Rebecca Pullan, Carmaster
It’s not news anymore and all those shiny privacy policies so painstakingly put together are old hat. Mine even has a cheeky little joke in it stating how ‘tyre-ing and exhaust-ing’ it all was, just to prove it really was me. Anyone who knows me will tell you I am amazing at poor quality overused jokes. It’s a gift.
They are all now firmly at the bottom of each webpage and even the link has cobwebs on it – see previous reference to my ‘gift’. They are rarely to be clicked on again, except when someone angrily uses GDPR against you in a potentially threatening way. Then, you’re reading it frantically checking you’ve complied with everything you said.
Each garage owner does need to know a few things, other than about mending cars. Some of you reading may have even started out after this traumatic law came in. Now, even sending out a Christmas card can put you at risk of going to prison. That particular year we sent ours out unsigned, without a logo and not even to our customers. We felt it far safer, taking into consideration the gravity of the situation. It was also important to me that we acted professionally and led the way.
We do all need to keep up, ignorance is no defence in law – this law does come with some frightening consequences. It’s there every day and actually part of our every contact with customers.
Top five tips
Here’s my top five tips on things you might have forgotten to do since GDPR came in last year.
Buying a shredder: Accidentally leaving personal details around on scraps of paper is now a big no-no. Get some good habits and shred every day. This can nicely double up in your Environmental Policy as helping the local pet shop with hamster bedding. Recycling at its very best.
Making sure you know why you are contacting people and also ensure that every employee knows and understands the phrase legitimate interest: It needs to trip of the tongue. Get them to say it time and time again like some modern tongue twister.
Deciding how old is too old: I used to think old was over 40. Turns out that I now think very differently, suspect that’s education and reading business books! Decide how long you keep things like job applications, old employee details and customer records and when that date has passed – get rid of them. Top tip here is choose a big date, makes it a lot easier. E.g. “Blah Blah Blah Garage keeps all employee details for 100 years.” Not too hard
is it?
Appointing a Data Controller: You could easily offer this title to an employee as a reward. It really does sound most excellent and will look fabulous on any business card.
Watch out for cookies: Someone else is probably in charge of your website, so this can easily be missed on your GDPR radar. These things are neither a cake nor a biscuit that could explain my (and yours?) recent weight gain and they are everywhere. Did you know cookies hold, store and collect information about you? In my eyes, this relatively new law was worth all those hundreds of paperwork hours alone just to get these sweet treats in check. After all, you never hear of a Victoria Sponge or a Butterfly Bun blabbing all your secrets.
Have I missed anything out? Contact me here via the Editor at alex@aftermarket.co.uk if you have any other GDPR
top tips!
- It’s all very Scopetastic!
It’s been an interesting few weeks here at Auto iQ HQ. After my last article discussing the merits of “growing over buying” technicians I received a few phone calls looking for my views on the most productive path to technical enlightenment.
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With the UK having experienced record-breaking temperatures today (Tuesday 19 July 2022) LKQ Euro Car Parts is urging garages to make sure they can capitalise on the A/C opportunities, as it is in this kind of heat that drivers notice when their car’s system is not up to scratch.
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Arnold Clark Autoparts is sponsoring stock car racing driver Holly Glen as she makes a bid for the World Stock Car Championships.
- March MOT madness: Making the most of it
MOTs should be firmly at the top of the agenda for garages this month, for two key reasons. Firstly, it’s the last normal month of MOT demand until later in the year, as a result of the extensions granted in the early days of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Secondly, the deadline for testers to complete their MOT Annual Assessment is just a few weeks away.
Here’s everything you need to know about making the most of the immediate opportunity, while ensuring you remain qualified and able to conduct MOT work from 1 April onwards.
Top tips
Use your data: Government research shows that 40% of MOT customers prefer to choose a garage they have used before, so work through your customer database to identify customers in need of an MOT.
Pick up the phone: Contact your customers by phone rather than blanket email or text. One garage owner reported a 43% uptake on bookings in a single day after switching to making phone calls to his customers.
Get social: Use your social media pages to let your customers know you are open, and to spark the reminder that their MOT could be due. Some might have forgotten that they have not been using their vehicles as frequently. Social media is also a great channel to mention the Covid safety measures you have in place, to help put customers’ minds at ease about booking with you.
Be searchable: Make sure you are listed on relevant online directories and local lists, so when potential new customers are searching for a garage, you are in the mix.
Think ahead: Use the opportunity to get ahead for next year and set up reminders for customers on their MOT deadlines. This way, you can ensure they come back to you next time.
Bolster your team: If you have created the demand, but do not have the resource to manage it because team members are off sick or on holiday, there is no need to turn work away. Use our dedicated recruitment partner, AutoTech Recruit, to bring in experienced temporary technicians at a low cost.
Prioritising the MOT tester Annual Assessment
Disruption to the MOT demand curve, not to mention disruption more broadly, with changing COVID-19 restrictions and staff absences, means many testers have overlooked their compulsory MOT training.
The DVSA recently reported that nearly 50,000 testers were yet to complete their assessment this year. While it’s understandable that some might have been focusing on other things, failing to get assessed in time could have serious consequences, both for workshop income, and for road safety.
MOTs are a critical and reliable source of revenue for garages. Private modes of transport, i.e. passenger cars, are the preferred choice for many at the moment, and given changes to the e-commerce landscape brought about by COVID-19, it has never been more important to keep delivery and other essential vehicles on the move.
The purpose of the MOT is to aid safety and drive quality, and each year, testing standards undergo vital changes to ensure it does exactly that. If testers are not up to date with what’s required, they might overlook key details that could put their both their customers and other drivers at risk.
This is doubly important when considering the impact of lockdown on vehicles, many of which might be in a poorer condition than typically expected, having sat idle at times in the last year. Components such as brakes, for example, can begin to corrode when there is not sufficient motion to prevent rust from building up. Similarly, tyres can begin to lose their efficacy when lying unused.
To ensure testers are prepared and able to pass their assessment first time, we offer IMI-approved MOT training. Technicians can complete both their full annual CPD and routine refresher courses via our LKQ Academy. We also run classroom-based and online training programmes to cater for different learning preferences and styles.
Ultimately, by providing training, equipment and business support, not to mention having the largest range, fleet and branch network in the business, it is our ambition to ensure that independent garages are run successfully and profitably, and that every job is completed to the highest standard.
