Garages and workshops turn to personalised video to comfort motorists, drive increased footfall and ensure road safety as the cost of living crisis takes hold across the nation.

Inflation and the cost of living has shot up to 10.1% in the last 14 months, with prices rising at their fastest rate for almost half a century and no signs of that trend slowing anytime soon.

The nation as a whole is facing very real concerns over the state of the global economy, the continued uncertainty and lack of stability at a political level and whether they can afford to pay for heating or eating.  The only certainty right now seems to be uncertainty!

Nonetheless, we still need to go about our daily lives and for the majority of us that means we require a car.  However, in addition to those challenges listed above, motorists are also facing a perfect storm of sharply rising fuel prices, increases in car insurance and company car tax, higher servicing prices, higher borrowing costs, rising new car prices and even the prospect of paying to park at work!

The recently announced Autumn Statement by Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt adds further misery as millions of us will be paying more in tax, driving down disposable incomes by 7.1% in real-term costs. According to the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, these are the lowest levels since records began in 1956/7 taking incomes down to 2013 levels.

A recent survey of 2,000 licence holders by Forbes Advisory found that two-thirds of all drivers agreed that the rising cost of living has made owning a car more challenging with 68% worrying about affording fuel for essential journeys like commuting to work or taking their children to school.  20% of drivers are having to use ‘rainy day’ savings to run their car, while 19% have resorted to taking out a loan. 

A recent poll by The Motor Ombudsman has shown that nine in 10 (91%) of those garages questioned said in order to curb costs motorists had cut back on taking their car in for its annual service with some motorists even skipping essential car maintenance such as replacing worn tyres and forgoing services.  

As we all know, delaying an essential purchase such as new tyres could be a life or death decision.  The same applies to missing regular services, which can not only keep the vehicle roadworthy but can maximise its operating efficiency, longevity and resale value (out of date service history records can reduce the value of the vehicle by 10% for example).

So, how can garages and workshops up and down the country ensure motorists still see the value in having their cars repaired and well maintained, whilst boosting their footfall at a time when they too are having to manage a multitude of financial and economic challenges? 

Personalised customer video is one such solution which can help turn the cost of living crisis into an opportunity for them and their customers.  Here’s why…

Top 5 benefits of personalised customer video and our MyServiceTrust solution:

1. Demonstrate trust and transparency and ultimately break down technical boundaries with customers, helping them appreciate the repair work required and why it’s important to visit you and ensure their vehicle is safe and reliable on the road.  Seeing really is believing and being told you have a weeping shock absorber may mean nothing to you, but seeing oil weeping down the side of the shocks and seeing it is part of the suspension, along with a clear and thorough explanation by one of your technicians through the power of video is so much more powerful.
2. Combine the personal experience with the digital expectations of today’s consumer and ultimately, improve the overall customer experience and them feel special.  Through video, customers can review the repair/advisory video from your technician time and time again at their convenience; come back to you with any questions after having  fully processed the information; and even share the video with family and friends showcasing your brand and innovative customer experience to new potential customers.   
3. Helping you to convert more work at a time when garages and workshops are competing for fewer jobs (with UK motorists skipping car maintenance or giving up their cars altogether) and 33% of garages putting in place marketing initiatives to attract new customers and enhance their online presence.  Personalised customer video is proven to increase work conversions by 25% with the average value of additional work won by our customers valued at £394.84*
   *based on the average value of work marked as ‘won’ divided by total number of videos sent across 30 workshops in October 2022
4. Saving the customer money in the long term – ensure your customers don’t ignore dashboard warning lights or problems such as unevenly worn tires.  Use video to clearly highlight and explain that these issues will only get worse and be costlier to fix the longer they leave them, not to mention increasing their risk of an accident especially as we enter into the winter season.
5. Our integration with finance provider, Payment Assist gives customers the option to instantly sign-up for finance and split their repair bill over four monthly instalments, interest and hassle free.  Easing the burden of the unexpected repair bill customers may have as a result of a Service or MOT. This is another proven way to help customers whilst at the same time converting even more work!

At a challenging time when customers can’t afford unexpected repair costs, our innovative My Service Trust solution offers peace of mind and ultimate convenience when ensuring their vehicle is safe and reliable on the road at an affordable price. At PECUVi we’re here to help.  So, click here to book a demo and get your FREE 14 day trial.  We’ll be with you every step of the way including set up and training to ensure you get the very best out of personalised customer video for you and your customers.