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‘My Service Trust’ App enables ‘dealer-level’ customer service

Imagine you had time to show your customers first-hand why a repair was required on their vehicle while it was on the ramp.

‘My Service Trust’ gives independent garages the opportunity to make personalised customer videos, a service which until now has only been offered by franchised dealers.

Following a successful pilot, the product launched in late July and is now used by independent garages to reassure customers they are in safe hands and justify work that needs to be undertaken.

As you can imagine, users have found it much easier to get issues across in a video than over the telephone and this transparent way of getting work approved is a sure-fire way of building trust and

increasing customer loyalty.

The ‘My Service Trust’ product has been developed by Yorkshire-based Smart Garage Solutions, allowing independent garages to create, review and send HD quality video quotes. The app can be used to highlight any urgent or advisory work that needs carrying out on a vehicle. Videos are neatly packaged into a branded responsive landing page, which customers access via a link from a text or

email on any device they use.

A recent study of 1,400 motorists who use independent garages has found that reliability and good service are both more important than price when it comes to building customer loyalty. In the survey,

60% of respondents also said they have had a bad experience with garages, with the result that most are happy to remain fiercely loyal to a good local operator they

know they can trust.

By using ‘My Service Trust’ personalised videos, garages can build personal relationships with their customers, show the legitimacy of repair works and break down technical boundaries. The result

of which is less time spent on the phone convincing customers.

How it works…

You can sign up for a free 30-day trial at https://app.myservicetrust.co.uk/create-account and try the service out on your smartphone. Be prepared to impress your customers. After downloading the Garage App, to create your first video quote you just need to add their contact details and search

the vehicle reg, add your name then hit record – you have up to 3 minutes to film details of the work needed. You can then preview or re-record the film before saving to the Garage Dashboard. From here you can add any details to videos, including quotes for parts and labour. With a click of the button, the video along with the details can be sent by email or text to the customer. After contact with the customer, the quote can be marked as ‘Won’ or ‘Lost’ and you can track the number of videos that have converted into work from the main dashboard. From here you can clearly see any callback requests, values of work won and it also shows you when the customer has viewed the video.

To continue using this service after the trial, there is a one-off set-up fee of £299+VAT for the sign up kit, which includes an iPod and charger, protective case, handheld grip and Garage Dashboard Access. Three monthly subscription packages are available from £49 per month. We have spoken to a workshop who signed up after trialling it and expanded their business after a few

months’ use due to the amount of new customers gained through referrals.

Ben Smith, Founder of Smart Garage Solutions, says: “The automotive industry is going through a period of change; advances in technology, the popularity of smartphones and increased customer

use of video. We saw the opportunity to enhance similar technology available on the market that was expensive and predominantly aimed at the franchised dealer market.

“We set out to create a level playing field, giving independent garages the opportunity to take advantage of personalised customer videos at a much more affordable price.”

A 30-day free trial is available, visit www.smartgaragesolutions.co.uk/products/myservicetrust

to find out more.

About Autotechnician

Autotechnician is a magazine published nine times a year, delivering essential information to independent garage owners and technicians in the UK. Delivered both digitally and in print, autotechnician provides readers with technical, training, business advice, product and news, allowing our readers to keep up to date with information they need to run and work within a modern workshop.

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