Car Repair Garages-This is the way forward for car repair garages? ChipsAway in Abingdon puts customers first.
For the car repair garages to survive they must have modern facilities for their customers.
Of course, this is a point I have been making for the past twenty years at least. American tyre repair companies were the first to supply their customers with a reception. Including a decent waiting room. Firstly. this idea was replicated by Scottish entrepreneur Tom Farmer. When he visited American Auto centres. So, on his return home decided that this was the way forward. Implementing the new style reception areas into his early Kwik-fit empire.
Successfully, other Car Repair Garages and tyre centres all over the UK began to copy his style of operation. But many of the Auto Repair Services and car repair garages were too small . Subsequently, half of them were just back street dirty places. As a business model . These smaller operations would not have warranted money spending on them.
Generally though things began to improve
Altogether though it was a huge improvement and many tyre depots and Car Repair Garages where brought into the twentieth century and were fit for motorists to sit in while their car was been repaired, or their tyres were been fitted.
As time went on more and more ladies were taking up driving and the move to step up the facilities in the car repair garages was imminent. The customers wanted a better experience when visiting the garage or tyre depot for work doing on their cars. The main dealer garages started to introduce courtesy cars, to loan to their customers while work was been carried out on their cars, a good idea!
The courtesy car idea became a little tarnished when some of the garages started to charge for their use, or for insurance. I thought this was a negative affect and was not in the spirit of the idea. We at Pellon Tyres and Autocentre in Halifax UK provide courtesy cars for our customers, mainly because we are about two miles out of the town centre, and it allows our customers to go shopping or to work, while their car is been repaired.
Coffee machines and TV sets were added to receptions
Many of the switched on Car Service Garages offer their clients a free coffee machine in their reception. As well as a TV and up-to-date magazines for their entertainment. While they are waiting for a Car Repairs or an MOT or a tyre fitting. In my opinion this is what today’s modern consumer wants, this coupled with the fact that as I have said earlier, many of our customers are now ladies and they do not want to turn up to a dirty old Car repair garages in their nice clean clothes.
So this standard is the way forward and any garage or tyre fitting station that does not have customer facilities will fall behind and eventually perish.
