Hartridge Ltd Blog

The Next Generation Needs You

Posted by Becca Knight on November 11, 2020
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The Next Generation Needs YouIt feels pretty strange out there in the automotive world. Like many other industries, teetering on the edge of collapse and recovery. Treading a fine line between being part of the world we cannot live without and yet could all go under before we have balance restored. 

It can feel like all the opportunities the business needs to keep operating are all but gone, and if they weren’t already, then the stop-start nature of the covid-19 restrictions and relaxations will definitely do it. However, don’t lose hope just yet; the next generation needs your workshop.

The next generation of vehicles needs you

New waves of vehicles are entering their service life right now. Regardless of whether they have been on the road as much as usual hasn’t stopped the clock from ticking on their service life. Service life is widely considered to be from 3 years old, as generally this is the age that a vehicle leaves its manufacturer’s warranty coverage and all servicing and repairs are now the owner’s full responsibility.

Servicing itself is also more nuanced as service intervals are not solely connected to mileage any more. Timed service requirements, emergency work, and the need to avoid the negative effects of a vehicle remaining static for too long are all real concerns for the new generation of serviceable vehicles.

We haven’t even got into the best part of this news. The best part is the size of the vehicle parc this applies to. There are millions of vehicles which will turn 3 years old in 2020. This is an exciting, tangible and expanding opportunity to provide for the next generation of vehicles in the parc around your business.

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The Next Generation of Customers Needs You

Your business will likely have done a complete 360 in its business practices to get through this difficult time. Opening hours, man power, safety measures will be just a few of the ways you have had to change how you operate. You have different concerns today than you did a year ago.

The same can be said of your customers, whose needs are also not necessarily the same ones they had a year ago. Your customers may not be in a position to change vehicle as readily as they did and will now have that vehicle for longer into its’ service life than before.

They also may not be able to afford for that vehicle to stop working, in time, cost, and threat to income. They may be more apprehensive of facing costly repairs so now are more interested in pre-emptive servicing to avoid failures in increased.

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How to Make the Most of this Opportunity

There are a lot of ways to meet the new need of a generation so as to serve them best and find the opportunities for your business. The first is through customer education. Not all customers truly appreciate that when a vehicle which is designed to move doesn’t, especially for extended periods of time, their vehicle is genuinely at risk. Effects include seizures, degradations, and ultimately failure of components. It is in their interest to understand the benefits of proactive servicing, especially to big ticket items such as the engine.

The next generation of vehicles around your businessThe approach of doing as much as possible in a single visit is extremely advantageous, especially in today’s uncertain times. It can avert later expensive bills for a fraction of a full repair cost, especially if you focus attention on components that can act as an indicator of engine health such as fuel injectors and emissions.

Keeping an engine healthy through injector testing can benefit MPG and emissions, improve the driving experience, and detect potential faults before they become realised faults.

What was the reserve of complex investigation such as injector testing is something that could be included in a pro-active service quickly and easily. The next generation of customers need you, the next generation of vehicles need you, and the next generation of service offering is at your fingertips to make the most of this opportunity.

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Hartridge Ltd

Topics: workshops, workshop challenges, recover together, Next generation vehicle, ways to serve your customers

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