Independent research on female friendly garages has been conducted for over a decade now, with several websites set up to list all female ‘appropriate’ garages. Reading between the lines, this suggests that women still feel uncomfortable stepping into what’s perceived as a male dominated environment and dread running the car repair and servicing gauntlet.
Workshop equipment specialist Dura believes obtaining your share of the female market is simply about building trust and bridging the knowledge gap between professional and customer.
With this in mind Dura has developed a three point plan, which it says will finally win the female market battle that has ‘engulfed the automotive market for years’. As it happens, many of these tips just make good business sense and apply when trying to attract any new customer, be it male or female.
Stephanie Barber, Marketing and PR Executive at Dura, explains….
Whether its lack of confidence in discussing car related matters or a fear of spiralling costs, all garages, independent or franchised face the same problem. Nearly 50% of all license holders are female making them a huge share of the automotive aftermarket that is currently not being catered for.
Whilst you don’t have to go as far as the new French garages that offer manicures and an all-female team of staff, some changes need to be made to the British market. Here are some examples…
Create your identity
Most customers nowadays value quality, cleanliness, a warm welcome and professionalism. When working in any environment it is easy to take things for granted, sometimes you need to take a step back and see your premises through your customer’s eyes. From the TV channel playing in the background to the overall look of your workshop and reception area your visual impact can play a huge role in attracting female customers.
A stylish yet functional workshop where each technicians bay is uniformed and tidy, and where everything has its place not only aids in health and safety and technician retention but is more attractive to customers.
Qualification certificates and awards displayed in waiting areas easily convey your professionalism as an organisation as well as the standards you uphold as a business.
Lose the Jargon
Just because this is your chosen career and you have worked in the industry for too many years to count, doesn’t mean your customers have.
The blank faces staring back at you when you explain what work you have done is not because your customer is bored but because you may as well be speaking another language.
What makes you a reliable and trustworthy company is not how many technical terms you know but how secure your customers feel in the explanations they have received.
Develop trust
One of the biggest complaints from women is that they feel they have been ‘ripped off’ by their chosen garage.
This may be true or it may be the customer’s perception due to no explanation of what work has been conducted and the presentation of a higher final bill than expected.
Consultation bays provide the perfect space to allow a two way conversation. The specific space allows the technician to show their customer the work that has been conducted along with the parts that needed to be replaced and why. This open forum where the customer feels like time and space has been provided for them to discuss their concerns and questions gains confidence in the garage.
Some technicians are taking this idea even further by creating videos and taking photos of parts that need to be replaced and emailing or texting these direct to the customer to build upon their interaction.
Referrals are a key part of female interaction, by ensuring you meet expectations and provide a high standard of customer service throughout a customer’s entire journey you will soon see an increase in business from a few simple changes.
