Castrol is offering independent workshops the perfect opportunity to compete with and beat franchised dealers by becoming certified by the prestigious TÜV Rheinland Group.
Castrol has launched a new independent certification for its Castrol Service workshops to help participating businesses optimise operating standards and further consolidate customer trust. The certification has been provided by the TÜV Rheinland Group, a global leader in third-party testing and certification providing oversight and certification of compliance standards for participating businesses within the Castrol Service network.
Currently, the core quality and customer service requirements for the network are met by more than 220 independently operated workshops in the United Kingdom. Castrol aims to become the market leader in branded automotive workshops, and TÜV certification helps raise the benchmark for Castrol service centres.
To become certified, participating workshops will receive information from Castrol on what is needed and can apply for an audit after a positive assessment of their own performance. TÜV Rheinland will then carry out an assessment of operational procedures in workshops across five key business areas: business organisation; workshop appearance; process and transparency; technical and equipment; and health, safety, and environment.
After a successful audit, workshops will be awarded a Castrol Certified Partner certificate, as well as a certification shield for display at the workshop. A number of online assets can be used on the workshop’s website, on social media and the workshop’s ‘Google My Business’ profile for three years.
“Our Castrol Service workshop accreditation assures customers that they will receive a quality service and aims to help workshops safeguard customer retention,” said Marc Perkins, head of sales UK and Ireland. “The option of third-party certification is a response to those businesses that are pushing for even higher standards of excellence, and this new programme will help them increase customer footfall, improve trust and build loyalty.”
Castrol aims to help independent workshops further elevate their online presence through a ‘Google My Business’ service. Offered as part of the Castrol Service network, the service includes the creation of a Google profile for the participating workshop, containing all relevant and useful information to customers, such as the location, opening hours, contact details and current offers available to customers. Participating workshops will also receive a monthly update from Google Business Insights, helping them track website traffic and activity.
Multi-specification oil range
More recently, Castrol launched a comprehensive multi-channel marketing campaign to raise consumer awareness of its range of Magnatec lubricants across the UK. This campaign ran for three months beginning in January and aimed to promote how Magnatec meets a significant breadth of OEM specifications, providing increased value and benefits to car owners, mechanics, distributors, and independent workshops.
To assist workshops in promoting Castrol Magnatec to customers, the lubricants brand has developed a specific marketing toolkit. The toolkit includes assets such as brochures and wallcharts to enhance mechanics’ ability to select the appropriate oil for specific engines, as well as email templates, posters, roll-up banners, stickers and other displays, all designed to raise customers’ awareness regarding the importance of protecting their vehicles from wear and tear.
The company claims that 15.7 million cars manufactured by mainstream OEMs across the UK, accounting for 39.9 per cent of the country’s car parc, can be serviced using just five Magnatec products. This means workshops can simplify their inventory management and ensure compatibility with a wide range of vehicles, including millions of Citroen, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Kia, Peugeot, Toyota and Vauxhall vehicles.
