Digital platforms are also playing an increasingly important role in aftersales.
Promotor XD is convinced that workshops should present themselves with an attractive company profile in which transparent offers and service prices as well as the entire service portfolio including customer reviews can be found. The training and consulting company, which is part of the DAT Group, uses the latest figures from the leading workshop portal FairGarage, which is also a subsidiary of the DAT Group, to demonstrate how the digital customer ticks and, conversely, workshops can generate profitable orders from inquiries.
The digital market for new and used cars has been a reality for many years. But the aftersales market has also become an integral part of the World Wide Web today. In 2021, FairGarage had 3,2 million visitors, according to promoter XD. There were 4,5 million searches on aftersales topics across all workshop portals; In total, FairGarage provided 45.000 leads. At 71 percent, the lion's share of visitors come to the portals via mobile devices. According to the DAT Report 2022, the willingness to book maintenance and wear and tear via the Internet in 2021 is 44 percent, significantly higher than previous years (2015: 19 percent). According to the DAT report, a clear trend is also emerging in the locations where maintenance and repair work is carried out. Branded workshops clearly fell back in customer favorability (2010: 54, 2021: 43 percent), while independent companies increased from 36 to 50 percent in the same period - a clear sign that independent workshops are tackling the issue more aggressively and seriously overall. As the figures from the online marketing provider Semrush and organic traffic, i.e. non-paid visits via various search engines, show in February 2022, the workshop portal FairGarage is the undisputed leader with currently around 274.000 organic hits via Google without purchasing traffic and partnerships market.
Attractive workshop profile as the key to success
However, so that workshops can actually generate profitable orders online, it is important to always score points with an attractive website. Success depends on an appealing profile, emphasizes Uwe Hausdorff, product manager of Promotor
Inspections most frequently requested
As the current Promotor XD market analysis of the workshop portal FairGarage shows, the lion's share visits the portal outside opening hours (46 percent). A full 84 percent of these are organic visitors, i.e. users who started a targeted search using a search engine and found FairGarage via the results displayed. A total of 565 landing pages for FairGarage are available to Internet users, which lead them directly to an offer on the workshop portal. As the current market analysis shows, 31 percent of visitors today are women. This shows that women are on the rise here too. The fact that it is not only young people who are online-savvy when it comes to workshops is also underlined by the fact that 22 percent of visitors today are older than 55 years.
The distribution of online-based customer searches by make and type of service is virtually a reflection of the market. According to FairGarage's analysis, in 2021 the Volkswagen brand led the market with 19,62 percent, followed by BMW with 11,43 and Mercedes with 11,24 percent. Behind them are Audi (9,30), Opel (8,47) and Ford (7,98). The type of service requested is dominated by inspections (11,49), timing belt replacement including water pump (10,17) as well as complete front brake service (8,33) and complete rear brake service (6,46).
One in two people would like a personal offer
Almost every second customer who searches for workshop services online does so within their freely chosen or available time, without having to subject themselves to the corset of opening times. According to promoter XD, an individual offer tailored to his personal requirements is at the top of his agenda (49 percent). As Promotor In addition, the accessibility of the service, such as distance, travel time or public transport (31), is an important argument. The customer generally prefers a workshop around the corner (27). Customer reviews and the quality of the workshop website are also crucial criteria when making a selection for one in four (74) online visitors.
The most important advantages of a workshop portal: variety of offers and information about costs
For FairGarage customers, the biggest advantages of a workshop portal are the comparability of offers (39) and the possibility of obtaining information about costs (33). A close second is that a suitable workshop can be found without much effort (27). Accordingly, visitors' expectations are high. The majority of interested parties want offers that can be booked online with binding prices (38), a quick response to an inquiry (32) and an attractive workshop profile with contact information and pictures (21). Contact options via telephone or WhatsApp (20) are also expected. The respective website is also given the highest importance as a business card for the workshop. More than half (54) would like to find offers and service prices clearly and transparently, followed by the range of services (28) and customer reviews (20).
Room for improvement: Many workshops need to become more professional
As Promotor XD's current evaluations of FairGarage show, most customers are convinced of the online workshop portal. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement for some workshops. At least 28 percent of all those surveyed are struggling with their trust in the workshop. 23 percent criticize the fact that the cost estimate was exceeded, and the fact that the problem was not resolved is a no-go for 20 percent. “These statements make clear the gap between expectations and reality in the workshop sector. Given that sales in the traditional workshop business are expected to decline significantly in the next few years, every service company should take the digital customer very seriously. The course for the future is being set right now,” says Uwe Hausdorff. Therefore, every company should now do everything they can to make their team fit for the demands of digital customers and thus strengthen the trust of customers and interested parties in their company and its services. “The central role of online reviews in particular should not be underestimated. These can be essential for the long-term success of the company, the image and the level of attention,” emphasizes Uwe Hausdorff, Product Manager Promotor XD, with a view to the growing importance of FairGarage for a successful workshop business.
Conclusion: Get to the digital customer
The evaluations of the DAT Report 2022 and Promotor XD once again underline how important digital aftersales offers via workshop portals are to customers. His expectations of the workshop are demanding. In order for service companies to actually operate profitably online, an attractive website and digital processes when addressing customers must have top priority. According to Erich Kästner's motto “There is nothing good unless you do it,” the workshop needs to focus more than ever on the digital service customer in its activities and thus in its everyday digital workshop life.
Sources: * DAT Report 2022, ** FairGarage
