opinion 24 View from the top Bill Fennell, Chief Ombudsman and Managing Director at <strong>The</strong> Motor Ombudsman, the automotive dispute resolution provider, takes a look at what we can expect for the year ahead in the sector. Despite the concerns of political and economic instability as we start another year, it’s far from doom and gloom. Three years ago, the number of new cars sold in the UK hit nearly 2.7 million in the space of 12 months, an all-time high. More than 500,000 vehicles were registered in March 2016 alone, thereby making it the biggest ever month for sales since the bi-annual plate change began in 1999. <strong>The</strong> positive repercussion of this, is that fast forward to 2019, and these cars will need to have their first MOT, which shows the potential volume of work that could be going through garages up and down the country. This is without taking into account the older vehicles that were already on the road prior to this that still need to be serviced and repaired, as well as a used car market which is expected to remain strong. In addition, some motorists will also see their initial threeyear manufacturer’s warranty and servicing plan expire in 2019, and may therefore look beyond the franchise dealer network for a reputable local business to continue maintaining their vehicle. I think that the aforementioned figures lay the foundations for what could be a profitable period for the independent garage sector, and one of the busiest in terms of the number of cars passing through workshops. Combined with what is already a competitive environment, with thousands of garages and MOT stations vying for business, standing out from the crowd has never been so important. This means that making a good impression on and offline in the eyes of the consumer is essential for the formation of long-term rapport and trust. One way for garages to do this, if they have not already done so, is to become accredited to an established Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)-approved Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair, such as that offered by <strong>The</strong> Motor Ombudsman. This allows them to demonstrate to both new and existing customers that they set the bar high when it comes to the quality of their service and workmanship. It also means that the business has committed to using Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to help conclude an unresolved issue with a vehicle owner. <strong>The</strong> benefit of this is that it can steer away complaints from often costly and timeconsuming legal action, and is a facility that a neighbouring garage may not have the liberty to offer customers. In addition to <strong>The</strong> Motor Ombudsman’s ongoing investment in the promotion of its accredited garage network that businesses can take advantage of, social media will continue to play an important role within the dispute resolution process as we go through the year and beyond. With most products and services available nowadays at the click of a button, consumers equally expect an instant response when something goes wrong. From our own monitoring of the digital sphere, we are seeing many turn to Twitter, especially, in the event of dispute. <strong>The</strong>y often use the channel as the first port of call to publically vent their frustration in the hope of getting a swift response to solve their problem without having to pass through a more formal procedure. Nevertheless, although social media is a useful tool for answering a basic query, or for providing an update to a consumer as part of good relationship management strategy, it ultimately does not serve as a valid substitute for an effective internal disputes handling mechanism. Aside from the use of social platforms by consumers as a virtual mouthpiece to attract attention, we are encouragingly, also seeing garages reaping the benefits of positive marketing exposure and interaction with motorists, whether this is through providing road safety tips, running prize draws, or promoting special offers. With an increasing reliance on web-based technology for how we operate and communicate today, I am sure that social media will continue to gain even greater prominence within independent garages for the purpose of prospecting and preserving customer loyalty, thereby complementing the more traditional approaches of advertising and word of mouth. Looking ahead in terms of our own activities, <strong>The</strong> Motor Ombudsman itself will be focused on driving consumer confidence even higher in the sector using intelligence gathered from the latest industry trends, whilst giving peace of mind to businesses that they are implementing best practice across processes in their organisations to deliver satisfaction and avoid the occurrence of disputes. For more information on how your business can become accredited to <strong>The</strong> Motor Ombudsman’s Motor Industry Codes of Practice from less than £19+VAT per month, visit www.<strong>The</strong>MotorOmbudsman.org/garages/tmo-accreditation. 24 Opinion.indd 1 04/02/2019 10:22
GMOT NGK Mona Glow Nov 2018.qxp_Layout 1 07/11/2018 11:41 Page 1 facebook.com/ngksparkplugsuk NGK UK YouTube ngkntk.com <strong>The</strong>re’s no substitute for an original. S P A R K P L U G S : G L O W P L U G S : S E N S O R S : I G N I T I O N C O I L S F R O M T H E W O R L D ’ S N O . 1 NGK.indd 1 06/02/2019 14:30
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