Short, packaged videos filmed by technicians at five Volkswagen centres have led to a significant increase in customers approving urgent service and repair jobs at dealer group Ridgeway.

NEED TO KNOW
♦  Ridgeway has seen a 23% increase in red work conversions as a result of using video ♦ Customer can approve work highlighted by the technician in the report and the videos they make

Using a platform known and marketed as Ridgeway Workshop Window, developed in the second half of last year, the group links electronic vehicle health checks to 60-second videos which are then sent to customers via email or text message. The customer is able to approve work highlighted by the technician in the report and the videos they make, with commentary, when the vehicle is on the workshop ramp.

Ridgeway’s aim in using video is to increase the amount of red (urgent) work approvals through building customer trust.

Comparing service promotional activity in Q4 2013 and Q1 2014, the result of producing 1,486 videos has been a 23% increase in red work conversions (worth £142,145). Taking into account there was one less day in Q1 2014, average overall sales per day was £15,753 this year, compared with £13,299 last year, equating to £96 per unit of incremental red work sold. Each video includes a ‘pre-roll’ explaining their purpose and branding.

Ridgeway aftersales director Richard Spencer said: “The results have been the best I’ve seen from these five VW sites.” It is now rolling out the video packages to other centres in the group.

Alistair Horsburgh, chief executive of CitNow, which provides video technology and training to 60 of the AM100, said the dealer group demonstrated the numerous benefits of video in the aftersales department, which include transparency and building of trust, faster authorisation process, customer and service reception education, substantiation of warranty claims, damage reporting and condition assessment recording.

♦  In two prize draws during its workshop, CitNow gave away six months of its video service, equipment and training to Nick Pincott, general manager, Pebley Beach and David McNamara, managing director – aftersales, Ford Retail.