“We know there’s an element of mistrust in our industry and consumers are not experts. They wouldn’t know if their shock absorber was leaking so it’s our job to show them in a clear manner.”

Video technology also allows staff to record a customer testimonial for a job done well, to be hosted on the group’s website and YouTube, and to film how-tos such as pairing a phone via Bluetooth or checking tyre tread depth.

Another development has been Wessex Garages’ relationship with its digital supplier, GForces. The dealer group isn’t happy to sit and wait for online innovations to come along, it works with GForces and pushes it hard to reset the boundaries.

Brock sees the recent digital innovation of Wessex Garages as one way to recruit fresh talent into motor retail. The group offers video and website apprenticeship roles and the digital sales executive roles also attract young blood into the business. Once these people have gained a wide knowledge of the business they can adapt to fresh challenges in new roles.

Next to the managing director’s office at Wessex Garages’ headquarters in Pennywell Road, Bristol, sits a group department with eight people focused on managing the group’s internet, social media, marketing, database and customer satisfaction functions. It’s no coincidence that they’re next to Brock – they share his passion for getting the best out of the business and moving it forward.

Wessex Garages hasn’t used Auto Trader for two years. Instead, it took the money it had been spending on Auto Trader and invested that, and more, in its own team and in mechanisms to create its own online traffic. Its YouTube channel gets 30,000 views a month, and its website visits in September were up 36% year-on-year to almost 48,000.

Asked how the business ensures the customer’s experience in the showroom lives up to their expectations created online, Brock said it came down to the basics.

 

The dealership experience is still vital

“I like working on basics. When they walk in the showroom or phone into the business, those first 10 seconds are the telling time, because you’re confirming that they’ve made the right choice. They need to get the right response.

“I don’t want to sound blasé about it, but our people just do it. That’s how we’re set up. We don’t dual-price, we’re transparent. It’s part of our DNA.”