Digital aftersales

Rybrook Warwick has a real-time service booking facility that works with the dealership’s ‘no appointment necessary’ policy.

Rybrook Warwick marketed the new facility extensively when it was launched in September 2013 and says its customers love the convenience of booking their car in for a service while sitting on their sofa.

The dealership’s service customers can choose from four options for online booking – diagnosis, service, MoT and service and MoT.

The number of MoTs per day is limited, but there is no cap on anything else. This may sound like a dangerous game in terms of scheduling, but Rybrook Warwick has put the resources in place to deal with it, such as the master technician pre-ordering all parts needed for the next day’s bookings.

“If someone has a tricky problem, they will just pick up the phone because they want to know costs,” said Birchall.

“Online service booking is change and, again, the industry doesn’t embrace it. It’s great, how can you not like it if customers are booking themselves in?”

 

A self-diagnosing future

BMW started fitting cars with its ConnectedDrive tele-servicing technology in March 2013. As of last month, all new BMWs have it installed. Each car comes with a SIM card as standard (like a smartphone). When a car has a fault, it automatically contacts the dealership.

Rybrook Warwick is already getting emails from BMWs it has sold. The BMW sends the dealership a diagnostic code, which it can link to its own system, ready to order parts for the problem.

Birchall said: “We can see everything that might be wrong with that car.”