CAN BODYSHOPS CAPITALISE ON CONSUMER IMPATIENCE?
Cromax Brand Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Kevin Torfs, explains how to leverage today’s customers and turn impatience into profit
It’s widely known that consumers across the world are growing increasingly impatient as a result of constant technological innovations. There is a clear demand for better and faster services from customers in all industries. A recent study[1] revealed that 79 percent of management believes that consumers are more impatient than ever before and that customers will leave if they do not get what they want when they first make contact with a brand.
Kevin Torfs, Brand Manager for Cromax in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, explains, “In today’s on-demand world, technology has created the belief that everything happens quickly. Google research[2] shows that 40 percent of customers will leave a webpage that takes longer than three seconds to load, so it’s fair to say that people are more impatient than ever and that companies need to adjust their product and service offerings accordingly.”
Capitalising on impatience
On the face of it, the increasing impatience of customers may seem like a negative trend, but in fact it has important implications and exciting opportunities for bodyshops.
“It might sound unconventional, but the truth is that bodyshops can profit from the impatience of their customers. Today, the time-saving, material-saving and energy-saving tools and systems from Cromax – even something like our advanced digital colour management system, ChromaConnect, which helps bodyshop to increase their efficiency through digital technology - drive productivity like never before and help bodyshop owners capitalise on customers’ demands for swift turnaround times on vehicle repairs. The bottom line is that convenience and speed will ultimately give bodyshops a competitive edge.”
Implications and opportunities
Rather than viewing customer impatience as a thorn in their side, bodyshops should evaluate their operations. By identifying where they can improve throughput, they will be able to drive productivity whilst satisfying their customers’ need for speed. “With the right Cromax product system, the possibilities to capitalise on customer impatience is endless, regardless of the size of the repair,” says Torfs.
For jobs that involve minor damage to the vehicle, small area repairs can be carried out with special techniques that speed up the repair process. These repairs give bodyshops the opportunity to profit on small repair jobs while providing a quality service to their customers in a short time frame. The Ultra Productive System enables bodyshops not only to reduce waste and to optimise their workflow, but also to achieve greater cost-efficiency and increase profit margins.
For larger paint repair jobs, the Cromax Ultra Performance Energy System can be used in an optimised timeframe - a vehicle part can be refinished in just 36 minutes. It allows refinishers to achieve a high-quality appearance with outstanding gloss hold-out after top coating and as a system it is flexible too. “Even if a bodyshop decides to let a repair fully airdry, the overall process time is only 74 minutes and still enables outstanding results.” says Torfs.
Torfs continues, “The only way to stay in the game and to increase profitability is to understand what customers want and figure out how to give that to them. Yes, they set the bar higher with expectations of quick turnaround times, but ChromaConnect and our products and tools are all there to help bodyshop owners meet the demand.”
Added benefits
Bodyshops have an opportunity to benefit from trends in customer behaviour. Those who do it well will have an advantage over the competition and gain a good reputation amongst their customers.
Torfs concludes, “The key is to understand the customers and to embrace their impatience as an opportunity for profitability and growth.”
[2] https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/experience-design/mobile-page-speed-load-time/
