Independent garages should not be afraid to turn work away if it does not suit their business, while targeting the right kind of customer can help reduce challenges within.
This is the view of Lawson Thursfield, co-owner of BTS Garage in the West Midlands. He states that by taking steps to identify the right customer profile, the business has been able to lower pressure in the workshop, support long-term growth and improve staff wellbeing.
“Most garages are busy, but the question is, are you busy with the right vehicles and the right customers?” said Thursfield. “It is easy to fall into the trap of doing everything for everyone, but if you are overloaded with low-value jobs or customers who do not respect the process, you cannot operate efficiently and you cannot grow.”
Thursfield and his wife, Helen, have run BTS Garage for more than 20 years and say their recent decision to invest in a new website was less about marketing and more about strategic filtering. After two previous websites that underperformed, they appointed Garage Services Online to deliver a platform that reflected their values and supported their business goals.
Quality improvement
The results have been immediate. Six months on, the number of online enquiries to BTS Garage have increased tenfold. Servicing, the garage’s preferred bread-and-butter work, is up, and customer quality has improved too.
“A bad website is like an illuminated sign with no plug on it,” continued Thursfield. “We did have websites before that either did not work on mobile, or were too complicated for customers to interact with. With Garage Services Online, it was a completely pain-free experience. Everyone knows exactly what they are doing.”
Growth planned for BTS Garage
BTS Garage is a Castrol ‘Proud to Use’ garage, and part of the DPF Doctor and Simply Diag networks, credentials that now feature on the website, alongside the services the garage actively wants to promote. They plan to ‘turn up the tap’ on MOTs, clutches, tyres and brakes next, using the website to target growth in these areas.
Helen Thursfield added: “The website has given us a way to shape the BTS Garage in line with where we are going. It reflects how we work on the ground and makes it so easy for the customer to connect with us.”
BTS Garage has recently added two new ramps, built a valet bay, and is growing its team of eight by bringing both a tyre fitter and a clutch fitter on board. All BTS Garage’s technicians are now being upskilled with the goal of full EV Level 4 accreditation by the end of the year.
The right solution
“Having the right systems in place, such as the Garage Services Online website, Garage Hive GMS, and Auto3iii eVHC solution, is like having two extra members of staff working 24/7,” said Thursfield. “It is how we keep up with customer expectations and stay efficient. If you are standing still, you might as well be going backwards.”
Jim Lang, managing director at Garage Services Online, added: “BTS Garage did not just want more enquiries, they wanted more of the right enquiries. The site was built to reflect their service focus and to give them control over how the business evolves. When a garage knows what it stands for, the website becomes a strategic tool, not just an interactive online brochure.”
Thursfield’s message to fellow workshop owners is clear: “Be brave enough to say no to the wrong work. It can be scary, but if you want to grow, focus on the right customers and build your whole business around them.”
