Mark Busby, Director of Commercial Operations at Hendy, agreed that the switch to electric poses challenges for dealer workshops. “The degree of complexity that we’re going through right now is challenging,” he said.
“We’ve got plenty of technicians in workshops that have all learned and developed their skills working with ICE vehicles. Now, because of electric cars, they’re having to go through a sort of ‘unlearn and relearn’ process, and that obviously presents some challenges. Another factor is the level of investment required, both in terms of the development of our people and tooling and facilitates needed to work on electric vehicles.”
Mark went on to explain that another challenge comes in the form of customer education around the maintenance of EVs. “The two most common questions that we get asked are about range anxiety and, oddly, how much a new battery costs. That’s quite a strange question when you consider that the battery generally has a longer warranty than the vehicle – eight years minimum for most manufacturers.
“If I think back to my days in a showroom and selling vehicles, no one ever asked me how much a replacement engine was. This is the sort of nervousness that’s been put into people’s minds when it comes to electric cars and their upkeep.”
However, it’s not all bad news. As Keyloop’s Tom Kilroy explained, state-of-the-art software can help dealerships better manage the pressures of working with electric vehicles, while also providing an enhanced customer experience. “We’ve recently demonstrated some of our new aftersales software to Ford UK and how it can help customers effortlessly manage their online service bookings and on-the-day check-ins,” he said.
“We also make technology that helps our customers serve their customers better and keep them loyal and happy. I’m conscious that technology can at times be infuriating, but when done well it’s definitely an additive to the entire aftersales experience.”
With technology comes opportunity
Despite the challenges in staffing, infrastructure and customer education, the advanced in-car technology that comes with the latest electric and hybrid models does offer significant opportunities to the aftersales market – especially when it comes to customer service and diagnostics.