Throughout businesses of all sizes and industries, the benefits that advancing technology can bring to help drive efficiency and streamline processes are both well documented and commonplace. However, at risk of being left behind, the vehicle repair sector is no different, from the advancing technology in vehicles themselves to the implementation of Bodyshop Management Systems (BMS). It is therefore essential that this sector wakes up to the technological shift that is now taking place.
In response to this shift, Audatex surveyed 250 independent and franchised bodyshops in the UK, forming the ‘An Extra Hour in the Day’ research. The overarching finding is that workplace inefficiencies cost UK bodyshops on average one hour per day, per employee. The final paper in the four-part series, looks at current supplier relationships and uncovers whether suppliers are enabling bodyshops to provide the service levels required. As a result, ways to save time by building better supplier relationships will also be highlighted.
Suppliers are vital to and at the core of every vehicle repair business. From parts to equipment, bodyshops would not be able to function without efficient and reliable suppliers. There are many attributes that contribute to the selection of suppliers that bodyshops must acknowledge when assessing how to build better supplier relationships. Currently, the most popular reason for suppliers being selected is due to discounts (48%), showing that supplier relationships are being forged more based on loyalty and volume-based discounts.
For bodyshops to hold the most effective relationships with their suppliers possible, there are various ways that suppliers could adapt to help bodyshops achieve their goals. Some suppliers are overloading customers, meanwhile some are not providing enough information. Three quarters (77%) of bodyshops want to interact with their (BMS) provider on a monthly basis, yet only half (49%) are getting the interaction they require.
Communication is undoubtedly important in these relationships, but it is also important to consider that during these times of transformation, convenient access to the right information for vehicle repair businesses is essential. However, three quarters (75%) of bodyshops believe industry information is too fragmented and disparate. This is now key for dealing with challenges and for discovering new products. A centralised, hub-based approach could be hugely beneficial.
If suppliers work to support bodyshops in this way, bodyshops will be able to better maximise business efficiencies, increase customer service, manage workloads and gain back that valuable extra hour in the day.
Read the full Insight Paper – A Focus on Building Better Supplier Relationships – here.
