The latest episode of Garage Hive’s, The Blend Podcast, shines a spotlight on the lasting impact of the pandemic on workshops five years on, offering practical steps such as smarter workload planning, customer retention strategies, and embracing innovation to help businesses thrive in today’s shifting landscape.
Host Mike Ruff is joined by Nikki Cowan, Chief Executive Officer at Cartopia and former TV presenter, for a candid conversation on how COVID-19 continues to shape the automotive aftermarket, where Nikki’s trademark humour adds energy to an otherwise weighty subject.
“People think the pandemic is behind us, but the effects are still very much alive in our industry and will be for some time to come yet,” said Nikki. “From disrupted MOT cycles to changing customer habits, garages need to understand what’s coming and adapt if they want to stay ahead.”
Nikki shares his unconventional journey into the motor trade, swapping a career in television for garage ownership. His fresh perspective offers a strong message for garage owners: change is not optional, it’s essential.
In the episode, Nikki coins the term “COVID hangover” to describe the ongoing disruption in garage workloads caused by the pandemic. He explains how these unpredictable fluctuations in demand are likely to persist for years, making it crucial for garage owners to plan ahead and find ways to smooth out the peaks and troughs in business.
Nikki proposes offering free MOTs to customers with later expiry dates as a strategy to balance workloads throughout the year. While this approach will seem controversial to many garage owners, Nikki argues it could help maintain customer loyalty and ensure a steady flow of business during quieter periods.
“Nikki’s insights are refreshingly honest, packed with real-world advice, and delivered with the kind of humour we all need right now,” said Mike. “Search for The Blend Podcast in your usual player and subscribe so you never miss an episode.”
The Blend’s annual conference for independent garages in the UK and Ireland takes place on Saturday, 18th October, at the Eastside Rooms in Birmingham. Early bird tickets are available now for £125 + VAT at https://www.theblend.events/. As a not-for-profit event, any surplus funds after costs will be donated to automotive industry charity, Ben.
Listen to the podcast here: https://youtu.be/VW-lEfBCVfU
Prepared by Autotech Communications.
The Penygroes Service Centre located in South Wales was founded in 2014 by Jonathan. He has extensive 17 years of experience in the industry. However, Jon found himself doing a lot of manual labour for data management to keep a finger on the pulse of the business. Therefore, joined Garage Hive's garage management software in March 2021 and has already seen a significant improvement in his garage, an increase in gross profit and has achieved a great NPS® Score.
Tom and Kayleigh runs their garage TR Autos in Yeovil, Somerset. They joined Garage Hive last year. Tom has two decades of industry experience , both practical and technician side and now business as TR Autos was founded in 2008; since then the team has grown, practices have moved away from paper diaries to garage management software, their productivity has increased and they also have moved into bigger premises.
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