With Plan B coming to an end yesterday, are things starting to feel like they are returning to a normality for you and your dealership?
One thing that wasn't normal of course, was that the BTME exhibition that was meant to happen this week, was postponed. Along with LAMMA also not taking place this month, the industry has once again been denied its early year meet-ups - but unlike last year, at least both have dates in the diary relatively soon.
Other possible evidence that the industry is doing its level best to return to a normal a work pattern, are some reassuringly regular stories in today's Weekly Update. There's an interesting shuffling of the dealer network pack, new roles taken up at manufacturers, new franchises taken on by dealers, and trade shows returning to regular spots.
One can only hope that this trend back towards a less fraught and more settled path for the sector, is something that can continue throughout the year, giving dealerships the stability they so desperately need. We just need the supply chain to sort itself out now!
Winter servicing
An interesting barometer, that we'd like to hear your thoughts on today, that could perhaps be a gauge to just how 'normal' business is for dealers this year compared to last, is winter servicing. We're running our annual short survey on the subject today and we'd be grateful to receive input from as many of our dealer readers as possible.
When we asked you about winter servicing this time last year, we were of course in the midst of another strict lockdown. What we heard back then from dealers who responded was quite a mixed picture. Some were doing as well as they ordinarily would with their winter servicing - but a noticeable proportion of others were clearly feeling the pinch.
We heard from dealers who clearly felt that the restrictions in place at the time were most definitely adversely affecting their workshops. Comments included:
- "The service side is being hit due to the pandemic,"
- "I would say it is the steadiest January in 10 years,"
- "The pandemic is affecting us, as people are sticking to the rules locally and staying at home."
- "My customers think I am closed like many other businesses."
We even had dealers telling us they themselves weren't encouraging winter servicing because of the circumstances, with one saying, "Because of lockdown, I don't think we should be encouraging customers to make 'unnecessary journeys' to bring mowers in for service, so we have not sent out any service reminders this year which is normally very effective."
From what we were told, certainly for some, last year's winter servicing work most definitely took a hit due to the rules in play at the time. But with those barriers mostly removed this year, have you experienced an up-tick in your workshops?
If you have seen any increase in business, have you been able to cope with it as you would ideally like? As most seem to agree, finding new technicians in order to expand capacity is hardly the easiest - plus with the aforementioned supply chain crisis, are you even able to get hold of parts you need to undertake the work?
I've been speaking to a dealer for an article in an upcoming issue of the magazine, who told me, "When we finished for Christmas, we had 50 jobs sat in the workshop that we couldn’t complete, because they were all waiting for spare parts to come in. Shipment and courier issues just meant we couldn’t finish them off."
Does this sound like a familiar scenario to you? If so, please tell us about your experiences today. Indeed whatever you are experiencing at the moment we'd like to hear from you, to help us build a picture of the current situation.
We will be publishing the findings and a selection of your comments in the next issue of Service Dealer magazine. As ever, thanks in advance for your help.
TAKE THE SURVEY
