Simpsons Škoda

Published: February 2024

Interview with John Williams, Marketing Director at Simpsons Škoda

The Simpsons family has catered for the motoring needs of Lancashire residents since 1947, and the third generation of the family currently runs Simpsons Škoda. Simpsons has represented Škoda in Colne since 2003 and Preston since 2007, selling new and used models from across the range.

In January 2023, Simpsons sought to improve operational efficiency without losing the personal touch that customers value from a family-run dealership. It also wanted to ensure that every lead was acted upon promptly to maximise potential revenue opportunities.

What prompted you to increase investment in digital marketing?

“It’s clear that today’s potential customers typically conduct most of their research online and only place an enquiry with us when they are ready to commit. The time between enquiry and purchase is now very short – less than a week in most cases. Manually sharing updates about our changing stock availability has been very labour-intensive, and with rising enquiry levels, it just wasn’t sustainable.

“Using Marketing Delivery’s VoiceBox Sales software means we’re now able to send automated alerts containing available stock that aligns with the potential customer’s individual preferences. If we didn’t have the vehicle they wanted on the day of their enquiry, VoiceBox allows us to update them with stock and pricing changes as soon as they happen. We’re maintaining contact with potential customers and keeping them in the sales process without adding pressure on our sales team.

“VoiceBox Aftersales has given a welcome boost to our aftersales operation, too. It now automates a large proportion of our day-to-day communications with existing customers, such as service and MOT reminders. Crucially, it introduces scalability and a level of rigour to the process that ensures such communications are always relevant, timely and personalised. This has helped us maintain customer relationships, keep our workshops busy and maximise retention.

“The new software has also saved us money overall, as we’ve reduced our reliance on a third-party call centre for outbound communications.”

What is the main advantage of investing in new digital marketing solutions?

“It’s all about having more effective engagement with sales and aftersales customers. The automated communications are so well targeted that they help us maintain the family-run feel that our customers have appreciated over the years. We can’t compromise on that, and automation has helped to safeguard it while we grow.

“Thanks to the reporting capabilities of VoiceBox, we’ve been able to track a 2.7% uplift in sales conversions since introducing the system.

“A secondary advantage is the access to raw, unfiltered customer feedback rather than ‘hearsay’. This has been really insightful and allows us to make improvements that give more customers what they want.”

Was it difficult to implement a new system?

“Change can be difficult, and there was some natural initial hesitancy from the team. However, once they understood that Marketing Delivery’s approach benefitted them as well as the customer it was well received, especially when it became evident that it would support existing customer-centric processes without any extra work.

“Marketing Delivery’s implementation team performed flawlessly, working in parallel with us and providing guidance throughout the process as if they were part of our organisation. Their people come from an automotive background, so they understand what retailers need and have helped us craft personalised customer communications in line with our brand identity.”

What happened after the system went live?

“The fantastic support we received from Marketing Delivery is still in place, even after we went live. One of the main benefits of collaborating with them is that we get a dedicated account manager who is always at the end of the phone – that’s not typical, in our experience.

“Their team checks on performance regularly and is quick to action any tweaks we need to make to content or automation, or to help in setting up new campaigns or running reports.”

What do your customers think?

“The feedback has been really positive. We’ve found that people often prefer to interact via digital channels. Crucially, because the communications are personalised, they still feel very ‘human’ to the recipient, even though they’re automated. The high open rates and click-throughs prove that our customers are very confident about engaging online.”