About Bilia Sweden:

Bilia Sweden uses a reversed customer contact model, fitting the local mindset. Instead of traditional mechanics, they employ personal service technicians who take responsibility for the entire customer experience, including customer contact, after-sales, payments, and of course car repair & servicing.

Personal service technicians form close and long-term relationships with their customers, who may come back to “their” technician for decades! It is not uncommon to find customers inside the workshop with their technician, conversing about their vehicle over a cup of coffee.

Bilia adapts to customer needs, offering extra service to enhance customer experience and overall satisfaction. Their choice of Fleetback as a partner in these endeavors is evidence of our common values, and dedication to our users.

The starting point:

Customer satisfaction is Bilia’s number one priority, and like any company that understands service design thinking, they do not just request feedback, but request it. They use internal systems to follow up on personal service, technician performance, customer satisfaction, as well as other key performance indicators.

Before deploying Fleetback throughout the entire company, Fleetback was tested in Bilia dealerships for several months. We then went to meet our users to study how well they had integrated Fleetback into their work environment, and to get their feedback about the experience.

Here’s what different users had to say about the Fleetback experience:

1. In what cases do you use Fleetback?

• Anytime a customer’s car needs work that is difficult to explain over the phone. “Using video makes it easier for my customers to understand the issue with their car since they can actually see it and I can explain and show them the problem areas or what was done on their vehicle” – Frans Jack Ibrahim, Technician.
• When I want the customer to quickly approve works that has not been previously agreed on. Again, clear video explanations help my customers make a decision.Also, I can reach them anywhere, anytime via email or SMS so even if they are busy, or at work, they can answer quickly. – Frans Jack Ibrahim, Technician.
• “Sometimes the customer demands explanations for suggested works, maybe they think it’s too expensive, or they are afraid that we’re trying to sell them unnecessary work.But all I have to do is make a video to show exactly where the issue is. When customers can see the problems with their own eyes they have no reason to doubt me, I feel more credible and they feel more secure in their decision.” Alexander Östensson, Technician
• Our technicians working with the taxi companies find that although the drivers are usually not interested, their managers take a keen interest in Fleetback interventions.After all, stronger documentation of unexpected wear and tear can be useful if more cars in the fleet start exhibiting similar problems. – Joakim Wennberg, Service Manager at Bilia Kista.

2. Why do you like it? What are your benefits?

• It’s convenient when the technician needs to get costs approved, and it makes it easy for the customer themselves to see that, for example, their brakes are worn out because there are pictures or videos. When they approve costs directly, we can keep working without interruption.

3. What are your favorite features?

• The videos help me show where the car is in need of work, and to explain the issue in its actual context. It helps the customer understand where my repair recommendations are coming from. – Felix Persson, Service Technician
• The templates give our communication a more professional look and feel. Customers love it. Maria Finth-Juhlin, Reception Manager
• Email and SMS alert means I get faster responses from customers. Frans Jack Ibrahim, Service technician
• The reply deadline is good, that way the customer is made aware of why their car may not be ready for pickup if they did not answer.

4. What do your customers think about Fleetback?

My customers have the necessary knowledge to make a decision about their car. They can accept or reject the works, which allows them to keep control over their car. And I can contact them in a personal way. It is easy for them to approve of costs for repairs or diagnostics instead of having to call back. They can also be reached easily with the right information even if they’re busy during the day.They like it, it is easy to use, they appreciate that they do not need to watch their phones waiting for that all important call from the shop. They also like the clarity, it makes them feel safe with having their car in our care.

More feedback about the implementation from the management’s side:

Q&A with Joakim Wennberg, Service Manager at Bilia Kista.

1. Why did you choose Fleetback?

It brings with it a different kind of efficiency; the technicians can collect all the material they have for the customer in one and the same contact. They’re not dependent on whether a customer answers the phone or not. The honesty and clarity that the video function brings with it directly increases our workshop’s business.

2. What benefits does Fleetback bring to the dealership? Like you said, Bilia is perceived as one of the best dealerships in Sweden…

We are always looking to increase efficiency, and Fleetback is a good step in that process. We would prefer if all customer contact was handled via Fleetback and Web booking. That would allow us to maximize our flow in a different way.

3. What are Volvo’s standards in terms of brand image and customer service and does Fleetback align with it?

Our standard is that all contact with the customer will be handled by the Technician. That makes Fleetback good for us; it’s coupled to a user, so the personal contact is there even when we do not speak directly to the customer.

4. How do you promote Fleetback internally and integrate it to the brand’s procedure?

Currently we are pushing for it as a supplementary tool. We have Fleetback in pretty much all workshops in the Stockholm area. I valorise and congratulate the technicians who make Fleetback part of their work at our team meetings, and I leave it to them to explain their reasons for using the service Fleetback use will be followed up on, and individual goals will be set.

Conclusion:

Here’s what Bilia employees have to say about Fleetback:

• It’s a stable, easy to use, and efficient customer care tool.
• It’s an educational aid which enable technicians to show customers exactly what needs to be done on their car.
• It raises technician credibility when communicating service advice with both visual and auditory aid.
• It accelerates customer response time, decreasing time waste and upping efficiency, as customers often reply to Fleetback messages right away.

What’s next?

Our initial tests have been a success and Fleetback is now used throughout the entire Bilia group. Since every brand has different standards and procedures and each company has specific needs, we are adapting our solutions based on user feedback, keeping our offer in sync with our customer’s and their own customer’s needs. The goal of Fleetback is to facilitate each user’s job and help them save valuable time. In its current state, our application would seem to have our users convinced. But as dealers and groups grow, Fleetback will strive to grow with them; so that we can offer not only what they need today, but also what they will need tomorrow, when new challenges bring about the time to change.