Good Garage Scheme

The Good Garage Scheme is a motoring scheme in the United Kingdom which aims to improve industry standards for the public. The scheme was launched by Forté four years ago, and operates as a self-regulatory body for independent workshops and MOT Centres throughout the UK. The head office is based in Coventry, England.

Each garage (currently over 2,900^[1]) listed on the Good Garage Scheme must adhere to a Code of Conduct ^[2] and perform services to a standard as regulated by Forté. A rating system is produced for each member garage on the Good Garage Scheme website ^[3], based on the feedback forms, to help potential customers find the best (based on customer feedback and ratings) workshop in their area. This customer feedback system highlights the areas of best practice and areas for improvement identified by motorists using member garages for work.

Car Dealer Magazine published in 2009 that the Good Garage Scheme website was attracting more than 12,000 new visitors a month, each staying on the site for nearly five minutes.^[4]

How the Good Garage Scheme works

Feedback

The Good Garage Scheme uses the feedback data (both qualitative and quantitative) generated by the customer feedback forms, to work with member garages with the aim of helping them to perform better and raise industry standards. Nationally, the Good Garage Scheme receives around 12,000^[5] customer feedback forms every month while member garage that fail to submit any feedbacks are investigated and potentially removed from the scheme.It also insists that Forte products (which it sells) are used at every service even though some manufacturers do not recommend their use as they could cause engine damage. None of the main manufacturers are members of the scheme.

After each service, MOT test or repair has been undertaken at a Good Garage Scheme garage, the customer is given a Customer Satisfaction Survey asking to answer four questions with a rating of 1 to 5.

Helpfulness and attitude of staff
Quality of communication about vehicle
Satisfaction with standard of work
General satisfaction overall

The customer is then asked if they would recommend and use the garage again. A comment box is also provided to allow any further feedback from the customer. These comments and ratings are transcribed on to the Good Garage Scheme website, for potential customers to view. Any problems or negative feedback are investigated by Forté, and any necessary remedial action is taken. To date, the Good Garage Scheme has removed 700 garages from the scheme which did not adhere to standards and had negative feedback.

Training

Each member garage and all staff undertake training provided by Forté to ensure the Code of Conduct is followed. The training only consists of what the benefits of all Forte products are and how to use them. No training is given on any other subject.

Criticisms

Some criticisms of the Customer Satisfaction Survey includes mild data protection concerns, as persons filling out the form are asked to optionally include their name, postcode and email. Also the site predominantly only seems to have high ratings for garages, with low rated reviews deliberately not posted. Aa the forms are handed out by the garage the system is open to abuse as the garage could fill in the form themselves. Even if the garage gets a bad review as long as they buy the Forte product they are never removed from the scheme.The scheme also insists that at every service Forte products are used even though it should not be used in some modern engines (eg Volkswagen PD engines) which could cause engine damage. If you do not adhere to their servicing scedules you are removed from their list of good garages.

Advertising

Several forms of advertising, including print, internet, TV and radio, has been used regularly to raise the Good Garage Scheme's profile and gain a circulation of garage members and customers around the UK. A leading After Market Poll^[6] revealed the scheme as a leading brand.

When interviewed, Marketing Director Rachel Greasby told CAT Magazine, that Forté wants to increase the member garage number to 3,000 by the end of 2009^[7]. In October 2009, Car Dealer Magazine published Forté's five-year plan^[8] for the Good Garage Scheme, which includes:

4,000 members for the Good Garage Scheme by 2014
Signing up 300 new members a year
Removing garages if they do not adhere to the Code of Conduct
Commit to undertaking garage audits
Encourage car dealers to hand out feedback forms

TV advertising

Previous TV advertising has included two two-week campaigns with prime time slots on ITV1 and ITV2 and one two-week campaign on 29 SKY channels. When interviewed by Bridge PR, Anndi Sheppard, Marketing Manager of the Good Garage Scheme, said: “The latest campaign appears on channels covering a range of genres which will help the Good Garage Scheme reach as wide an audience as possible for both motorists and garage owners. Our latest terrestrial TV campaigns resulted in an immediate increase in traffic to our website with a 110 per cent increase in visitors at the height of the campaigns which was fantastic"^[9]. Some of the channels include Sky News, Sky 1, Sky 2, CBS Action, Animal Planet, and Discovery.

The Good Garage Scheme 'Registered Member' sign can also be found in Coronation Street's Websters Auto Centre being used as a prop on ITV1 and ITV2.

Radio advertising

Previous radio advertising have included two week campaigns on radio stations around the UK such as Heart FM, Minster FM, and Magic London. The voice behind the 30 second advert is Caroline Quintin.

Internet advertising

The Good Garage Scheme has used Facebook marketing to boost awareness, including adverts and prize draws on the Good Garage Scheme Facebook page.

Act on CO₂ Partnership

Through the Good Garage Scheme website^[10], Forté has been supporting the government's ACT ON CO₂ campaign as a brand partner alongside the likes of Ford and the Caravan Club. Forté regularly communicates smarter driving tips through the website, the blog, and also the Facebook page to encourage motorists to reduce their CO₂ emissions. The partnership was set up in Spring 2009.

Other communications