Client/Partner Testimonials

Scroll down to read testimonials we have received at Progress from some of our clients and partners...

Berry BMW

“As a BMW dealer, located just a few minutes from one of the largest airports in the World, Berry BMW customers have great expectations when it comes to service – and rightly so. Most people have hectic lives and little time to address getting the car serviced, it’s a ‘must-do when I have time’ task and often takes last priority on the ‘to do’ list.

As such, customers want a hassle free experience, so that the ‘car-less’ interruption in their lives is not the stressful one they remember when they come to booking a service or repair. A positive after sales service experience is also one that spreads easily by word of mouth across families, communities and social media sites. So it is important to build a high level of trust and satisfaction if the dealership is to maximize profit in this increasingly competitive arena. Berry BMW Heathrow has been working with Progress Automotive Solutions for a number of years to create a new level of customer interaction. Recently they have started using the unique features of ‘eServiceManager’; helping to ensure that every stage of the customer service experience is positive.

eServiceManager is a new module for WorkshopPro. WorkshopPro offers advanced workshop management features including Electronic T-card, Vehicle Health Check, Technician Clocking and Message Centre. It integrates with any DMS on the market, extending into every paper-based process within the workshop and service area. eServiceManager extends the capability of WorkshopPro with Online Booking, Customer Lounge, Express Check-in and Check-out, with the opportunity of post service surveys which automatically gather and gauge customer satisfaction levels.

Berry BMW launched ‘Service while you Fly’ back in April this year – it uses the Progress Online Booking facility. BMW owners flying out from Heathrow Airport can book their car in to be serviced, repaired and MOT’d while they are away, and when their car is otherwise not in use. The service package includes competitive rates on airport parking for the whole time the customer is away. The drop-off and pick-up facility makes life easy for the customer too. When they get back to Heathrow, their car is ready to drive away.

This summer, Berry BMW has extended the use of Online Booking. Now all dealer customers can book their vehicle in for a service/repair online, choosing optional extras. They can do this in their own time, which may be outside normal office hours. No need to make calls and arrangements during the busy working day. The Express Check-in facility means that on the day of the visit, a downloaded document detailing basic requirements can be left at service reception (with vehicle keys) without the need to queue or stay for explanatory discussions with the After Sales Manager. Once the customer has left the premises, communication processes kick into place with regular texts being sent to advise them of vehicle service progress and any issues that arise. Where customers have access to the internet, an online portal ‘Customer Lounge’ is available, where customers can see the progress of the vehicle during the service or repair and communicate with Service Advisors; resulting in two way discussions and approvals taking place online."

Simon Dyer says ‘All of the new processes are geared to make a real difference to how the customer interacts with us. We believe the unexpected and extraordinary experiences offered help to bring our customers back to us time and again. The investment in the software is outweighed by the new levels of customer service we are able to offer. Not to mention of course, the decrease in telephone traffic to the service department. In a nutshell customers and staff are enjoying using the new interaction features and customer satisfaction levels continue to grow month on month.’

Simon Dyer - Service & Bodyshop Manager, Berry BMW

Peter Vardy

“When we came to selecting software for our service departments, we reviewed a number of different systems. We selected WorkshopPro because we consider it to be the best Aftersales software available. We were also impressed that Progress were able to understand our business needs, and their software was flexible enough to fit our processes and broad enough to cover all areas of the department.

At the turn of the year we began our Service Development Program, aimed at improving both customer service and revenue across our business, and the installation of WorkshopPro was an important part of this. The results of having a system which covers all of our workshop processes in one place have been easy to see, so far this year we have seen a significant rise in labour sales up over 10% since the start of the year at our Motherwell Vauxhall/Chevrolet dealership (where WorkshopPro with Vehicle Heath Check was installed in January), including our best month ever. On the back of the systems success we are currently rolling out the software across our other dealers including BMW Edinburgh, where WorkshopPro has been installed for two months, and which has received a nomination (and subsequently won) for the “Aftermarket Innovation Award” at the 2010 Motor Trader Awards.

WorkshopPro's best feature is the visibility of information which has made significant improvements to our communication and it's simple and intuitive tcard interface that provides an instant overview of our workshop. The T-card ties directly to the excellent VHC (vehicle health check) module and the management benefits of having a consolidated system means we only need one piece of software to run the department. The detailed system reporting provides us with the breakdown we need to measure success and make decisions.

We would have no qualms recommending this software to other dealers.” 

Graeme Fulton, Peter Vardy Ltd

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TH White

Progress’ expertise  and understanding of our needs was spot on.

WorkshopPro is a bloody good system, and it delivers exactly what it says it does. For us the biggest benefit is its ease of use, and the ability to be able to record all our notes in one place giving us a complete historical record of interactions with the customer.

The access to information in the system is great, and provides full control over our flow of work. The valeting module has also been a bonus for us as it means we can keep our costs under control as well as help us up sell this service to our customers.

I would certainly recommend this product, and can say with certainty that it has made an improvement to our business”

Martin Young, Aftersales Manager, TH White 

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Peter Vardy

Progress Workshop Pro has had an immediate impact on my business. My CSI score has gone from 76% to 87% and I am now 4th overall in my market area for CSI performance. Without a doubt Workshop Pro has given me the tools to achieve this, including accountability, customer flow and communication.

James Mccourt, Service Manager, Peter Vardy

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JCB Medway VW

“Before we took WorkshopPro we felt that there needed to be a cost justification to our business, and in this respect it has delivered. It has proved to be an outstanding organisational tool, and the visibility of my workshop all in one screen helps control my department. The breakdown of information in the t-cards has made it invaluable.

The integration of the EVC (Vehicle Health Check) module has without question helped us deliver additional sales which we would otherwise have missed and the reporting dashboard gives me an overview of the performance of my business, which I rely on to measure our results and make decisions.

I would recommend the system to any dealers who are looking to improve organisation and communication in their department, and ultimately increase their bottom line through additional sales.

We’d be lost without it when it comes to dealing with customers, as it gives us transparency across our workshop and means anyone can find out exactly what has been communicated to and from our customers”

Mark Fieldwick, JCB VW Service Manager

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Behbehani Motors Company

Progress is the only program that gives me full control over my workshop. It helps to keep promised dates, makes sure that nothing gets forgotten and gives me a overview of jobs that needs to be done. This all increases customer satisfaction. Further it helps achieving my labor sales target with finding and selling extra work, gives reminders of pending work and helps selling it afterwards. Progress became a essential part of our process that I cannot think away. It is the world’s best workshop tracking/dealer management system!

Andreas Schaefer, Service Advisor, Volkswagen Kuwait, Behbehani Motors Company

(NOTE: In 2010 Andreas Schaefer was crowned "2010 Volkswagen Service World Champion") 

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L&L Automotive

“Finding the best website partner for your business is not an easy task these days, with many companies offering website design on top of other services. The automotive market has been fairly slow to engage fully with digital marketing, and management perceptions have needed to change to enable more funds to be channelled into online representation and media. The major need for us at L&L was to find a company that had knowledge of the automotive industry, and could understand our business. Progress were able to demonstrate their extensive knowledge and proven track record which enabled me to convince the business to make the investment.

Having seen some of Progress’s other automotive websites, we were confident that their product was going to offer us the highest levels of design and functionality that we required. We have been extremely pleased with the excellent level of service that we receive, and the understanding of both our business and the motor industry as a whole.

The key aspect that I have been impressed with has been the simplicity: I receive advice on functionality and guidance with my online marketing, and it feels like I have direct access to the designers and builders of the site. What’s more, the capabilities of the Progress product and their excellent account management team have been at a very reasonable cost to us, which is of course, key.

I would most definitely recommend the Progress WebBuilder software, and my only comment would be that since your product and service is better than those of your major competitors, you need some more PR and self-promotion. You’re doing a great job so you should make sure more people know!”

Mark Whitworth, Marketing Manager, L&L Automotive

Volvo Cars London

“Despite initial concerns from the business regarding the investment involved in setting up a stand-alone website (in addition to the very basic dealer website we get as part of the Volvo Car UK site) , the results we have seen from volvocarslondon.co.uk just a year after our management buy-out have both impressed and pleased all members of Volvo Cars London Management & Marketing team, from our MD down. The initial and ongoing investments that we made in the VCL site have been justified, with positive demonstrable returns to our business. We recognise that the website is now very much our primary marketing tool, and in that respect, the costs compare very favourably to the costs of traditional media advertising.
 
Most critical to delivering our business goals has been the quality of account management and knowledge of the industry demonstrated by the Progress web team, with all briefs sent to them executed with superb technical and graphical ability. Their highly efficient approval processes and a fast turnaround time, has been key to us staying ahead of our competition. I am confident that we are always one step ahead of the game in the fast moving world of the internet, with the Progress account team introducing me to their strategic partners to provide extra functionality and services that give our websites the cutting edge in a very competitive environment.
 
The measurement metrics in place mean that I know that our cost per enquiry has continued to drop over the past year, while awareness of the Volvo Cars London brand and visitors have continued to rise, and this has been reflected in a very successful 2009 and early 2010. The success of the main site has seen our web strategy evolve and expand, and Progress have demonstrated the same excellent attention to detail on the other specialised websites we have since launched.
 
I would not hesitate to recommend the website services that Progress have to offer.”

Alasdair Jakes, Group Marketing Manager

Behbehani Motors Ltd, Kuwait

The system has only been up and running for a few weeks and we are already seeing improvements in productivity and efficiency. My experience with the system in my previous role at the Volkswagen franchise in Aberdeen showed Insight to be an invaluable tool for a smooth running aftersales department which excels in customer care and delivers in terms of profitability. I am confident we will see the same result here in Kuwait in a short space of time.

George Andrews, Aftersales Manager

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Car Dealer Magazine

Customer handling modules mean the current work and vehicle status on any customer's car can be called up, instantly. You can even then text customers, and they can text you back, safe in the knowledge that the system will log this, and process it. Clever stuff.

Richard Aucock, Deputy Editor

Porsche, Hatfield

Progress Insight has reduced my no-shows by 85% per week due to the pre visit/reminder text messaging and follow up process from the T-Card board. The Vehicle Health Check module has improved upsales by 24%, while the reporting module gives me the information I need to report to the Group on my staff and sales team's performance.

Franc Mateo, Aftersales Manager

Codeweavers Ltd

Just want to say thank you for sorting this out so quickly. Also I would like to add that Progress DMS are a pleasure to work with. Everything that needs doing is done promptly and efficiently. The 3 sites that have now gone live with YourCarLoan and YourCarMotorInsurance look fantastic and are built to a high standard. I look forward to working with you again in the near future.

Claire Kelsall, Client Support Manager

Wellsway BMW, Bath

The system is absolutely brilliant, our Service Advisors would complain bitterly if we tried to take the Progress system away from them, they can’t do without it now.

Haydn Satchell, Service Manager

Alan Day VW, London

Our Call Centre staff think the Progress system is the single most useful tool that they have available to help them do their jobs. The system provides us with the information that we need to answer customer’s queries without the need to bother the Service Advisors or the Workshop Controller.

Gary Head, Call Centre Manager

Alan Day VW, Sumner Street, London

The best thing that they (Alan Day Group) have ever done for us.

Shirley Rellis, Senior Service Advisor

H.R. Owen Plc, London

We have worked with Progress DMS for over two years on a variety of projects, the experience they have brought to all of these has been of enormous value. They have demonstrated an outstanding technical knowledge, which is backed up by their experience of the industry. It was important to us to find a partner who could provide both the facilities we needed and also reflect the core values of our business.

Tom King, Marketing Manager

Spire Automotive Group, London

Whatever your business and particularly in retail, you cannot afford to have a static website. By working really closely with us and ensuring our main website continually evolves, Progress DMS helps to encourage web browsers to become enquirers and the effective management of the Google media campaign keeps our name at the top of targeted internet searches ensuring that the right people reach our site. The success of the M25Audi web site is due to the strong relationship we have developed with Progress DMS which made them the natural choice when we decided to expand our internet marketing campaign even further.

Paul Greenberg, Head of Business - Watford Audi

Lookers Plc

We are delighted with the response we have had to our website. The project has been undertaken and continues to be managed in an extremely professional way and the reporting function provides in-depth analysis on a regular basis all of which enables us to keep our site fresh and up-to-date. We are very impressed by the understanding of our industry, the requirements of our brand and individual centre needs demonstrated by Progress DMS which has definitely given us an advantage in the market place.

Richard George, Franchise Manager - Lexus Hatfield