Lockdown not shut down

As with the vast majority of retailers in March last year, the decision to close our dealerships last March was a difficult but necessary one. After a confident start to the year, the realisation that we would have to shut most of the business was a blow, but the way our colleagues responded was nothing short of astounding. For those first few uncertain weeks of the initial lockdown, we had only four Service departments open for essential and urgent servicing in Poole, Portsmouth, Eastleigh and Horsham. It was at these departments that we continued to offer maintenance and repairs to key workers, grateful that they could stay on the road and continue their vital work.

Behind the scenes, there was a core group working diligently to keep the business moving. From the digital advisors handling hundreds of enquiries via social media and live chat every day to the People team ensuring furloughed colleagues stayed up to date with developments, there was a fantastic response from all involved.

In mid-May we were able to reopen our accident repair centres and then on 1st June, we were finally able to reopen the doors to our showrooms. With strict safety protocols in place, it was wonderful to welcome customers back and pick up where we left off in albeit different circumstances. Now we had clear signage to ensure social distancing, as well as hand sanitiser stations and one-way systems. We went almost completely paperless where we could and encouraged payment by card to limit cash handovers.

We introduced a strict vehicle sanitisation process across our Sales and Service departments to ensure we kept customers and colleagues safe. All of these changes have now become part and parcel of the way we conduct business. When the second lockdown came into effect in November, we again had to shut our doors to the public. This time round, however, we could still operate from inside the dealerships, with Sales teams answering calls and emails and adapting to a new way of conducting appointments. Video calls and walkarounds were introduced to give customers all the information they needed from the comfort of home. All of our Service departments, bodyshops and Parts departments remained open, meaning we could still assist those needing MOT tests, servicing and repairs as we had been. We were also offering click and collect and home delivery options, allowing people to still collect their keys and drive away in their new purchases without having to wait.

All of this brings us to…now.

Three lockdowns later and while we’ve had to make major changes to the way we work, we have been able to adapt quickly to continue offering the same fantastic service that our customers have come to expect. 2020 may have been one of the toughest years in Hendy Group’s history, but we’re still committed to delivering 100% customer satisfaction, as we have been since 1859.