TTMC’s call handling expertise, insight and agility help optimise inbound call management for Kwik Fit.

Established in 1971, Kwik Fit provides extensive automotive part repairs including tyres, brakes, exhausts, MOT testing, car servicing and air conditioning recharge.

They are the leading fast-fit supplier of tyres in the UK and carry stocks of over 600,000 products from leading manufacturers including Pirelli, Goodyear, Michelin, Continental, and Dunlop. With over 600 Centres in the UK, the Kwik Fit business model is based on a commitment to provide the best possible service to customers.

Campaign objective and project background

Since 2017 The Telemarketing Company (TTMC) had been Kwik Fit’s agency of choice for outbound calling for customer MOT bookings. Incoming calls, however, were still handled directly by Kwik Fit’s own centres. As centre staff were busy dealing with face-to-face customers, a significant number of calls were left unanswered, and the company needed a better approach to maximise the return on their inbound model.

The downturn in activity during COVID provided the opportunity for a small pilot, whereby inbound tyre enquiries were routed and handled by a central team. With over 600 centres each managing their own calls, however, the company knew they needed a larger trial to gain a more in-depth understanding and find a scalable solution. They decided to outsource call management to a specialist agency that could deliver the data and insight needed to identify potential process improvements, increased efficiencies and improvements to the customer journey.

As enquiries about tyres account for well over half of Kwik Fit’s inbound calls, they needed a trusted partner and a safe pair of hands. The agility, expertise and analytics offered by TTMC, combined with the strength of the existing relationship, made the agency the obvious choice.

Project execution

Training was undertaken with TTMC’s team to cover Kwik Fit’s tyre proposition, as well as its systems and processes. As part of the engagement, TTMC was to trial a new web-based booking system, acting as guinea pigs prior to the system being launched across the whole business.

Agents were required to capture customer and vehicle details, qualify needs, recommend the appropriate product, generate a quote and guide customers through to purchase, either on the call or as a next stage. Identifying the right tyre depended on multiple factors including car mileage, car type and customer preferences; some customers might for example prefer an eco-friendly product.

Enquiries were varied from tyre quotes, queries and replacements, to complaints and emergency calls from stranded customers, each with a different process flow. The team were required to liaise with other parts of the client’s business, for example calling individual centres to check product availability, escalating complaints to customer care, or referring stranded customers to Kwik Fit’s mobile team. In addition to retail customers, TTMC was also tasked to manage calls for fleet customers using a different system, referring requests to the appropriate Fleet Centre, or escalating to the Fleet Team, if account details were not available.

Given the level of insight required, the set-up process was critical and TTMC created bespoke configurations within their proprietary calling and reporting platforms to ensure the data required was available as a standard output. Reporting was to include:

• Calls handled/missed/abandoned/transferred.

• Call dispositions/enquiry types.

• Conversion rates.

• Reasons for non-conversion: no available slots, stock availability or price.

• Calls and performance across centres.

• Bookings made at alternative centres where preferred appointments were unavailable.

Clear communication and close collaboration were vital for the successful launch of the programme and catch-up calls took place daily, with the Kwik Fit team on-site weekly to help coach agents and provide support. As TTMC gained knowledge, training and coaching was handed off to the agency’s account management team and a regular cadence of reviews established, supported by robust quality assurance.

Initially, TTMC managed calls from 21 centres but as the programme gained momentum and agents moved quickly up the learning curve, this was extended to over 50 centres. The client had full transparency of campaign performance and a solid feedback loop through TTMC’s reporting and analytics. Shared call recordings enabled Kwik Fit to provide constructive feedback to the team and calibrate calls to ensure TTMC was in sync with internal teams.

TTMC’s systematic approach and flexibility allowed different approaches to be tested and benchmarked. Drawing on the insight and metrics gathered, the client and agency worked closely to continuously refine strategy, improve the model and enhance the customer experience:

• The booking process was refined to improve responsiveness and reduce call length.

• The customer journey was streamlined, and the value of inbound enquiries maximised by proactively alerting inbound callers to MOT or Service due dates.

• Stock management was refined using tyre availability data and unfulfilled requests for particular tyre sizes/types.

• Resourcing was optimised based on call volumes at particular times of day and across different centres.

In addition, Kwik Fit now has a refreshed database and accurate customer records to support future activity.

Results

Over a six-month period TTMC has made over 30,000 bookings, one booking every 0.65 hours with each agent handling 5.5 calls per hour on average. The outsourced team has integrated seamlessly, extending, and reinforcing Kwik Fit’s internal resources, for example taking over calls for centres when phone systems failed suddenly.

Kwik Fit have seen the value of a centralised inbound model driven by agile, bespoke systems and resources that deliver deep insight and analytics. They now have a comprehensive, cross-centre view of the inbound model to benchmark performance, identify areas for improvement and gaps in the customer journey. They are reviewing this insight to decide next steps and refine future strategy.

The agility and reporting capabilities of the outsourced team has opened Kwik Fit’s eyes to the efficiency gains that can be achieved with the right systems and infrastructure. The client/agency relationship has further strengthened and TTMC has reinforced their status as a valued and trusted partner offering a high-quality, responsive resource and a flexible service tailored to client needs.