Ridgeway Oxford Audi: keeping the focus on people, not technology

On July 21, 1969, two men stepped out of their state- of-the-art lunar landing craft onto the surface of the Moon. Millions of people around the world shared the experience, watching the flickering images on their TV screen.”

This is the first line of a press release from AM100 dealer group Ridgeway about the opening of a dealership a little closer to home – a stone’s throw from Oxford’s eastern bypass – and to reach it from the M40 you won’t need a rocket, just a lot of patience to get through the roadworks and traffic congestion.

     ♦ See more images of Ridgeway Oxford Audi here

Hyperbole aside, the opening of its Oxford Audi centre is significant for Ridgeway. It is its first new-build site, costing £8 million, and will see Ridgeway employ the latest hi-tech tools to deliver what it calls a 21st-century customer experience.

The new centre is also a relocation from cramped facilities in Kidlington, which had hampered Ridgeway’s ability to maximise on the growing popularity – and range – of the German brand.

Opened in July, the centre is built in what Audi calls the ‘terminal’ style. This refers to the feeling Audi wants to conjure in visitors – of entering an airport terminal, a restricted space at first that opens up into a high-ceilinged, curved display hall. There are about a dozen such ‘terminals’ in the UK.

Oxford is one of Ridgeway’s two Audi centres (the other is in Newbury) and it is one of 33 dealerships in the group.

Head of business Alex Matschy says the site stands alone as the flagship in the group, reminiscent of a “high-end, boutique hotel”, far removed from the cramped Kidlington operation, which he said Ridgeway outgrew seven years ago. It took about four years to find the right brownfield site to move to.

“Car parking was limited,” he said. “The car park had 28 spaces in it for our stock and customers’ cars and we had off-site storage for vehicles. Managing the car park, the movement of the used car stock, trade cars, was a full-time job.  

“Then at customer handover, while cars were presented well, we’d have to grab a space somewhere, which isn’t an ideal situation when you’re presenting a £60,000 car on occasion.”

Matschy now has space for 96 approved used cars, 100 public spaces and 50 for staff. A larger display area allows him to sell about 70 used cars a month, up from 40 at the previous site.

For Oxford Audi, visibility was key

Visibility was also key. Oxford Audi sits at the very eastern side of Oxford Business Park North, with drivers on the eastern bypass able to look down on the car park and showroom – and nearly eye-to-eye with anyone on its first floor.

“People that buy Audis are seen as enjoying eating at the best restaurants and staying at the best hotels, ones that provide a premium feel. Our centre is contemporary, boutique-like – it doesn’t feel like a traditional showroom.”

All visitors are met by a concierge – the official title is customer host. If you had an appointment, they welcome you by name, take you inside and hand you over to another member of staff who gets you a drink, makes you comfortable and then introduces you to a service adviser or sales executive.

Visitors do not get pointed to where they want to be, they are taken. Matschy describes this process as “breaking up the site”: “A big dealership can be really intimidating and I don’t like people walking around not really knowing who to talk to; it’s not good practice. Instead, we have a more personal service.”

There are chairs for three service advisers. Six sales executives sit behind desks. Facilities include a 17-car display, private customer lounge, Audi merchandising shop, complimentary iPad use, alongside free Wi-Fi, valet parking, on-demand video for sales and service, car charging points and, from November, a touchscreen car configurator wall. Scattered throughout are hard-backed chairs, soft chairs and bar stools.

It is the first Audi centre to use iPads as a showroom tool, following fellow VAG brand Volkswagen, which introduced them two years ago. Until the arrival of the touchscreen system – a version of which is already in use at Audi City, the brand’s most technologically advanced centre, in Piccadilly – customers and sales staff use iPads to configure cars. By the end of the year, Matschy hopes to be able to take people into a private customer lounge to make their choices on the large configurator.

Car parking and exposure were high on the wish list, above the wish to provide gadgets and a hot drink brought to you rather than slipped out of a machine.

Matschy displays his experience from working in the industry for more than 20 years, when asked what difference technology makes to the art of selling: “The only way sales processes have changed is the introduction of technology and use of computers to configure cars.  

“For me, customer handling has never really changed. It still comes back to building a relationship and actually finding out what somebody wants: qualification, then advice. You can show a customer a car on screen, but I’ve got a large showroom and so customers can see the cars. Technology is not a replacement for rapport.”

The availability of different computers, furniture and use of rooms is not dictating the experience, Matschy believes, but providing customers with choices.

“A customer might be very particular, very sensitive, or shy regarding their preferences and not want to be in the public area, so we move to the lounge. It’s an improvement to having to sit at a desk. We move out from behind them now to where the customer wants to be. Use of iPads is part of that experience.”

Aren’t technology and coffee bars, game consoles and Wi-Fi just ways to assuage a customer who is being made to wait?

“It’s not as simple as that. There are people who come here every week for a coffee and a chat about cars because they are enthusiasts. Others get out as soon as possible. You need to cater for all.”

And on the often-asked, but less often answered with any empirical evidence, question, do gadgets and comfort factors sell more cars and servicing?

“When it comes to searching through a box file to find a customer’s details and their preferences, yes. When it comes to meeting expectations, yes,” Matschy said.

“But I still think selling a car is about people, and I still see people today that will buy cars because they’ve not been treated properly somewhere else.

“Any car that you buy nowadays is not just a few pounds, so the difference is actually personal service, and I don’t think that’s ever going to change.”

The impact on staff

A challenge that no amount of customer-facing technology can tackle, but can fundamentally impact on customer satisfaction is staff attitudes. Matschy said there had been challenges in moving from Kidlington to a bigger space, where it’s less easy to see if people are at their desks and available. Having more staff (65 now) means a need for more robust processes to ensure every customer commitment is fulfilled.

“There are a lot more people involved in the chain; we have to be far more robust with our process, for example on the service side with pre-calls, the meet and greet.” Shortfalls in performance are addressed through additional, regular reviews, beyond what was required at Kidlington.

The move has meant the business is further away for some customers, too far in fact, so the 12 additional staff at Audi Oxford includes two additional drivers.

Lots of staff asked if the move would see opening times change, but he sees no reason to change from the traditional 8am-6 or 7pm, Saturdays until 5pm, Sunday 6pm. “Once we’re working at capacity and lead times start to lengthen, then I would look at changes.”