WhoCanFixMyCar.com provides a quick and simple way for drivers to compare the prices and reputations of garages and mechanics in their local area.
Car owners input the details of what work they need done on their vehicles, along with their location and then WhoCanFixMyCar.com sends back quotes from local mechanics and garages straight back to them.
On the other hand, mechanics use the platform to acquire extra work and many of these businesses are bringing in more revenue as a result.
The business is one of the illustrious Future 50 Alumni – a campaign run every year by Real Business to root out the best of the UK’s most innovative and disruptive companies. With the recent launch of our latest campaign, we thought now was a perfect time to reflect on the WhoCanFixMyCar’s growth over the last year.
The business is run by a team of 30, and growing fast. It has a head office in Newcastle, a team of four in London, a dew members in the field and a team of developers in Kiev.
The changing market
The innovative nature of the business has created challenges – the industry isn’t generally known to be tech-savvy, and the team had to find a way to build trust. Although now there is a network of 11,000 garages, in the beginning it was difficult nabbing the first early adopter garages. However, once they were signed up and could see the benefits, they didn’t look back.
“We have managed to create a liquid market for drivers and garages within the automotive aftermarket, giving them a platform to interact and transact. This year we will be looking to harness machine learning and artificial intelligence to ensure our drivers are getting more accurate quotes in a reasonable amount of time,” explained co-founder, Alistair Preston.
“In the last year, we have more than doubled in size with 50,000 jobs now being posted to the platform each month. We also have a host of other products and services that our garages can leverage to support their broader businesses.”
The business is growing all the time, and recently held its second WhoCanFixMyCar.com Garage Awards.
“We had 200 attendees including independent garages, fast-fit chains, franchise dealer groups, vehicle manufacturers and parts manufacturers, as well lots of industry partners. We recognised the hard work that the UK’s garages put in every day, rewarding the very best garages in the country,” said Preston.
Opportunities ahead
Preston hopes that the business will become a household name for care servicing and repairs.
“Nobody else offers a marketplace of over 11,000 garages, which is made up of independent garages, mobile mechanics, fast-fit chains and franchised dealers.
“We are working to continue our past growth rate. We will serve our millionth customer in the first half of this year. We also hope our work with parts manufacturers and distributors provides more transparency to drivers, ensuring we encourage good quality work in the industry.”
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