How does a business adapt in order to meet the needs and wants of loyal customers? TotalKare has the answer with three new products, including a first for the firm
When you think of TotalKare, one would think mobile column lifts; it’s what it’s known for and has established the business providing. However, TotalKare is beginning to tread new ground with the launch of three new products.
Products set to launch at the CV Show in April include: A wash bay mobile column lift, brake tester and a light commercial four-post fixed lift for the first time.
routeone spoke to David Hall,​ Managing Director of TotalKare, to find out how the business is expanding its product range to capitalise on a sustained period of growth.
Customers’ wants
The only way a business can succeed and thrive is with the knowledge that it is making its customers happy. Happy customers will ensure repeat custom, word-of-mouth recommendations and will cement customer loyalty.
This is one thing that TotalKare prides itself on. As David explains, before launching itself into new products, it identified first that people like the brand that TotalKare has developed.
Selling more than 6,000 sets of mobile lifts to customers, ranging from multi-national operators to independent workshops – there’s a reason why TotalKare is one of the UK’s number one suppliers of heavy duty vehicle lifting solutions and aftersales care.
It listens to its customers’ needs and wants. They like the brand and were keen to use more products from the lift specialists – but if the products are not available, what then?
Eager to ensure happy customers while expanding its product range, TotalKare set out to develop three new solutions.
David, who has been with the company for 11 months, says: “One of the things I identified when I came into the business was that our customers really like our brand.
“And because of the service we offer to them, they have a very strong and loyal relationship with TotalKare. So it seemed logical that they may actually want to take some more products from us apart from the things they’ve been buying from us over the last 30 years.”
Increased portfolio
TotalKare will be showcasing its wash bay mobile column lift, brake tester and a light commercial four-post fixed lift for the first time at the CV Show.
The latter has been designed specifically for light commercial vehicles and can lift up to 6,500kg, extending the company’s heavy-duty four-post lift that ranges up to 33,000kg in capacity.
“The driving force [for this] came from local government and councils where we were servicing depots where they have some lighter vehicles that needed to be lifted, and a two post wasn’t the correct solution. There was a gap in our portfolio for that type of product,” David explains.
“It has now fitted quite well in our portfolio.”
The second product it is launching is the wash bay column lifts. Again, it saw an opportunity in the marketplace. As a business, TotalKare does lots of refurbishment for its customers and it also sells a significant amount of pre-owned products – some of those stretching back 30 years. Its customers can still send back 30-year-old sets.
One of the popular items that TotalKare’s customers were purchasing were old pre-owned lifts that they could put outside to use in a wash bay environment.
These lifts, David explains, were not designed for that application, but customers were saying they’re a lot cheaper than a new set, that they understand they’re not going to last forever and they will eventually break down if they continue to spray them with high-pressure washes. But they needed a solution without spending £40,000-50,000 more buying the right product for the job.
“We went back to the drawing board and looked at the protection and the mechanisms to produce the real solution at a reasonable price,” David says.
“We’ve basically taken all of the technology and knowhow from the outdoor four-post lift that was suitable and applied that to column lifts.
“Customers can now buy a new set instead of an old one which will need replacing in four-five years. Now, they can have something that is fit for purpose.”
New addition
In terms of adding the first two to the portfolio, David says it is relatively straightforward due to them being lifts. But the third product to launch, a brake tester range, is a whole new direction for TotalKare.
This is the first time the business has introduced non-lifting products to its portfolio.
Available as mobile or in-ground options, the brake tester is technically advanced and among the strongest and most reliable brake testing systems currently available.
It is hot galvanised to improve durability and features a comprehensive load simulation system and app technology so that data and subsequent analysis can be completed on a smartphone or tablet.
The TotalKare brake tester can also be adapted to test a range of vehicles, from small light vans and city trucks with a low wheelbase to larger commercial vehicles.
Why add this to the business? David says it again comes down to customers asking on a regular basis ‘can you sell me a brake tester?’
He adds: “The reason, when we dug down into why they are asking us for brake testers instead of someone else, was they like our service. They like the way we look after them, our responsiveness and that they know if they purchase a product from us, we will keep it running.”
