Alastair Shephard

Content Writer

Alastair Shephard | Author

Thurlow Nunn Luton has been crowned Bumper’s Dealership of the Month for May 2024. 

The Vauxhall site had an incredible month in May helping lots of drivers to split the cost of their repairs into interest-free monthly instalments. 

Thurlow Nunn joined the Bumper network back in 2015 and has been a committed Bumper partner; empowering drivers with flexible payment options on their repairs for almost a decade. 

The Luton-based team have integrated Bumper into their everyday process by using the Bumper plug-in on their dealer management system, Pinewood, and introducing flexible payment options early in the customer journey via their bookings team at their contact centre. 

On Trustpilot, customers expressed their approval of the Thurlow Nunn and Bumper partnership. 

One Luton customer said, “It was very much appreciated when Thurlow Nunn offered to spread the cost of my service at no extra cost”. 

Another impressed customer said, “What can I say? A great way to spread the cost of service. Just give them your details and they do the rest. 

“The service team at Thurlow Nunn complete the process, take your payment details and it’s done. It was so easy I had to double-check it had been completed”. 

Bumper Business Development Consultant for East England, Darren Gloster, visited the site to hand over their award. 

Darren said, “Congratulations to the team at Thurlow Nunn Vauxhall Luton. They’re one of our longest-standing partners on the network and this shows in their approach to interest-free monthly payments; truly recognising the importance of accommodating every need of every customer.”

Well done on your much-deserved win, team Luton! 

Thurlow Nunn Luton Awarded Dealer of the Month 

We've all heard of Robin Hood and his adventures in Sherwood Forest, right? At Bumper we tried to recreate that amazing experience a week ago at our corporate retreat. 

This event was not only an opportunity to disconnect and enjoy nature but also to get to know each other a little better. Read on to hear about our incredible adventure. 

This year, we set out to do something special by bringing together our teams from across Europe in one place, and what better than Center Parcs in the heart of Sherwood Forest? With its rich history and breathtaking scenery, it was the perfect setting for our team-building activities. 

The day started with an outdoor problem-solving expedition through the forest where teams had to pass various tests, including tests of dexterity, riddle solving and physical challenges. Typical of our British weather, it rained from the outset! 

Throughout the stay, we also had the opportunity to enjoy other outdoor activities that helped us to disconnect from the day-to-day: 

This retreat was a unique opportunity for all of us who were able to attend. 

The team-building activities not only helped us to develop collaborative skills but also helped us to build trust and get to know each other a little better. 

We also shared laughs and experiences during dinner, where we had the opportunity to participate in a charity raffle. The generous contributions of colleagues, family and friends, raised a massive £1,400 for the Ukraine crisis appeal. 

The Bumper Awards celebration, where the work and efforts of colleagues were recognised, rounded off the evening.

In such a relaxed and natural environment, the conversations flowed easily and many creative ideas emerged that we hope to implement in our future projects. 

In a dynamic and ever-changing industry, these events are essential in encouraging colleague collaboration. 

Our retreat at Sherwood Forest was more than just a getaway. It was an experience that allowed us to grow as a team and as individuals. We all returned home with a renewed sense of energy. 

We look forward to the next retreat and the new adventures that await us!

Bumper in Sherwood Forest: An unforgettable retreat

Congratulations to Drive Vauxhall Bury St Edmunds for being named Dealership of the Month. 

Drive Vauxhall Bury St Edmunds use Bumper’s PayLater to split their customers’ aftersales invoices into interest-free monthly payments and PayNow for customers to make instant, digital payments from their device. 

Having joined the network in 2015, the team at Drive have gone from strength to strength using Bumper’s digital payment methods to improve customer satisfaction and retention. 

Flexible payment options have proved to be popular with Drive customers. One said, “So straightforward to use. It's a big help with budgeting and makes the difference between having all the work done at the same time, rather than postponing some, which is less than ideal. No interest charged either.” 

With a near-perfect 4.3 out of 5 stars, customers have also praised the staff at the site. One driver said, “It was so straight forward, the service advisor, Stephen Eboma, helped us as we are elderly. He kept us in tea and coffees in the waiting area while they fixed the car. 

“We are on a pension so splitting the payments was perfect for us like Stephen explained. We would recommend Bumper and Drive Vauxhall Bury St Edmunds to everyone.” 

Part of the site’s success can be attributed to the team’s streamlined process. Drive Vauxhall Bury St Edmunds use the Bumper and CDK integration enabling Bumper applications to be completed within their DMS. 

Congratulations to Harry, Stephen, Sam, and the whole team at Drive Vauxhall Bury St Edmunds for winning this award! 

Drive Vauxhall Bury St Edmunds celebrated as Dealership of the Month 

We’re excited to announce the Dealership of the Month for February is Acorn Kia Crewe.

The Crewe-based site had a fantastic start to the year and has continued its upward trajectory into February.

One of the longer-standing Bumper partners, Acorn Motor Group adopted PayLater into their aftersales departments back in 2017 and have now gone live with PayNow, processing customers’ one-off payments in just a few taps, and Pay By Bank, an instant account-to-account payment method.

The team also make use of Bumper integrations through popular automotive systems Keyloop and CitNOW, creating a seamless customer experience for drivers.

Their world-class customer experience has impacted their Trustpilot reviews, of which there are plenty!

One customer said, “Seamless, straightforward process, very well explained by Matt. Nothing was too much trouble.” Another stated, “Jay did an amazing check on my car for [my] MOT... great detail on the inspection video”.

Others described Kia Crewe as, “Very helpful”, “Quick”, and “First class”.

Bumper’s Chris Booth (Business Development Team Lead – North) and Islay Horton (Business Development Consultant) visited the site to hand over the award. 

Islay said, “Congratulations to Acorn Kia Crewe on their win. They’ve had an outstanding start to 2024 with Bumper, really embedding PayLater into their aftersales process.

“Having recently taken over the site, it’s been a pleasure to meet with the team here in Crewe today and I’m looking forward to seeing how we can utilise PayLater even further to create an incredible aftersales experience.”

Congratulations to Amy, Rebecca, Chloe, Matt and the whole team at Acorn Kia Crewe.

Acorn Kia Crewe named Dealership of the Month

We’re pleased to announce our first Dealership of the Month for 2024 is Mercedes Benz South West Exeter. 

The site has enjoyed large successes with Bumper's interest-free instalment option, harnessing the power of PayLater to boost customer retention and satisfaction. 

Having joined the Bumper network in 2022, the Mercedes Benz South West Exeter team recently attended a Bumper training session. Available to all partners on the network, the session is an opportunity to sit down with Bumper’s engagement team and discuss best practices when offering our payment products to drivers. 

Steve Johnson, General Service Manager for the Exeter-based site, found that offering customers flexible payment options significantly boosts red work conversion, improving the safety of customers’ vehicles. 

He said, “Bumper Pay Later has significantly enhanced our ability to maximize eVHC (Electronic Vehicle Health Check) red work identified sales. By offering customers the flexibility to defer payment for necessary repairs, we've removed financial barriers that might otherwise deter them from approving essential work on their vehicles. This approach has increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, as it aligns with their financial preferences and circumstances. 

“Additionally, Bumper Pay Later encourages customers to address red work promptly, leading to improved vehicle safety and performance while boosting revenue for our service department. Overall, integrating Bumper Pay Later into our eVHC process has proven instrumental in optimizing sales and enhancing customer experience.” 

Matthew Squire, Senior Service Team Manager, said, “I really enjoy being able to offer Bumper, it’s a complete ease for the customer and for us to work with. There has been lots of positive feedback from allowing customers to spread the cost monthly at 0%”. 

Congratulations to Steve, Matthew, and the whole team at Mercedes Benz South West Exeter!

Mercedes Benz South West Exeter: Dealership of the Month 

 is a new option when it comes to paying for their car maintenance costs. Although they’ll probably be aware of it as an alternative payment method with retailers such as Ikea or ASOS, many won’t know the option exists at garages and dealerships. 

To make sure drivers know how easy it is to fit repair costs into their monthly budget we need to introduce them to Bumper during their visit. 

But what’s the best way to do it? And when is the best time to do it? Let’s take a look. 

Introducing PayLater to the customer at your first interaction means the customer has all the information available to them from the get-go. 

Bringing your car in for a repair or service can be a daunting experience for customers. Most drivers don’t know much about cars and could be facing a potentially large repair bill. Let the customer know about Bumper when they arrive and put their mind at ease. 

Below is an example script you can try with your next customer.

“Just to let you know, we have multiple payment options available including pay monthly with Bumper.”

What does the customer need replacing following their vehicle health check? A fluid top-up, new tyres, and brakes? It’s a particularly negative list of essential repair work to have to read out to customers. Break it up by offering Bumper. Let PayLater ease the burden of mounting repair costs and you might find the customer can afford more essential work than they thought. 

“Your vehicle health check has identified your car requires new front brake pads and 2 new tyres. That comes to £600, or can be split over 4 monthly payments of £150. Which payment method would you prefer?”

Since you let the customer know about Bumper early on, completing the payment process should be a doddle. Customers are increasingly looking for new digital methods of payments and a pay monthly option at the point of sale is something they’ll be pleased about. The key is to position PayLater as a payment method like cash or card. 

Would you like to pay that by card or in monthly instalments?"

Looking for more ways to boost customer experience using Bumper? Contact our Engagement Team to request training 

When to offer Bumper to customers 

We've partnered with Volt to power our open banking payment option with real-time payments for vehicle deposits, repairs, parts, services and outright vehicle purchases. Open banking allows drivers to make secure, account-to-account payments. 

This next phase of open banking addresses friction caused by slow settlement times for dealers. With greater oversight of the transactions via payment notifications, dealers significantly reduce the risk of customer non-payment. The update also includes the option to make instant refunds to customers. 

The collaboration marks a significant rise in the use of open banking for Bumper with more drivers opting for the method at the point of sale. 

For dealers, open banking presents a huge cost-saving opportunity, with transaction fees a fraction of traditional payment methods. As of January 2024, open banking has saved 152 Bumper dealerships an estimated £200,000 in transaction fees. Moreover, open banking reduces the risk of fraudulent payments – customers are required to authenticate the payment within their banking app. 

The news comes at a time of exceptional growth in the used car market with more sold in 2023 than any other post-pandemic year. This rebound is reflected in the £3 million in payments processed through the Bumper-Volt integration since its launch in January 2024. 

Currently available in the UK, the integration will accelerate the rollout of Bumper’s open banking offering across other European territories.

Richard Drury, VP of Partnerships at Volt, said: “For car dealerships, the payments process has been a major challenge, and our solution is a real asset in alleviating those challenges many dealership owners are facing today. We’ve created a perfect solution for Bumper, with the initial results and quick adoption proving that it resonates with both buyers and sellers. There’s huge potential for real-time payments to take off in the automotive industry, so this partnership was a no-brainer for Volt.” 

Jack Allman, CCO and Co-Founder at Bumper, said, "The move to Volt as Bumper's Open Banking payment provider will have a huge impact on functionality for our partnered dealerships and their customers, providing them with a frictionless account-to-account payment experience. 

"This new partnership enhances our open banking infrastructure with increased functionality including settlement accounts, real-time notifications and refunds. These developments will increase operational efficiency and automation across all users, whether they work in accounts, sales or service. 

“Additionally, Volt’s global payment network facilitates Bumper to roll out our Open Banking product across Europe in the near future. We're incredibly excited to have launched this next phase of our Open Banking platform and can't wait to see the increased value this new iteration will bring to our partners." 

Bumper Partners with Volt to Empower Dealers with Open Banking

We’re thrilled to announce the last Dealership of the Month for 2023 is Lookers BMW and MINI Stafford.

The site managed an outstanding end to 2023, increasing the number of drivers using Bumper’s PayLater to split their bill into interest-free instalments by 50%.

Service advisor Kacey led the way in December helping 17 customers to drive away with their bills split with Bumper, closely followed by Andrea, known to the team as Queenie, with 14 PayLaters under her belt.

Driven by Aftersales Manager Lee Tucket, Lookers BMW and MINI Stafford use PayLater via the RTC integration. The team offer the monthly instalment option across both their aftersales and service departments.

Lee said, “Bumper's PayLater has been a huge success for us at Lookers BMW and MINI Stafford. By using flexible payment methods positioned at the right time, we've afforded our customers the opportunity to make what could be a large, unexpected cost much more achievable. This has had a significant impact in boosting our customer satisfaction levels and red work conversion.”

The Bumper-Lookers partnership has also had a positive impact on customer feedback. Mohammed visited the site in January and said, “Went for an MOT test, I was informed the rear tyre needed replacement but also both the front two. I saw I could have interest-free over 3 months, easy to apply and accepted. Saved shelling out in one go and spread over 3 months, great option. I will definitely do that again next time.”

Congratulations to Lee, Kacey, Andrea, Steven, Ashley and the whole team at Lookers BMW & MINI Stafford.

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