“EVERYONE’S HEARD OF CASTROL!”

Providing an outstanding range of lubricants, technical expertise, business support and branding options to independent workshops is central to the Castrol Service opportunity, helping businesses to grow and develop a competitive advantage by joining a recognised and supported network. Tim Benson, owner of Oldfields Garage Services, immediately felt a boost in all areas of operations when he joined Castrol’s Service Network in 2022.

Customer service has always been integral to the success and reputation of Oldfields since it was founded by Tim’s parents over 30 years ago. The fully branded exterior, along with interior signage and point of sale materials, establish a reassuringly professional and distinct image. “We wanted to be affiliated with a well-known brand,” says Benson. “It was a no brainer from a customer point of view – everyone’s heard of Castrol!”

Distinctive Castrol branding runs through many visible aspects of the business, from signage outside the workshop, digital messaging to welcome customers in reception, through to workwear, leaflets and stationery. The Castrol Guarantee also provides complete customer peace of mind when engine work has been undertaken using their lubricants.

Get energised

“It’s really energised our workshop in terms of how we can get access to information” says Benson, citing specific training opportunities and online product selectors as being invaluable.

Sam Peters, auto technician at Oldfields, agrees: “The website’s really good because it allows you to quickly identify what oil you need for what car. Racks, jugs and easy-pour dispensers allow you to easily find the oil you need”.

Oil delivery products such as the 20l oil stand create a safe and tidy workshop environment with all Castrol products in one place, while the FastScan application gives rewards to the workshop each time they use Castrol.

Working with Castrol Ambassador Distributor The Race Group also provides essential professional support to workshops such as Oldfields. “The Race Group team is knowledgeable and helpful,” says Benson. “They even conducted a lubricants survey to ensure we stock the right oils for the wide variety of makes and marques we see in the workshop. The levels of customer service and technical advice they provide are truly first class.”

Every element of the Castrol Service Network offering has been designed to reflect the true needs of today’s independent workshop, including access to marketing campaigns, customer incentives and promotions. Inclusion in the ‘Look Up’ online service locator drives new customers to their door from the

Castrol website. As Benson says, “This is another avenue to access customers, while promotions help us to engage with them.”

Expanding business

“EVs and hybrids are very much in the marketplace” says Benson, with Castrol offering specialist training on the specific lubricant needs of these vehicles, which now represent an increasing proportion of Oldfield’s customer base. “Growth is very important to our business, and it’s important that we look at all areas.

Castrol has really given our business a boost – the whole ethos is really good and customers are prepared to pay more for a better product.”

Castrol is often first-to-market in developing new products, and regards appropriate technician training as essential. Accessible and immediate online training modules are often made available to the Service Network before being released to the wider market, giving those garages the opportunity to capitalise on new trends and products, as well as talk confidently to customers about the lubricants they are using.

Benson would certainly encourage other independent workshop owners to find out more about becoming part of the Castrol Service Network. “It’s a winning team,” he says. “It’s given our business a boost and I’d encourage you to look at it carefully yourselves.”

To find out more about becoming a Castrol Service Workshop, please contact call 0800 371910 (Option 4) or register your interest here