Clients prefer the garages/shops and dealerships that guarantee the protection of their data

Data privacy has become an essential demand by drivers interested in doing car maintenance or buying a vehicle. According to different studies, more than 80% of garage/shop and dealership clients prefer to perform the maintenance of their vehicles or buy a new one with businesses that guarantee the protection of their personal information. What is the reason for this? Probably, due to the high number of dealerships and garages/shops that have suffered cyberattacks, over 85% of them according to several associations within the sector.

How do you explain to a client that his/her personal data has been exposed and could be used by cyber criminals? Having a cybersecurity strategy that protects your clients and your business from attacks such as the hacking of bank accounts, personal or bank information, or even identity theft, is an obvious competitive advantage! It is a different, added value to your garage/shop or dealership offerings as opposed to others.

Data protection has become essential for any garage/shop, especially since digital marketing has made accessing data easier in order to present an offer or even to provide services, but it is even more important for the bodywork and paint shops. Many repairs involve third parties, such as insurance companies and experts, which also means sharing data in order to optimize the accident management. This information flow carries risks if we do not have an adequate security strategy that prevents technological weak spots or bad practices.

Some examples? If we think about our website or social media security, it is possible that we have not considered the need for strong passwords, those that are difficult to be easily decoded and, of course, that do not include personal information; we should also have double authentication systems in place. If we carry out this simple exercise regarding email management, sms messages, or newsletters, is it possible to find technological weak spots or poor practices that compromise the cybersecurity of our company.

Is your garage/shop cybersecure? Does it guarantee an adequate protection of your clients’ data? If the answer is yes, then this is an added value that you should not hesitate to communicate to current or potential clients in order to transform it into a competitive advantage.