Bobcat has launched a new national version of the company’s successful BobCARE Planned Maintenance (PM) programme for customer machines in the UK, the first of its type in Europe.
BobCARE PM is already appreciated by customers for its many benefits such as longer machine life, increased uptime or higher residual value. However, until now it has only been managed at an individual dealer level, which could not completely fulfil all customer expectations. To overcome this, Bobcat has worked closely with the company’s UK dealer network to introduce a new national solution, that keeps all the previous advantages while adding several new benefits including:
- Service support anywhere in the UK
- Fixed costs for the duration of the contract
- Choice of plans with different durations
- Inclusion in lease financing
- Full guaranteed backing of Bobcat
Improved Customer Experience
The new version of BobCARE PM now offers a unified customer experience – once a BobCARE PM plan is purchased and activated, it is valid and recognized throughout the UK. As a result, customers can now have their machine maintained at the most convenient dealer branch based on the machine’s current location.
The new plan also ensures that costs are fully predictable – the price is final and clearly stated right at the start of the contract. This means that maintenance costs are completely resistant to inflation. Bobcat is also offering various forms of the BobCARE PM plan, which vary from two years and 1000 hours up to five years and 5000 engine hours, so that customers can choose the most suitable support for their operation.
The new BobCARE PM plan continues to include the regular maintenance operations and checks as well as all Bobcat genuine parts and fluids, that are necessary for planned service of customers’ machines. Every plan is also fully backed by Bobcat – customers, dealers and leasing partners are completely covered – the company stands behind every contract and guarantees their fulfilment throughout the entire contract period.
John Christofides, Regional Sales Director for Bobcat EMEA said: “The UK already has a high adoption of Bobcat’s Protection Plus extended warranty scheme with an 84% take-up rate. We recommend the combination of BobCARE PM and Protection Plus as the best possible way to take care of a customer machine. This means that customers are backed by Bobcat in every possible way and therefore keeps downtime to an absolute minimum and maintains the highest possible value for the machine.”
Reflecting Market Trends
“Customer expectations are continuously shifting from ‘owning a machine’ to ‘care-free usage’. With the new national BobCARE PM plan, we are taking these trends into account, reflecting the need for flawless customer experience and dealers’ need for a simple and easily manageable offering,” added Corbin Braithwaite, Bobcat Service Manager for UK.
Bobcat dealers will offer the option of a BobCARE PM plan when a customer buys a new machine – a loader, excavator or telehandler – from Bobcat. If the customer decides to go ahead, the price of BobCARE PM is included in the machine price. For customers choosing the leasing option for their machines, it is possible to break down the cost into periodical payments. For those customers who change their minds after they have completed their machine purchase, there is also an option to activate BobCARE PM up to three months after the purchase of a Bobcat machine.
‘All-in-One Approach’
Nowadays, a service contract is a natural part of the machine sales process – the current market trend is to perceive service packages as a machine option. Therefore, Bobcat’s lease partner is fully supporting the company’s service offerings and will support an ‘all-in-one approach’, where the machine, attachments, Protection Plus, BobCARE and financing are all covered by a monthly fee so that customers can solely focus on developing their own businesses.
It is also possible to resell Bobcat machines with BobCARE PM still active. The programme is not only transferable, it also probably prolongs the service life of the machine, which also benefits the new customer during the sale.
