Synetiq Reflects on Year of Change in Vehicle Salvage

The last 12 months have seen dramatic changes to the way we live and work. For many businesses, adapting to change with speed and agility has been vital to continue operating.

As the UK’s largest integrated salvage and vehicle recycling company, SYNETIQ began 2020 with a clear plan of action, but no-one could have predicted the disruption that was to come. SYNETIQs Infrastructure and Development teams were immediately under pressure to help continue operating safely and compliantly, led by IT Director Dave Harcourt.

“We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of innovation and technological development within our industry, but the huge disruption caused by COVID-19 certainly raised considerable challenges. Before the first lockdown, our contact centre was receiving thousands of calls each week – once it closed, we had to find a workable solution immediately,” said Dave.

“We implemented, tested and launched a Web Chat system within days, meaning we could continue serving customers safely. We’ve since found this to be a huge improvement, and we’re now preparing for the launch of a new and improved Web Chat system in Spring 2021.”

With SYNETIQ switching to remote working wherever possible, Dave’s teams were also tasked with the roll-out of Microsoft Teams.

“Clear lines of communication between our departments became more important than ever, but not all of our people were experienced in using this new technology. We held regular training sessions and now the process is working fantastically well. Web Chat and Microsoft Teams were implemented reactively, but both are here to stay.”

In the same year, SYNETIQ made several other improvements to customer experience, including HSBC Open Payments for users of its online salvage auction. The business was the fourth in the world to implement the technology, which automatically populates payment data to prevent errors and fraud.

SYNETIQ Auction customers also now benefit from a collection slot booking facility, which has reduced the amount of people on site at once – reducing the potential spread of COVID-19.

“I’m especially proud of my teams for the huge amounts of work we’ve done during the last 12 months,” said Dave. “We reacted to the situation in a calm, measured way, despite the pressures and uncertainty. We’ve improved the way we serve customers, changing our processes for the better while helping to keep us all safe.”