Senior Performance

Senior Performance is a specialist automotive service centre based in Batley, West Yorkshire, with a reputation built on precision work and genuine expertise. Founded and led by Aaron Senior, the workshop has carved out a strong niche in the BMW performance and maintenance market, serving enthusiasts and everyday drivers across Yorkshire and beyond.

The team at Senior Performance pride themselves on their technical knowledge, using only genuine parts and delivering the kind of honest, professional service that turns first-time customers into long-term advocates. Their services span everything from routine maintenance and diagnostics to bespoke performance tuning and modifications for BMW vehicles of all generations.

With a skilled team of technicians and a growing client base, Senior Performance had built an excellent reputation through word-of-mouth and customer referrals. By 2024, Aaron recognised an opportunity to scale the business further by modernising their operations and making it easier for customers to access their services online.

Senior Performance was already operating successfully, but Aaron and the team knew they could take things to the next level by embracing digital tools. Their main goals were clear: reduce time spent on administrative tasks, make it easier for customers to book appointments, and improve visibility over their workshop schedule.

Like many specialist garages, Senior Performance had been managing bookings through phone calls and text messages. While this worked, it meant Aaron or a team member had to be available to take calls throughout the day — often interrupting work on the ramp. They wanted to offer customers the convenience of booking online, especially outside of business hours when many BMW owners were researching services.

The team also wanted better control over their job pipeline. With a mix of performance work, routine servicing, and diagnostics all running simultaneously, keeping track of parts, deadlines, and customer communications was becoming more complex as the business grew. Aaron's vision was to streamline operations so his technicians could focus on what they do best — delivering exceptional work — while the business systems handled scheduling, invoicing, and follow-ups automatically.

After evaluating several garage management systems, Senior Performance chose Autopilot GMS for its intuitive design and powerful automation features. The implementation focused on three core areas that aligned with their growth objectives.

Online Bookings became the cornerstone of their digital transformation. Aaron set up 24/7 self-service booking through their website, allowing BMW owners to select services, choose time slots, and even pay deposits online. This immediately freed up phone time and meant customers could book at their convenience — whether that was during their lunch break or late in the evening. The deposit functionality also reduced no-shows, particularly for longer diagnostic and performance work.

The Jobs Management system gave the team complete visibility over their workshop calendar. Aaron could drag and drop jobs to optimise the schedule, assign specific technicians to BMW specialist work, and track progress in real-time. The visual calendar made it easy to balance quick turnaround jobs with more complex performance projects, ensuring the workshop operated at peak efficiency.

Finally, Digital Health Checks elevated their customer communication. When vehicles came in for servicing, technicians could quickly document findings with photos and traffic-light ratings, then send professional reports directly to customers' phones. This transparency built trust and made it significantly easier to gain approval for additional work — especially important when dealing with older BMWs that often need proactive maintenance.

The impact was both immediate and measurable. Within the first six months of using Autopilot, Senior Performance saw online bookings more than double, with over 60% of new appointments now coming through their website rather than phone calls. This shift freed up approximately 12 hours per week that had previously been spent answering calls and manually updating the diary.

The efficiency gains translated directly to revenue growth. With better schedule optimisation and reduced gaps between jobs, Senior Performance increased their monthly turnover by £18,000 — all without extending opening hours or hiring additional staff. The digital health checks proved particularly valuable, with customers approving recommended work 40% more often when they could see detailed photos and explanations on their phones.

Customer satisfaction also improved significantly. Their average rating climbed to 4.8 out of 5, with customers frequently commenting on the ease of booking and the professional communication throughout the service process. Aaron notes that the time saved on admin has allowed him to focus more on training his team and developing new performance packages, which has opened up additional revenue streams.

Perhaps most importantly, the business now has the systems in place to scale. Senior Performance is actively exploring opening a second bay and taking on more complex performance builds — confident that Autopilot can handle the increased workflow without creating administrative bottlenecks.