At VWE Brand Day 2025, Kim Nรธhr Pedersen was named Volkswagen Erhverv Service Advisor of the Year, and Autocentralen Horsens was named Volkswagen Erhverv Dealership of the Year. The method behind the recognition is simple to describe. Kim acts on fault codes and upcoming service needs before the customer ever calls.
The tool that makes it possible is ConnectedWorkshop, the workshop-facing application from Connected Cars that gives Kim a live overview of his entire fleet of commercial vehicles at once.
Quick look
- Company: Autocentralen Horsens, an authorized Volkswagen dealership and Volkswagen Erhvervscenter in Horsens, Denmark
- Focus: Sales and service of Volkswagen commercial vehicles
- Challenge: Minimize downtime for commercial customers and fill gaps in the booking schedule
- Solution: ConnectedWorkshop gives service advisors one overview of every vehicle, enabling proactive outreach based on fault codes and upcoming service needs
- Results: Service Advisor of the Year and Volkswagen Erhverv Dealership of the Year at VWE Brand Day 2025, plus an invitation to present the method to dealers from across Europe
Downtime is the biggest factor
Kim joined Autocentralen Horsens in 2021 as a service advisor for commercial customers. For his customers, one thing matters more than anything else. A van out of commission costs the customer both revenue and satisfied customers. That is what drives Kim’s work.
“If we can repair the vehicle as quickly as possible, the customer is happy. Downtime is the biggest factor.”
The goal is always the same, to get the vehicle on the lift and back on the road as quickly as possible.
Diagnosing problems before the customer arrives
When a customer experiences a problem, Kim usually already has a good picture of what is wrong before the phone rings.
“You can tell the customer what is wrong with the vehicle before they have even reached the workshop,” he says. “We save the customer the trip to and from the workshop, just to run the same diagnosis we can do with ConnectedWorkshop.”
That advance knowledge lets the workshop plan each visit optimally, with the necessary parts ready and the appointment fitted into the customer’s schedule. ConnectedWorkshop shows Kim every vehicle regardless of model or age, so nothing depends on checking individual systems one by one.
“ConnectedWorkshop gives a quick overview of what the vehicles need. With other systems I have to go into each individual vehicle to check if there is something. With ConnectedWorkshop I can see all vehicles at once.”
Filling the schedule with proactive calls
When gaps appear in the booking schedule, Kim uses the fleet overview in ConnectedWorkshop to find vehicles approaching service or carrying a fault code.
“We use ConnectedWorkshop to continuously optimize lift capacity. Instead of waiting for them to call, I take the initiative myself.”
Those calls hit the mark far more often than you would expect, and Kim knows why.
“Customers have it in the back of their minds that the vehicle needs servicing, but they just haven’t gotten around to it. When you call, it is usually a relief for the customer. They already knew the vehicle needed to come in, and they just needed that small push.”
From Horsens to Europe
Kim’s results reached beyond Horsens, and he was invited to present the method at the VWE Commercial Vehicles event for Volkswagen dealers from across Europe. Soon, markets around Europe will have the same Connected Cars systems and the same proactive service that Horsens is already making full use of.
“When you call, it is usually a relief for the customer. They just needed that small push.”
See how ConnectedWorkshop gives service advisors one overview of every vehicle.