We recently sat down with Al Lijee, tech entrepreneur and CEO of myWindscreen, to ask him about his business and where it’s headed. Here’s how the conversation went:
What is myWindscreen and why did you start it?
myWindscreen is an online platform that allows motorists to find reputable, independent auto glaziers anywhere in the UK. It’s a little bit like travel website aggregators, but not exactly the same. We don’t charge hidden fees (or any fees at all) to customers and we have personally vetted and approved every partner listed on our platform for quality and reputation.
I got the idea back in 2011 when I found some cracks in my windscreen. I didn’t want to drive with a cracked windscreen and needed the problem solved as soon as possible. Only problem was that the automotive glazier, one of the big national chains, took far too long to fix my windscreen and I was quite disappointed with the quality of service.
What services do your automotive glaziers provide to customers?
So, it’s important to point out that we are not automotive glaziers ourselves and instead all glaziers listed on myWindscreen continue to operate independently. What this means is that the range of services, operating hours, and prices can vary quite a bit from glazier to glazier.
Just about every member partner found on myWindscreen offers windscreen replacement, side door, quarter, vent, and heated rear screen replacement services. Most also offer windscreen repair for stone chips or small cracks. Some offer ADAS windscreen calibration services. All services are mobile, which means that they’ll come out to the customer’s location so that they don’t have to drive anywhere, which can be dangerous and warrant a fine or citation if caught on the motorway.
How does myWindscreen help motorists in the UK?
Motorists in the UK deserve choice when searching online for windscreen replacement near me. The goal of myWindscreen is to do just that – give customers more choice, which is what local, independent automotive glaziers tend to offer (amongst other benefits).
The only two things that we require of our members are: all members must undergo a vetting process that ensures they are legitimate, reputable glaziers, and; all members must provide customers with a free, no-obligation quotation for their services.
Why are motorists in the UK choosing myWindscreen over the competition?
We’re seeing a lot of traffic (no pun intended) from motorists looking for better services and better prices than what their motor insurance provider recommends, which is often the big national chains.
Motorists with windscreen cover as part of their insurance can still end up paying less (even after paying the excess fee), and those without windscreen cover can potentially save £100 or more by choosing an independent automotive glazier on myWindscreen.
What sort of challenges do you anticipate that myWindscreen will need to overcome?
One of the biggest challenges that myWindscreen faces is that most motorists in the UK don’t really consider alternatives to the big national chains whenever their vehicle glass is damaged. Even though there are thousands of hardworking auto glaziers already offering better services and prices, they simply can’t compete in terms of marketing with these companies.
This is something we can resolve, but that also means we’ll have to continue to improve our organic traffic growth and SEO techniques to bring in customers searching online.
What are some milestones for the progress of myWindscreen in the coming months or years?
Firstly, we’re always looking to expand our network of vetted and approved member partners. This helps give customers more choice and encourages healthy competition between automotive glaziers whilst also generating more quality leads for them.
Next, we’re coming up on a year before our 10th anniversary for myWindscreen, so we’ll be sure to celebrate its success when the time comes!