Return Phone Calls Provide Potential Revenue

Have you noticed over the past couple of years people do not readily call back those who left voice mails? Return phone calls are becoming a thing of the past. The sad news is is that this takes place most everyday at most businesses. Customers and potential employment candidates continually leave messages for managers and in a lot of cases the managers will pick and choose who they will call back. Service advisors and parts counterman receive calls all day long and unfortunately they also pick and choose who they will call back.

This is your business! People call into your facility to ask for your professional services, advice, and employment status or for some other justifiable reason. You cannot ignore these potential customers’ calls. There must be a system of follow up put into practice if you wish to survive in this new economy.

Customers seek you out by calling into your dealership! This is potential revenue so make a point to call each and everyone back. Those customers that are calling in to complain may have a legitimate concern, without a return call you will never know and you may never really understand the amount of potential revenue you are sweeping off the table and onto the floor. You may have been able to resolve the issue and move forward, retaining a customer who may purchase or service with you in the future.

When interviewing potential employment candidates it might behoove your managers to call back each person who didn’t qualify for the position but interviewed with these same managers. The reason I say this is because the automotive industry is very interconnected, meaning people who work for other brands in other states know people in your state and possibly at your dealership. When you don’t return calls or keep people in the loop, you are tarnishing your reputation.

Let’s assume we all want to attract WINNERS at our dealership, real race horses with a common goal of continual growth and prosperity and always customer focused. My question is how do you continually hire only these types of quality people if your reputation precedes you, whereby people in the trade perceive your business as uncaring or unethical towards its employees and this factor starts with calling back those that didn’t make the grade during the hiring process.

When managers are calling candidates back, the potential prospects cannot go out and tell their peers I applied at so-and-so dealership, I went for two interviews and now they don’t return my telephone calls… That type of telephone or business etiquette is counterproductive to your future business building plans of acquiring only the best and brightest talent.

Advisors, sales people, managers, parts counterman and receptionists MUST take greater responsibility and call all customers back, they may not know what the call is regarding but so what, it may be future business or future business opportunities. Every return telephone call is potentially an untapped opportunity waiting to be brought to fruition.  Remember that the telephone requires operational etiquette so make sure all of your employees and you yourself are always conscious of what you say and how you say it.  People won't readily remember what you said however they will always remember how you said the what you were talking about.

CALL-CALL-CALL and over time you will find the telephone is your best tool in your tool box, use it wisely and guide your business to success.

David