Customer Service - The Top Priority

Customer Service needs to be the top priority in the automobile repair industry, whether you’re a dealer or independent and regardless of the size of the facility. It is very easy to get caught up in the trap of trying to attract new customers and therefore you neglect customer retention. But, if you expect your business to grow and prosper, it is essential that you evaluate whether you're providing the absolute best over-all customer experience, providing the WOW factor.

The top items customers are looking for are as follows;

Customers want to know how your service and product will enhance their lifestyle or fulfill their needs. They want to know that your product or service will SOLVE their problem! Give your customers the knowledge they need in basing their decisions, show them the benefits and value in doing business with you.

Have your employees be themselves, the professional version! Keeping the customer engaged and building a relationship is a strong indicator to the customer that your business cares and empathizes with their needs. Be genuine in every interaction you have with a customer. Win them over!

Make it convenient for your customers to seek you out and do business with your facility! Offer convenience and ease of service. Help your customers continue with their daily business schedules by providing WIFI, a comfortable lounge, shuttle service, loaner cars, rental cars or whatever amenities you offer that ease their wait time or get them on their way.

Your customers want to know that you value them and their business, make your menu pricing accessible to all who frequent your dealership. Outline your guiding written policy or procedures for the business and post them for all to read. Instill a mission statement so everyone inside and outside the business knows exactly what your business offers and knows what to expect.

Customers do not like fear tactics for selling purposes. Customers want the straight goods and are entitled to clear concise communication stipulating what measures need to be taken to solve a problem.

Always-always- ALWAYS, fix the customer first and fix the vehicle second! If you follow this rule you are well on your way to exceptional customer service.

Have you ever wondered how long your upset customer stays upset at your service facility? It depends on how badly you were actually perceived to be. Remember, perception is reality! The ratio of length of time before forgiveness takes place and the customer frequents your facility again can be quantified by the following;

1. Does the customer perceive the problem as being intentional on the part of the servicing facility?
2. Is our perceived conduct ongoing, is it our company policy.
3. If the repair didn’t fix the problem and no help was offered, an employee was rude, price was not what advisor said, the business conduct was not justifiable, the vehicle was damaged while under your care and control or your facility is not executing good business practices, any one of these particular events may be remembered forever, especially if your facility didn’t take ownership of a real issue.

Remember – communication-Communication-COMMUNICATION! Exceptional communication is essential for creating and fostering prosperous customer relationships!

David

Know Your Employees

Henry Ford was once quoted as saying, “If I had asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, a faster horse”! This being said, most people really don’t know what it is that they want! I can tell you that most people want honest, reliable, expedient exceptional service. If you can provide that, the rest will fall into place.

Have you taken the time to know your employees enough? Can you assess your employee’s motivations and determine what they bring to your business that will make you rise above your competition. I suggest you get to know the people who represent you and the business and find out what their thought processes are to the following questions.

To create award winning exceptional CSI, you need to have all cylinders firing in the proper order. This means your employees must have a clear vision of where they fit into the business and what talents or skills they need to bring to the table on a daily basis. You can assess people on a variety of levels by examining their numbers and placing them on a chart to quantify them, my point here is this, you may have some very talented people working for you right now that you can grow or you may have an A list of losers. Seek and you shall find the answers. Ask your employees defining questions and find out if your business and employees are on the right path to excellence.

What is your position with regard to our customers?
Describe in your own words your job description?
Are customers always right and does it matter if they are or are not?
What are we selling or providing?
How do you make a difference?
How do you fit into the business?
What are your personal goals within the business?
Do you give your customers the time and attention they deserve?
What takes you away from performing your job and giving our customers exceptional service?
What do you contribute to the business that stands out above your peers?
What is more important, short term profitability or longevity?
How do you make a difference?
Do you go the extra mile?
Do you show caring and commitment to your own integrity?
What are your long term expectations and commitments as an employee of this business?
What do you exemplify as an employee?
Do you listen to our customers or your peers?
Are you committed to excellence?
Are you adverse to changes, growing or learning?

“There are risks and costs to action, but they are far less than the long term risk of comfortable inaction”
                                               JFK – US President 1960-1963


David

Mission Statement

Does your dealership have a mission statement? Were your employees involved in the makeup of your mission statement? Do your employees know what the business mission statement is? Do they see you live and die by this mission statement? Do your employees believe in your mission statement? If you don’t have a mission statement have you thought of bringing one to fruition? Some owners may think a mission statement is useless however a mission statement can be useful if the employees were involved in its makeup, from its concept to a living document. Some organizations use a mission statement as a publicity tool and others use a mission statement as a compass for leadership decisions and organizational direction.

The primary purpose of a mission statement is to describe what your values are, what you do and whom you serve. A mission statement should not be a slogan, but rather a statement letting people inside and outside the business know exactly what your purpose is. When writing a mission statement, it is imperative that you already have the prerequisites for critical customer service skills within the framework of your dealership. These critical customer service skills that all of your employees need are;

1. A passion for taking care of customers
2. Integrity and commitment
3. A willingness to be flexible to our customers needs
4. A work ethic based on dedication to the company and its ongoing mission
5. Self motivation and goal oriented in every endeavor
6. An eagerness to continuously grow and learn new aspects of the business
7. Persuasive sales skills
8. Excellent communication skills
9. Leadership ability.

If you decide to institute a mission statement you must be prepared to change, for you will have to live and breathe this document. You will need to set goals in all departments that are realistic. You may have to start internal training seminars for your front line employees. It is always easier to implement a mission statement if you have direct input from your employees, then they will own it. Once they own the way in which you will conduct business, the easier the changes will be and the transformation into an exceptional customer service oriented dealership will be smooth. If the employees have a say in the way things are implemented or are at least included, the easier they will digest changes.

Questions you may wish to use in your quest for your business mission statement:

What are we selling?
Are customers always right?
How do we make a difference?
Do we go the extra mile?
What is more important short term profitability or longevity?
Are we committed?
Do we care?
Is this an exciting place to come to?
Are we accessible to our customers?
Do we provide a fun friendly atmosphere for our customers?
Are we honest?
Do we show caring and commitment to our own integrity and that of our customers?
What are our long term expectations and commitments as a community business?
What do we exemplify?
Do we listen to our customers or our peers?
Do we care about our employees?
Are we committed to excellence?

“Being right is less important than being successful” David Spicer

David