Losing sight of the real job

Jan. 1, 2020
Shops spend so much time trying to please insurers and turn a profit that they often overlook offering true cutomer service.
Sramcik ABRN customer service

Years ago when I first began freelancing for ABRN, I used to regularly contribute shop profiles. Though ownership and operational design could vary dramatically from one shop to another, there was one constant. Nearly every shop I talked to firmly claimed to offer great customer service.

Looking back, I've come to the following conclusions. I have no doubt that many of these shops did offer customers a good – if not great – customer experience. I have no doubt that every one truly believed it offered great service. I also believe many shops still have a way to go to provide great service.

Collision repair shops face some unique problems when it comes to customer service. We aren't in a prime position to form strong customer relationships.

Typically, we don't have regular customers. Statistically, the average driver is in a collision once every seven years, so unless you offer other services, years will pass before you see most customers twice.

Also, considering the type of work we do, where customers drop a vehicle off and don't see it for a week (so they aren't spending time in a customer waiting area), we don't get a lot of face time with them.

Truly complicating matters is the involvement of insurers. Because the insurer pays the bill most of the time and policyholders essentially turn the repair over to them, the insurance company has become a type of customer (whether we like it or not). We're put in a position where we need to please them and get their approval. If you're in a DRP, you're focused even more on satisfying the insurer.

Little wonder that the average car owner might feel lost in this process or that some shops might lose their perspective of true service. Still, that's no excuse. When we lose our perspective on taking care of the "real" customer, we aren't doing our job.

I'll use one of my last repairs as an example. In 2004, I decided to have the front bumper repaired and paint touched up on my three-year-old car. Since the work was mainly cosmetic, I would pay for it.

I selected the shop based largely on convenience (though it did have a good reputation). I was going to have the car worked on while I was out of town and wouldn't need it. The shop was close to my office and the airport. The arrangement would benefit me and the shop, or so I believed at the time.

When I showed up for the estimate, the shop didn't seem particularly interested in the job. I parked in a specially marked estimate area, walked into the office and was told by the receptionist to wait by my car. Odd, that's what I thought waiting areas were for?

The estimator proved to be one of the least personable people I'd ever met. He asked what I was there for, walked around the car making notes and then asked me to wait (outside again) while he "worked up some numbers." Ten minutes later, he re-emerged with a $1,200 estimate and little else to say.

He never asked if I still wanted the work done or if he could set up an appointment. I had to do that. He provided no details on the job. When I specified the week I wanted the work (which was still a month off), he simply said the shop would try to fit me in. When I dropped the car off, I was amazed to find they actually had me scheduled.

A week went by, and I picked up the car. The shop never phoned to say the work was done. I paid the bill, was given a receipt and a container of touch-up paint. The receptionist handed me my keys and pointed to where the car was parked. Again, no one took the time to go over the work or the warranty. No one said, "Thanks for your business." It was as impersonal a purchase as I had ever made.

As for the repair, it was fine, I guess. Would I ever go back to the shop? No. Would I recommend it? No.

Customer service is a central part of any service business. For our industry, simply delivering a high-quality repair isn't enough. In fact, I have to question the work performed by a shop that doesn't take the time to treat its customers with as much courtesy as possible. If a shop isn't thoroughly professional in some area of its business, such as customer service, shouldn't that tip off me or any other customer to it being unprofessional elsewhere?

Maybe that's a question we need to ask ourselves each day as we struggle to stay in business.

Contact info: [email protected]

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