To remain competitive today, collision repair businesses are required to make a tremendous number of changes in their operations. Some are being driven by changes in vehicle technology, while others are driven by relationships that the shop has with insurers. Regardless of what is driving the changes, the stronger shops today are focused on standardizing their procedures and processes both in the front office and in the shop. This standardization helps to ensure that everything the staff does throughout the repair process is consistent and repeatable.
In the classes that I teach, I always recommend to shop owners who currently do not have standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place, that they start with the areas most visible to their customers. Once those are in place, you can then focus on other areas of the business. You want to make sure that you are providing not only a quality repair, but just as important, providing a positive customer experience. You need to remember that the majority of the customers who come to your business to have their collision-damaged vehicle repaired do not know what to expect throughout the repair process; and losing the use of their vehicle can create a difficult situation for many families.
One of the keys to providing your customers with a positive experience is to educate them on the repair process and what needs to be done to properly repair their vehicle. This needs to be put into terms that they will understand, not the terms that come out of the estimating system that you use. The other key is to provide the right amount of communication in the manner that your customer wants to receive it.
Recently, my family has had the opportunity to have several of our vehicles repaired due to collisions. Each of the vehicles was repaired at a different collision repair business, but there were some things that were common between repair shops. The communication to the vehicle owner was inconsistent.
With one of the vehicles, I was impressed when the shop asked me to complete a form asking how I wished to receive updates on the repair status. The form gave me a choice between phone, email and text. In this example I chose text, but after that all communication was done not by text but by phone.
With the next vehicle, the shop asked if receiving repair status updates through text messages would be acceptable. I was informed that they would send an update every two days. Again I agreed that the text messaging would be preferred. Again, the shop set an expectation and then didn’t follow through.
Four days after the vehicle was towed to their business, I received a phone call that provided a preliminary cost of repairs, but told me that they didn’t have all parts prices or an expected delivery date. The next day I received another phone call informing me that the parts had been ordered but they were still unable to provide an expected delivery date.
Eight days from the time they received the vehicle, I received my first text message. It read in part that the shop would be “sending you repair status updates and a survey.” The next text received that same day was a thank-you for allowing the shop to repair my vehicle. Seeing that I had not yet been provided with an expected delivery date, I must say I wasn’t pleased to get a message that focused on the CSI survey. I understand the importance that the CSI surveys provide to the shop, but I think the timing of this text message isn’t right.
Throughout the next several days, the text messages provided me with a percentage of repairs that had been completed, an update on the expected delivery date, a notification that repairs had been completed and two thank-you messages. These were great from a communication process viewpoint, but the expected delivery date in the text was listed as being six days later than what I was told when I called the shop and learned the vehicle was being detailed for delivery.
The reason I am sharing this experience is to remind you that when you set an expectation with your customer, it is critical to meet or exceed that expectation. Not setting an expectation of an estimated delivery date until you know exactly what is wrong with the vehicle and have expected delivery dates of the required parts is acceptable. Just make sure that you are communicating this to the customer in terms that they will understand. Then meet or exceed the expected delivery date that you set!
Setting an expectation that you will provide updates throughout the repair process should be a high priority. Again, if the expectation is that a text message will be provided every two days, make sure that is what is being done in your shop.
Sell your business at the time when customers pick up their vehicles. Make sure to explain what was done, what your warranties are, what to do if they have any questions; and thank them for their business! Don’t let your customers leave with only “A third party will be contacting you and please give us a 10.”
If you click ationlinetraining.com/abrn1306, you can see an outline for a Standard Operating Procedure that I have created that may help you provide great communication to your customers.
Tom McGee is Director of ATI Collision for the Automotive Training Institute, founded in 1974. ATI’s 99 associates train and coach more than 1,150 shops across North America to drive profits and dreams home to their families. You can contact Tom at [email protected] and visit ATI’s website at www.autotraining.net.
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