Great service differentiates great shops

Jan. 1, 2020
Listen carefully to what customers say and watch their body language for cues.

When the process moves along smoothly for the shop customer, everyone in the chain wins: customer, insurer and shop. With customers presuming they will get a good quality repair, it's how they are treated that will win them over. Here's how to treat customers.

Camille Eber

Make a good first impression. I don't think you can overestimate the importance of doing things right from the start. Make sure the exterior of your building is attractive and welcoming, with well-placed directional signage. Greet every customer with a smiling face. Make sure your office space is comfortable. If you're still operating with physical barriers, such as counters between you and the customer, consider removing them. We opted for a bar-height table and stools to create a more casual atmosphere.

Since it's all family in our office, treating customers like family seems natural, and we know we are succeeding at this because it shows up in our surveys after the repair. One of our main goals that we discuss often is to earn the customers' trust, treating them with empathy and providing them with help and direction with their often-stressful situation.

Offer some refreshments. About a year ago, we purchased a small oven, and we buy ready-made cookie dough. Baking cookies in-house fills our office with a homey scent. We often have cookies set out in a covered dish, and we also package some in a cello bag – tied with one of our mini business cards – to hand out when we deliver the car. We also keep our station with coffee, tea and water impeccably clean and maintained.

Listen carefully. We all like it when we're heard. Listen carefully to what customers say verbally and watch their body language. You'll see that some customers don't actually know what they want, so you can ask questions to help them discover what's best for them.

Assess their needs. What we think they might need, and what they actually need, may be different. Sometimes they don't understand the claims or repair processes and may not want to admit this. If you're listening well, you'll pick up on this and can offer more information. They may not have all of the money for their deductible, and this may be an embarrassment for them. If you can learn this, you can address it, perhaps by offering a payment plan or an outside financing source. They also may not mind if cosmetic damage goes unrepaired to ease the financial impact.

Set relevant expectations. We no longer provide a repair timeline at the start. Instead, we let the customer know we'll provide an accurate timeline once the car is disassembled, parts and materials are sourced, and an accurate repair plan (blueprint) has been established. Taking this approach a few years back has improved our overall CSI by a few points.

Good customer service also requires this accurate repair plan. Just as we all strive for no redoes in the paint shop, it's imperative to perform the repair planning tasks with zero defects as the goal. We have found when we fail here, we usually fail in other places as well, including on-time delivery.

I also tired long ago explaining post-repair (sometimes unsuccessfully) that bumper cover paint rarely matches the rest of the car. Now as part of our vehicle check-in process, we review multiple items with the customer, including the bumper/car body paint match. Dilemma solved.

Lastly, go above and beyond. We strive to under-promise and over-deliver. I first heard this term many years ago from shop owner Victor Drew at a NACE seminar. We look for opportunities to really go the extra mile – sometimes literally. Just last week, a long-time customer of ours had a problem with a battery that we replaced for her. She had been ordered by her doctor not to drive for some time, and scheduling with a friend to help her was not working out. So my nephew and I grabbed the jump box and went to her home almost 10 miles away to pick up her car, replace the battery, and deliver it back to her. Did we wow her? I think so. Did she tell anyone else? I bet she has.

What do you do to wow your customers? Send me an email, or if you are reading this electronically, click on the box below and post an electronic comment.

Camille Eber is the second-generation owner of Fix Auto Portland East in Portland, Oregon.

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