I LOVE going to restaurants. Dining provides me a form of entertainment and allows me to look at a service industry, much like collision repair, that's dependent on customer service to build business.
Customer service is just as important in a repair shop as a restaurant. Think about you local market. There probably are many other collision repair shops surrounding your location. If all the shops in the market – or at least the majority of them – do quality work, what makes your shop stand out?
I feel welcome, comfortable, special and important when I'm at my favorite restaurant. Now think about your shop. Do your customers feel any of these emotions when they enter your shop? They should feel them all.
Every interaction you and your staff have with the public – whether it's on the phone, in person, or through e-mails – provides them with a perception of your business. If your customer service representative is having a bad day that started with a difficult morning at home, will his demeanor (angry and short) be relayed to your customers? You bet.
Every interaction is important. It's imperative to realize when one of your staff isn't performing at his best. Recognize this, step in and resolve it immediately. Make it clear to all of your staff personal problems have to be checked at the door, outside the shop. It'll be impossible to make sure this happens all the time, but being vigilant will improve the odds. Let's look at several key categories that, if adhered to, will allow you to always provide stellar customer service.
The right people
Just because one of your staff is an extremely good technical estimator doesn't mean he of she can sell jobs and capture work. Sometimes a person who's good with people – who's compassionate, empathetic and understanding and doesn't know a thing about collision repair – can capture more jobs than an expert.
Most people are confused by industry lingo. An expert estimator, rattling off the industry jargon to customers, isn't going to be effective resolving customer problems. They've come to you because they want or need to get their car fixed. They're not particularly concerned with all the detail involved in the process. They just need help solving their problems. Someone with the personality that makes them feel at ease when they walk in the door is going to be much more effective than someone using a highly technical approach. Someone who's a great technical estimator and is good with people is hard to find.
Once you've found the right person to greet your customers and make them feel comfortable, have your technical estimator step in to write the estimate.
This first impression has to provide the biggest wow. Customers will form an opinion about your entire operation based on the first 30 seconds after they walk in the door. Don't let the crabbiest person on your staff be the first person your customer meets. A busy estimator who feels interrupted when a customer walks in the door will convey that feeling to the customer. If the customer isn't made to feel welcome, he won't want to trust your shop with his car.
Treat your customers the way you want to be treated when you walk in the door of your favorite restaurant. The price of the repair should be about the same at every shop your prospective customer goes to for an estimate. Even if he's surprised by your estimate at first, he'll be sold based on how you and your staff make him feel when he comes in the door.
Set realistic expectations
Oftentimes, a customer will come into a shop with a repair that should take four to five days to complete. The customer is adamant he needs the car in three days because he's going out of town. Feeling pressured, your estimator agrees to try and finish the car in three days to pacify the customer while knowing it isn't going to happen.
This is a recipe for customer service disaster. When explaining the repairs to a customer, be informative but use terms and phrases he'll understand. Clearly communicate how long it should take to complete the repairs, while describing what could happen to cause delays.
A customer's expectations must be set before the car is dropped off for the repair. The process must be explained clearly and honestly. As a repairer, always follow this rule: Don't make promises you can't deliver, and deliver what you promise.
Clearly convey to your staff you're the repair experts. It's your job to use industry knowledge to convey accurate information to the customer. Think back to the restaurant. A server tells customers dinner will be ready in a few minutes after they've been waiting for what seems like a long time already. Thirty five minutes later, they still don't have their meal. The little white lie the server told to pacify the customers has the opposite effect. They're furious. Think about that while giving your customers information and guidance about needed repairs.
Be proactive
It's important to call your customers proactively with updates and not wait for them to call you. While explaining the repair process with the customer, let him know you'll be contacting him with updates about the repair throughout the process. Ask him how he wants to be contacted.
Generally, I ask how often the customer wants an update. Some will want one every day, and others will want a call only when the car is done. If you promise to update someone daily by text, make sure you do it. If you fail to follow through, all your good intentions will amount to poor CSI.
Go the extra mile
Nothing shows a customer you value his business more than doing something extra or unexpected. Offer your customers a ride home or to the office. Offer to pick them up, or deliver them the car when it's done. Have a fresh pastry and coffee available in your waiting area. Make sure your waiting area is spotless at all times. Your customers will remember these offerings and appreciate them, even if they don't take you up on them.
Have every vehicle professionally detailed when the repairs are done, it's a little expensive but well worth it in the long run. I do this in my shop and have contracted with a local car wash that provides a discounted price because we do so many cleanups. I have a mini detail done, and all the completed cars look great when they're finished. I don't have the overhead of an employee doing this work, so I save money on my cleanups.
I also put a little gift in every car for my customers. My wife makes nice-looking gifts that look expensive but aren't. Customers love them. These touches make consumers remember you and want to tell everyone about you. More people will want to see what you're doing. Stellar customer service isn't a mystery. It's common sense – caring for your customer and understanding their needs. It's always being honest, even when the information you're delivering isn't good.
