Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - S10

FOCUSING ON SATISFACTION "When you talk about satisfying the customer, it really starts with your employees," says Terry Gilmore, owner of Paradise Chevrolet Cadillac in Temecula, Calif. A big part of the dealership's strength he attributes to the quality and dedication of his employees, who have created an environment focused on customer satisfaction. He proudly points out that every one of his managers was there when he and partner Bob Gregory opened the dealership 24 years ago. That includes Stacey Richards, who started as a part-time shuttle driver and is now general manager of Gilmore's second dealership, Paradise Buick GMC. How dedicated are Paradise's employees? The dealership has had only two general managers in those 24 years. The only two managers who departed left because they retired. The 12 service advisers each have worked at the dealership for more than 10 years. Those longtime employees have created a workplace culture where customer satisfaction drives every decision. "It starts with leadership," Gilmore says. "It starts with us doing the right thing every day. The goal every day is great customer service." For Gilmore, superlative customer service means being ready and willing to fix a customer's problem. "If we never put a dollar sign in front of an issue, we never make a mistake-we always do the right thing," he says. "If we make a $20,000 mistake, that is what it was, a mistake. We don't let the amount of money that it takes to solve a problem be the reason we do or don't solve it. "We have always said we can't afford not to do the right thing every day," Gilmore says. Paradise routinely chalks up great CSI numbers. "It's become the norm for us," he says. "So then we ask: What more can we do to make our longtime customers say, 'Wow'?" Paradise created a refreshment bar with pastries and even hired a couple of servers. "More than the food, it's us taking the time to say, 'Good morning, can I get you a cup of coffee?'" Gilmore says. "It's the little 10 / ally / SEPTEMBER 2016 Terry Gilmore things that seem unimportant, yet so many people compliment us on that." The waiting area also offers iPads ready for customers to use-each one loaded with interesting apps. "We put things on that a customer may want to try," Gilmore says. In 2015, when customers complained that it was taking too long to get into the dealership for an oil change, Paradise management asked employees for possible solutions. Acknowledging the finite number of service bays, everyone agreed that the dealership needed to add Sunday service hours. "It made sense," Gilmore says. "We have to embrace providing a good experience for our customers." Gilmore says employee committees are looking into the next customer service idea: making the dealership dog-friendly. "We'd really like to do this, but we realize not everyone is a dog lover," says Gilmore, himself the owner of two golden retrievers. "So we're trying to figure out how to do it and not alienate someone who doesn't want to sit next to a dog at the dealership or on a shuttle." Every year Paradise hosts an employee appreciation breakfast open to all employees and their families. At the 2014 breakfast, the dealership honored one of its internet salespeople, Lance Orosco, with its Making a Difference Award. Talking to a customer on the phone, Orosco heard the man slurring his words and was concerned enough to hang up and call 911. When the rescue team arrived, they found the man had had a stroke and was lying on the floor. "Our salesman Lance Orosco was only worried about doing the right thing," Gilmore says proudly. "He wasn't embarrassed about calling 911; he wasn't worried about taking time from his job. That's the kind of people we have here." Paradise employee Lance Orosco received the dealership's Making a Difference Award.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement

Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - Intro
Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - S1
Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - S2
Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - S3
Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - S4
Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - S5
Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - S6
Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - S7
Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - S8
Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - S9
Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - S10
Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - S11
Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - S12
Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - S13
Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - S14
Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - S15
Automotive News - September 19, 2016 - Supplement - S16
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