Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F11
FIXED OPS JOURNAL
TAKE FIVE
5 rules to keep service customers coming back to your dealership
A
dealership builds customers'
loyalty in its service department,
through positive encounters
with high-quality managers
and advisers. A bad experience can derail
that relationship and thwart loyalty. Here
are several steps you can take to promote a
pleasant customer experience in your shop.
1. Underpromise and overdeliver: Don't
tell a customer that service will take 30
minutes when it's more likely to take an
JEREMY
hour. If a service order will take 45 to 50
JACOBS
minutes, say it will take an hour. This puts
OPINION
the customer back in his or her vehicle
sooner than expected.
If customers leave the dealership while their vehicles are serviced,
ask what kind of notification they prefer: text, email or phone. That will
help enhance the journey through the service process.
If you find you can't finish a job within the time you estimated, let the
customer know immediately. If you unexpectedly exceed the price you
quoted, the service adviser should call the customer before you do
additional work.
Aside from softening the blow of unanticipated news, the customer is
likely to appreciate the contact. Full transparency is key to establishing
trust.
2. Keep talking: Solid communication is just as important between
service advisers and technicians as it is with customers. A good adviser
communicates customers' concerns about their vehicles to technicians
efficiently and comprehensibly. The fewer questions a tech has, the
quicker the work gets done.
3. Know your customers: Customers notice when you remember
their names and details about their personal lives. Building
relationships is a vital part of a service manager's or adviser's job.
When you write up a repair order, ask questions that will enable more
intimate conversation starters the next time the customer comes in.
This shows you're invested in the relationship - not just the profit
associated with his or her visit.
Ask your service customers when they might want to trade in their
current vehicle for something new. Maybe it's when the service
required for maintenance reaches a certain level, or when the model's
design changes.
Get to know your customers well enough to understand when a
lifestyle change might call for a different vehicle. A child seat crammed
into the back of a subcompact car might stimulate a useful
conversation.
Learning your customers' vehicle preferences and driving styles will
increase their satisfaction and help drive your service business.
4. Show every customer the same respect: Man or woman,
younger or older - each customer drives a car or truck that your
dealership sells and services. It's your job to treat everyone with the
same degree of respect and attention, whatever the customer's sex, age,
race or product knowledge.
5. Follow up: Place a follow-up call to every customer within 48
hours of service. Calling the customer directly from the dealership,
instead of settling for the standard five-question third-party survey, is
one more indication that you care.
Many advisers duck follow-up calls to avoid hearing from a
dissatisfied customer. But this is a great customer to reach, if you take
the opportunity.
If a customer's experience was subpar, you can show your
commitment to doing better next time. Not making the call means the
issue goes unaddressed - and your dealership potentially loses a
customer.
Most of these items don't require burdensome work. However, they
do require you to review, and perhaps adjust, your procedures.
Seeing your service department as a cornerstone of customer
experience may shed light on how your shop is run. Customer loyalty
goes hand in hand with reputation, and greatly defines your
dealership's success.
Jeremy Jacobs is a senior associate with the dealership practice
of the accounting firm Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP.
JUNE 2018
PAGE 11
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018
Contents
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - Intro
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F1
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F2
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - Contents
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F4
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F5
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F6
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F7
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F8
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F9
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F10
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F11
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F12
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F13
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F14
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F15
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F16
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F17
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F18
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F19
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F20
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F21
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F22
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F23
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F24
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F25
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F26
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F27
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F28
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F29
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F30
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F31
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F32
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F33
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F34
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F35
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F36
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F37
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F38
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F39
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F40
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F41
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F42
Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F43
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