Meeting customer expectations makes sense for any business. But in the auto repair industry, it is especially important, with a single overriding reason for always putting the customer first: repair shops are responsible for customer safety, where the stakes can be life-and-death.
Given this weighty responsibility, every shop has an ethical imperative to ensure that each vehicle it releases is reliable enough for a child or family member — even one’s own — to drive. To meet this standard, customer safety should be considered throughout each step of the repair process, from estimating to making the repair plan to putting on the finishing touches.
Simply stated, vehicle owners expect autobody repair shops to return their vehicles in good-as-new, factory condition — not only in terms of appearance, but in terms of performance. This means shops should make repairs that are more than skin-deep. Even if a repaired area will be hidden from view when the job is finished, there is no justification for cutting corners.
For example, when replacing a quarter panel, the e-coated replacement part should be painted and sealed even in interior locations to help prevent corrosion. Furthermore, technicians should not take it upon themselves to “guesstimate” the accuracy of a safety system. For example, if repairs change the positioning of a sensor in an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS), it could compromise the functioning of adaptive cruise control, lane departure warnings and more, leading to an accident. The ADAS must be recalibrated every time a sensor-containing part on the vehicle is modified. These recalibrations can be time-consuming — two hours of recalibration are typically needed after a windshield replacement — but they are necessary for the accurate functioning of cameras, radar units, steering angle sensors and more.
With day-to-day pressures — speed and cost concerns, most notably — facing every repair shop, there are times when customer safety is not top of mind. But it is important to take steps to rectify this habit; remember that time and money saved in the near-term may result in a much greater loss of time and money in the future.
The consequences of poor repair work do not typically happen the minute the customer leaves the lot. Secondary accidents often reveal improper repairs or secondary owners may discover them. Post-repair inspections (PRI) have been around as a quality control measure for a long time, but recent years have seen more customer awareness of these services as well as more independent PRI shops springing up. PRIs are increasingly used at the time of a secondary accident, or when a customer notices a flaw in bodywork. They often employ sophisticated techniques, such as inspection with a boroscope (an optical instrument that can fit into small cavities), to examine otherwise inaccessible locations. Problems that are uncovered during a PRI can result in liabilities for the shop who performed the original repair work.
Data services that report vehicle accident histories are also popular with consumers. Currently, vehicle accident reports include data that has been collected from shops that allow data mining, but experts predict that more sophisticated data collection methods are impending, because internet-connected cars will soon be able to communicate to outside parties if they've been in a crash. Customer perception is that vehicles that have been in an accident have lost their factory-condition integrity — meaning that there is a need for the industry as a whole to better adhere to best practices in their body work and communicate those high standards to the public.
While shops must pay attention to the hard data published in reports and produced during a PRI, there is a third kind of “data” that repair shops must consider: customer trust. The internet has given customers a much broader reach when sharing their satisfaction — or dissatisfaction — with a repair shop. Online reviews, referral sites, online neighborhood groups and social media platforms such as Facebook have given a big boost to the old-fashioned word-of-mouth referral process. This means it is more important than ever for shops to make their customers happy. Dealer shops can even face upstream consequences for poor customer relationships: vehicle brand loyalty can be strongly influenced by satisfaction with repair work. Some customers will switch to a different make and model if they are dissatisfied with repair-related service and/or outcomes.
The industry is working against negative perceptions. In 2016, AAA conducted a survey that showed "two out of three U.S. drivers do not trust auto repair shops in general." Forty-nine percent of respondents cited concerns about whether work was being done correctly. Fortunately for the repair industry, however, the survey also found that in spite of their overall concerns, 64 percent of U.S. drivers did successfully build a relationship with a single trusted repair shop. This points to an opportunity for individual shops to position themselves as trusted resources, earning repeat business and getting business from referrals. And the best way for a shop to earn a customer’s trust is to demonstrate an authentic, vested interest in the safety of each vehicle’s owner and their family members.
The first step is to pay attention to customer feedback, not only from the reviews on the shop website, but Google or other review sites/clearinghouses. Read and respond to reviews and take responsibility for anything that goes wrong. This will require time and effort on the part of shop employees, but the payoff can be significant.
Since conscientious shops and technicians will diagnose and repair, to careful specifications, every vehicle system that has been damaged in an accident or is affected by the repair itself, educating customers (and insurers) on the reason for any associated additional costs is paramount. Shops face competing incentives: customers want fast, affordable repairs and assess a shop based on their ability to provide them — but the customer is always assuming that safety will not be compromised. The key to satisfying these competing demands is communication. Customers will often report high levels of satisfaction with repair work even when cars are returned later than initially promised, or the expense is greater than initial rough estimates indicated, if the shop did a good job of communicating the results of their diagnostics. Communication is especially important when the scope of work unexpectedly expands; keeping customers informed helps them understand the process and recognize that extra steps are being taken for their own safety, offsetting any inconvenience.
Just as customers use digital means, such as apps, to be matched with a repair facility, shops can use technology to achieve greater transparency throughout the repair process. Online platforms offer better communication channels between technicians and customers than the traditional phone call once did. Contemporary shops use email, texts, or dedicated apps to communicate. Some have built websites that track individual vehicles throughout their repair process. Asking the customer what means of communication they would prefer, as well as what frequency of communication they are comfortable with, can promote a good customer relationship. Taking their digital service offerings a step further, repair facilities can even provide platforms (such as photo sharing apps) that help customers communicate with their insurer — a benefit that will build a customer’s long-term relationship with, and loyalty to, a shop.
Shops invest heavily in technician training, diagnostic equipment, repair blueprinting and other best practices. They often participate in certified shop programs. In addition to the direct ROI these investments provide, they should be considered in light of how they can be used to promote a shop to customers. If customers understand the high level of expertise and care that is being brought to each job, they develop more reasonable expectations in terms of a repair’s time and cost. According to the site AutoBody-Review.com, one study found that “74 percent of respondents said they would like to better understand the work their repair shop is doing.” This finding is great news for shop owners, because it means customers are motivated to listen to the information and education that technicians have to offer.
Further good news for shops is that they have an ally in product manufacturers. Every manufacturer expects to see their product used in a way that returns vehicles to a “good-as-new” standard. To help reach this goal, they will typically provide shops and technicians with information, training and other forms of partnering.
Using the tools now available — from digital communication platforms and sophisticated diagnostic equipment to certification programs and product manufacturer support — repair facilities are in a better position than ever to put customers first, not only in principle but in daily practice. Considering that their mission is, ultimately, driver safety, there’s never been a better time for a shop to organize its workflow to take advantage of the tools and fully meet this obligation.