You need to make sure your customers' expectations are correct and resonable
Though there are a number of ways to handle the variety of customers you see, one of the best ways is through education. First, you need to determine what the customer's expectations are so you can devise the right lesson.
What They're Looking For
Boiling down what a customer wants, it comes down to just a few basic things: honesty, fairness, timeliness and trustworthiness. A few fringe customers might have you wanting to add some other desires to that list, but the majority of today's drivers are looking for these things.
Honesty is one of the key factors in making sure your customer knows what is reasonable to ask of you. The industry still is trying to dissuade the old notion of mechanics ripping off people, especially women. Paul Keaton, lead technician at Frey's Foreign Cars in Boulder, Colo., says his customers want professional advice and facts. They also really appreciate having options, he notes.
"If I say you've got two problems going on on your car, your brakes are noisy, but there's some material left on that. I also noticed some cracks on your timing belt. Let's do the timing belt first, we'll do your brakes in six months," he says as an example. "And you just live with the noise, but your engine won't blow up. And that level of setting priorities for them is a big help. People appreciate that."
But when you explain things, be careful how you do so. You know more about their vehicle than they do, and customers look for someone who won't dazzle or baffle them, but rather treat them respectfully.
"When people visit, they expect courteous, knowledgeable staff who can answer questions without too much technical info," says Jamie Alford, owner of Alford's Signature Auto Care in Lafayette, Ind. "Most customers are not too receptive to terminology they don't understand or are not familiar with. I go out of my way to make sure they feel comfortable as I am explaining in depth."
Adrian Radu, owner of Milts Service in Valejo, Calif., adds that fairness in your interactions with customers goes a long way as well.
"Every customer, if they're spending $20 or $2,000, they want to be treated fairly. They expect quality service," he states. "They don't want to get jerked around and they want to make sure that their money goes exactly where they wanted it to. They don't necessarily expect you go above and beyond, but at my shop we do."
One of the other expectations is speed, which Keaton says is the No. 1 thing his customers want. That especially comes to light when he explains why he wants their vehicle for a half a day when it comes in for an oil change. He talks to his customers about quick lubes and while they might be convenient, what would they really be getting there.
"I usually use the McDonald's analogy. You know, you can drive through McDonald's and it's really convenient and fast, but did you really get food? You got the convenience but did you get the value?" Keaton explains. "A lot of our really regular customers, they just plan for it. They just say, OK this is my oil change day and they give us the car the whole day."
Creating the Lessons
After determining what your customers are looking for from a service standpoint, it's time to decide how to handle this. Techs across the country say that education is the key.
"Knowledge is key, and it only betters them as an informed consumer. I calmly mention also that we pride ourselves with accuracy and up front pricing after diagnosis is performed," says Alford. "Estimates are e-mailed if customers give their address to my staff or myself. A phone call is always attempted, in addition to e-mail, for clarity to the customer, if they have questions."
It goes beyond just the services. Radu teaches his customers not only about parts, but also about the vehicles they drive.
"The more sophisticated the car is, 50 percent of the people don't even know how to use all the features in the vehicle," he suggests. "So if you take the time to educate them about their vehicle, not only what you're going to be doing to it, they'll continue coming back and all of their friends will continue using you as well."
These lessons also are the right time to implement good ways of getting across the message of service and worked performed. The lesson should start when the vehicle is dropped off.
"I would say the best way to do it is talk to the customer enough to understand out what their needs are and what their expectations are when they drop the car off so before you're engaged and you're going to actually bill them for anything, you have a sense of what they're looking for," says Keaton. "That's your opportunity to readjust their expectations. If they've already dropped their car off, they've gone to work you're calling them at work saying, 'Hey, I need your car another day because this part is out of town,' that's when they'll flip out. But if you tell them, 'Hey, I might need to keep your car,' they may say, let's reschedule for next week because I need the car at 3 o'clock because I've got Pilates, I've got to make it."
Radu goes a step further and draws out what is being done to the vehicle. "Granted I'm no Picasso, but we go ahead and draw it out for them so they get a grasp of exactly what we're doing instead of saying you need this and you owe m $600," he says. "They appreciate that, because from then on they fully openly ask me, 'Adrian, what is that? Let me know.' I explain it to them and then from then on, they have no problems."
Not Everyone Passes
Despite all of your education and patience, some customers still have unrealistic ideas of what you are going to do for them.
"Most of the customers that have unrealistic expectations have jumped around from shop to shop and they haven't been educated," Radu says. "Those are the customers that say, 'Well, I bought the part, why can't you just put it in?' If you spend the time and you educate the customers, they come in and at that time with the education, they also build trust."
Continuing to try to educate these customers could prove valuable for your shop. Not only will your reputation stay positive and strong, but you could gain new customers who appreciate your services. Keaton says sometimes at his shop they are a little more honest with their customers. While it might be risky at some shops, this has played out well at his small shop.
"For the most part, those customers that have come to us with unrealistic expectations, over a number of visits, we're able to adjust those expectations," he says. "And they understand that they're getting value, so they come back and they relax not the expectation of quality, but the expectation of get me my car back right now and I don't want to pay more than 50 bucks. There's not much you can fix for less than 50 bucks."
Make sure your employees are on board with whatever strategy you choose to employ. Rewarding them for this also works for some shops. Alford reports that a recent AAA Hoosier Motor Club survey showed a 96 percent satisfaction rating based on a random customer list. After educating his customers, he rewarded his employees.
"Each employee was given a small cash bonus and asked to keep it up. People are saying great things about us," he states. "Referral base is larger than any other form of repeat business and generating new customers every day."
