Every now and then, my wife and I look forward to loading up the little RV we own and getting a weekend away to decompress. The last such weekend was near the end of January. While my wife was finishing up her workday, I filled up our 2013 Ram pickup with fuel and hooked her up to the trailer. In just a few hours, my wife would be home and we'd be on our way.
Now, to put this into some additional perspective, the RV has presented me with some real challenges over the last six months of 2018. I've had to rip out a large part of the flooring to repair water damage caused by miscellaneous leaks and most recently, had to have the rear ramp of this "toy hauler" rebuilt due to water damage to its base. The last time we had a chance to really enjoy it was late last summer. So you can imagine how much the two of us were looking forward to this trip.
My wife gets home and after an hour or so of final prep, it's time to hit the road. I put the key in the ignition and — NOTHING! Only an error message in the instrument panel display that's telling me that I'm using the "wrong key fob." I drove this truck not three hours prior to this!
It didn't take too long to figure out that we were going nowhere until the key was replaced and programmed to the truck. I couldn't even put the vehicle in neutral to move it away from the RV. With a little help from my youngest son, we disconnected the Ram's driveshaft and used his Ford F250 to tug it out of the way. And with the help of another youngster I've known since his high school days, we hooked up to a substitute tow vehicle and still made it to our final destination before midnight.
As we drove down the driveway, I could only think to myself, "What if this happened AFTER we got to the campground?"
Understanding your customers' frustrations
I think you know how frustrated I was when the truck failed to start. And you can probably understand how even more frustrated I was when faced with a problem I couldn't fix. My wife sat patiently in the front seat of the Ram as I tried several times to start the truck, only to get the same error message. She offered suggestions similar to what I'm sure any helpful wife would offer their husband when faced with this situation. "Try wiggling the key, honey." "Are you sure you're using the right key?"
After we had settled in at the campground, I had a chance to consider "How would a consumer with no knowledge of this system's function feel in this same situation?" A couple had planned their weekend getaway weeks in advance, made the necessary reservations, packed carefully to make sure nothing needed would be left behind. Anticipation is high and then the balloon bursts as a vehicle failure puts an abrupt end to everything.
It's easy when we sit on the other side of the service counter. "I didn't design it, I didn't build it, and I didn't break it — but I can fix it — for a fee." But to the consumer that is standing there across from us, the failure he's bringing in to you for help represents more than just a minor inconvenience. It means missing that weekend away with his wife, his son's championship game, his daughter's first dance recital. Our society is built on the automobile as a personal conveyance and when something happens to it, our world comes to a sudden halt.
So when your customer, whether he's on the phone or at your counter, is upset and short with you — remember, it's not personal. He's upset because something he's come to depend upon has failed him and he doesn't know what to expect next. Keep a smile on your face and compassion in your heart and help him get that lost moment back.
Avoiding your own frustration
Many of you are probably getting tired of me repeating a common message of mine, but there has never been a time in automotive history where staying up-to-date has been so important. And, in my personal opinion, it has never been easier to do so.
Just this month alone, there are four opportunities to attend live events around the country. By the time you read this, one or two may have been held already, though you could certainly mark the dates on your calendar for next year.
The first March opportunity is one you must attend at least once in your career, and that's the VISION HiTech Training event and Expo. It is held in Overland Park, Kan., and always has a "Who's Who" list of trainers to choose from. Following VISION is the Automotive Training Expo (ATE), held by ASA Northeast in Seattle and the AVI Training Conference held in Fort Myers, Florida. Both offer excellent training opportunities to techs and shop owners alike. And bringing up the end of March is the TST "Big Event," a unique single-day training event hosted in Tarrytown, New York by the same team that helps me bring you our quarterly webinars.
No matter where you live in the country, there is an event near you.
And if you can't take the time to attend one of these national events, talk to your parts suppliers. Nearly every major aftermarket supplier has increased their training efforts. Federal-Mogul is just one that comes to mind; building new training centers around the country and hosting more localized training opportunities. And they are not alone. NAPA, Standard Motor Products, WORLDPAC, CarQuest and so many others are hiring staff and increasing their training capabilities.
Why? A few reasons, I think. One, more and more of you are "seeing the light" and seeking out these training opportunities. Two, publications like ours are doing more to bring these resources to the attention of you who've looked long and hard for them. Third, it's no longer a matter of "do you want to learn more," it's becoming a matter of "you HAVE to learn more" if you want to stay successful in this business. We simply can't approach our repair processes the same way we have in the past.
Yes, it's not getting any easier to service and repair the products the global OEMs are producing. But rest assured that your team at Motor Age will do all we can to help you rise to the challenge. As our cover of every issue says, "Advancing the automotive service professional since 1899."
