Top 5 Best Practices for Your Dealership's Appointment Coordinators
When on the front lines of customer service, you need to be on top of your game. In your dealership, your appointment coordinators are as front line as it gets.
When DealerMine’s Account Managers do training with ACs (Appointment Coordinators) they have some great tips and tricks on how to to ensure the customer gets the best possible service:
1. Smile and Dial - Always keep a smile in your voice. Your voice is the only tool you have to communicate with over the phone, so you need to project positivity, happiness, willingness to help, etc. The easiest way is to smile when talking.
2. Educate yourself on maintenance services so you can recommend with authority. You need to be able to explain these services in your own words, make it easy for the customer to understand what they entail. You also need to believe in the service’s necessity in order to sell them to your customers.
3. Listen carefully & stay focused on the customer. Make sure to take plenty of notes and get the details, you want to get the information right the first time, and never assume you know their needs.
4. Use the customer's name & record personal details to facilitate building relationships. Does the customer prefer to go by their middle name? Where do they work? Are they going on vacation? Are they planning on purchasing a new vehicle in the near future? Make notes on all of it, it will come in handy in future conversations.
5. Keep the bigger picture in mind -why your calls are important, how your position fits into the dealership. The position of appointment coordinator is an extremely valuable one to any dealership. Not only are you bringing in business, but you are also building relationships that can potentially become life long loyal customers and brand advocates.
There are no big secrets to successful customer service within your dealership. All you need is a consistently positive, friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable team, starting with your always smiling ACs!
