Is Your Dealership's Customer Service Consistent?
You know what’s incredibly frustrating? When you call up a business or go into their store looking for information on their products or services and you get a different answer for every person you speak with. How does this happen?
More importantly, does this happen in your shop?
From the first point of contact with your customers, most likely your appointment coordinators, to your advisors, to your cashiers- they all need to be relaying the same information to your customers. And beyond that they should be able to do this without having to consult each other in every situation.
Are you confident that everyone on your team has the same info? Service details? Appointment times? Pricing? Shuttle Schedules? You do not want any discrepancy from one team member to the other.
Not only does consistency avoid any unnecessary customer service blips (“But I was told on the phone that this would take two hours, now you’re telling me three?!” “Why was I not told about these additional fees before now?”) but it also projects competence and confidence, which in turn builds trust in your shop and your team.
Leave nothing to chance - be sure that when there are any changes in pricing or process or products that everyone is updated. Keep in mind a verbal update probably isn’t enough.
Speaking from my personal experience, if I am used to doing things one way, it takes a little to brake that routine, so a physical reminder is helpful. I like to post any new and relevant info on my desk in plain sight. Maybe this isn’t the most environmentally friendly way to do things, but it’s the most customer friendly. You don’t want you appointment coordinators having to call customers back to correct themselves, or worse still you don’t want to run into the previously mentioned “but I was told *this* on the phone” scenario.
Further more, it is important that all of your staff understands to use similar language, and to avoid “shop talk”. The better your customer understands your description of a product or service, the more they will feel comfortable with you preforming that service or buying that product from you.
Consistency, familiarity (comfortability) and trust are cornerstones of any relationship, include those you are building with your customers.
Does you dealership have a solid foundation?
