Pub. 6 2017-2018 Issue 1

Summer 2017 13 prior to performing the additional work. In addition to somewhat softening the blow of the unanticipated news, the customer will likely appreciate that you took the time to keep him/her informed. Full transparency is key in establishing customer trust and loyalty. 2. Intra- and Inter-Departmental Communication Running any service department effectively relies upon solid internal communication. It must exist between the service advisor and the customer as well as the service advisor and the technicians. A good service advisor must be able to communicate the customers’ concerns with their vehicles to the technician in a manner that is efficient for and comprehensible to all involved parties. The less questions the technician has, the quicker they can complete the work and get the customer back on the road. 3. Know Your Customers Customers notice when you remember their name. Even better, they really notice when you recall the little details about their personal lives. As a service manager or consultant, you are there to build customer relationships. As you write up the repair order, spend a minute or two asking simple questions that set you up withmore intimate conversation starters the next time the customer comes in. This demonstrates passion and shows him/her that you are invested in your individual relationship – not the profit associated with their visit. Another recommendation would be to ask the customer about the scenario(s) in which he/she would rather trade in the vehicle being serviced for a new vehicle. Perhaps it’s when the service required for vehicle maintenance reaches a certain level. Maybe it’s when the model’s design changes and he/she wants to stay up to date with the latest and greatest. In total, make it a mission to know your customer well enough to understand that a change in their lifestyle might call for a different or new vehicle. For example, the first time you see a child seat crammed into the back seat of a subcompact vehicle might indicate that it’s time to have a conversation about a different type of vehicle. Learning a customer’s wants and needs as it related to their vehicle preferences, driving styles, etc. will help increase customer satisfaction and will ultimately drive your department’s service business. 4.Treat Every Customer with the Same Level of Respect Man or woman, youth or elder, wealth of product knowledge or not even sure where the engine is – each customer has a common denominator. They drive or ride a product that your dealership sells and services. It is your job to treat each individual that walks in with the same degree of respect and attention. If you treat your customers differently based on sex, age, race, knowledge of the product, etc., it will translate as such. 5. Follow Up Placing a follow up phone call within 48 hours of a completed service is something you should absolutely tack on your list of“to do’s.”This action is essential to bringing a positive customer experience full circle. Even if a third-party service company completes the standard five-question survey, it is a good practice to dial up the customer and speak with him/ her directly from the dealership. This is just one more step that shows the customer that you care about them and their experience. Many advisors prefer not to place these calls for a commonplace reason: they want to avoid hearing the unsatisfied customer on the other end. However, contrary to popular belief, this is a great customer to reach. Do not confuse this assertionwith“unhappy customers are good”; rather, take it as an opportunity to rectify the situation. If their experience was less than positive, this extra step can only help your cause and demonstrate your effort and commitment to improve their experience in the future. In fact, not placing the call means the issue goes unaddressed and – worst case scenario – the dealership has lost a customer due to lack of attention. In total, a good practice is to call customers within 24 hours of pickup. With the exception of recommendation #5, the above action items do not require any extra, burdensome work. However, they do require that you adjust your way of looking at and considering your current proce- dures. Regarding your service department as a cornerstone to customer experience and satisfactionmay shed some new and welcome light upon how your run its operations, as customer loyalty and reputation go hand in hand and are impactful drivers of any dealership’s success. DHGDealershipshas a teamof dedicatedprofessionalshdealerships across the country. We servemore than 2,500 rooftops across all 50 states, representing dealership groups of all sizes, including six of the top 10 dealership groups in the country. In addition to providing traditional tax and assurance services, we help keep our clients ahead of relevant and emerging industry trends, includingmergers andacquisitions; successionplanning; facilities and factory matters; risk and regulatory; performance; and people and talent acquisition. Over 90% of car shoppers believe rebates are moderately to extremely important when purchasing electric vehicles . CleanVehicleRebate.org/NCDA Let us help provide you with the latest information. To learn more, visit the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project Dealer Hub. Rebates Income Eligibility Online Training Resources