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by Deb Neuman, Maine Edge Contributor and Darling's Customer
as published in the July 22nd Issue of The Maine Edge.com
I noticed the headlight was out on my 2002 Jetta recently, so I took it
into the dealership to replace it. My car has 130k miles on it and,
like all of us with a few miles on us, Ms. Jetta requires a little more
upkeep than a newer vehicle. While I was there they pointed out several
other issues that I need to address soon. I'm about to leave for a long
road trip, so I asked the folks at the dealership to help me prioritize
what should be done to insure that I don't break down en route and what
repairs can wait until I return.
They
told me I've got a ball bearing that needs to be replaced and several
belts that are on their last legs. When they mentioned replacing the
serpentine belt, my eyes glazed over. What is it? What does it do? What
happens if it breaks? And how much will it cost me? I don't have a fat
bank account, nor am I an expert on car repair. What I needed was a
good explanation of what needed to be done, when it should be done and
how much it would cost.
The
dealership did something I applaud. They provided me with a complete
written report of what my car needs, what should be high priority, what
can wait and a cost estimate for each. The best part is that with each
suggested repair came a written description in plain English. It's
great customer service to explain to your customers what needs to be
done in terms they can understand and tell them exactly how much it
will cost them. This not only applies to auto repair shops but is
applicable to any service business - the doctor's office, the
landscaper, the salon, furnace repair business, you name it!
Too
often customers leave a service appointment more confused than when
they arrived and in some cases feeling as though they are being ripped
off. The skeptic may say that the auto repair dealer is just trying to
get me to spend more money at their repair shop. No doubt it's good for
their business for me to take my car in for repairs, and I will -
because they've built customer loyalty with me. They have not steered
me wrong yet (excuse the pun) when it comes to maintaining my vehicle
and have not tried in the past to force repairs on me that were
unnecessary.
Building
customer loyalty is critical to business success, especially in these
times. You can do the same by selling your customer what they need,
what they can afford and explaining things to them in terms they can
understand so they can make informed decisions. Eventually I will have
to replace Ms. Jetta, and you can be certain I will purchase my next
vehicle from this dealership because of the service I have received. In
the meantime, she'll be looking and driving fine with her new
serpentine belt!
