Customer service should always be a priority for garages, because keeping your customers happy is vital for retention as well as developing a positive reputation and word-of-mouth marketing (which is hugely important in this industry). In times like this, customer service is even more important as people are more likely to have questions and may need reassurance. So, how can a garage go about improving customer service?
Making Time for Customers
While your team might not have a huge amount of time on their hands, it is important that you make the time to communicate with customers. You need to understand that their vehicle is an important part of their life and a lot of money, so they will need to feel reassured and to develop trust by communicating with your staff.
Listen to Concerns
Following this, you also need to make sure that staff are listening to concerns. People will often be worried and stressed about taking their car into the garage, so you need to listen to what their exact concerns are and then find ways to alleviate this stress. This will have a big impact on the customer experience and should encourage them to keep coming back to your garage.
Explain in Simple Terms
Another issue that can arise when it comes to customer service with a garage business is customers feeling intimidated or patronised. Most people do not have a strong understanding of what happens under the hood, so you need to make sure that your team are not patronising customers but also able to explain to them in simple terms what the issue is and what they can do to resolve it.
Hire Someone to Run the Desk
As mentioned earlier on, your team often will not have much time to stand around and alleviate the concerns of your customers. This is why it is a good idea to hire someone to run the desk that can spend their time communicating and reassuring customers while the mechanics get on with their work. This should ensure that drivers are satisfied and that your business is operating efficiently at all times.
Create a Welcoming & Comfortable Space
You also need to consider that often people will have to wait until their car is fixed before they can leave, so you need to create a welcoming and comfortable waiting area. This should include having comfortable sofas, vending machines, magazines and radio/TV to keep them occupied.
Customer service is important in all industries, but for auto repair, it is one of the most critical aspects of your operation that will have a huge impact on your success. Hopefully, this post will give you a few ideas for ways that you can improve and leave your customers feeling happy, supported and satisfied.
