We have all been there one time or another. That moment of sheer panic as we can’t seem to find our car. As we scour all through the parking lot - sweating - only to realize we had passed our car a few times. Whew, what a sigh of relief you feel as you get into your vehicle. 

Now in this situation, you might look back and laugh at yourself. I certainly did! But imagine if this instance was regarding the customer who just left your service lane. 

Where the advisor said: “Mr. Customer, (as s/he points to the direction of the vehicle) your vehicle should be parked right outside”  to which the customer just says “OK.” 

In most cases, the customer might just shrug it off - or not think anything of it - however, there are the times where the customer goes out and is unable to locate their vehicle. And rightfully so they become agitated, frustrated - with the worst part being that no one seemed to notice the poor customer wandering the lot to find their vehicle. 

The customer's car was actually parked at the entrance, but a large truck was parked on the side completely blocking the view. And given that the vehicle was at the entrance s/he did not walk-up far enough to see it. 

As a result, you bet we got slammed on a survey noting that while s/he had an otherwise pleasant experience that s/he was unable to locate their vehicle and that despite their wandering around no one seemed to take notice or help them. 

We have to ask ourselves,  is taking an extra minute or two not worth it? Or (better yet) are we that busy that we cannot take the time to ensure that our customer leaves happy? Going the extra mile and walking them out and/or completing an active delivery in the service lane? 

Here are a few things you can do to ensure that the customer is able to locate their vehicle: 

• When the customer checks in, be sure to ask if they are waiting or dropping off. If s/he is waiting, then offer to complete an “active” delivery. Given that offering an active delivery on all units might be too much for the lane. 
• For the customers who are dropping it off and picking up later - try your best to get a time frame such as after work, etc. You can then mark off a particular section of parking for late (after hours) pick-ups. Explaining to the cashier (or whoever collects the payment) where the customer's vehicle is located. 
• If your facility allows for it have the porter (or whoever parks the customer's vehicle for those dropping it off) write down which parking spot number the vehicle is in. This allows for either the cashier or advisor the ability to let the customer know where their vehicle is at delivery.

This all sounds simple, cheesy, or just too easy. But evidently, it is not. We get busy, and when we get busy, we often forgo the fundamentals of customer service. Resulting in the customer leaving frustrated. 

And as simple as “dude, where’s my car” can be in the scheme of life we live in the moment, and we also have the capability in curating that moment. Whether that is Tweeting a story, or creating an exaggerated, over the top Holly Wood production on FaceBook causing an unnecessary comment spree. The point is - we owe it to our customer, letting them know where their vehicle is parked. 

How do you handle customer parking for service? Do you have an Active Delivery? If so, have you seen a positive impact?