The sum of fixed operations existence is after-sales service and it always has been. There’s literally NO customer that comes through your door that hasn’t purchased their car in some way, shape or fashion. That makes every customer an after-sales customer. If you’re wondering where I’m going with this, it’s to make one critical point: your service department is intrinsically tied to the sales department and everything they do.

The sales process is undergoing a revolution. When a customer now chooses a dealership, it’s forming a relationship. Gone are the days of just paying for a hunk of metal and never returning. The relationship – converting a customer to a life-long client – solely begins when the customer chooses to do business at your store.

A cornerstone in rebuilding the sales experience is keeping the process relevant to the consumer. That means providing a service not just a sales opportunity, communicating in the way they want, and meeting the consumer on their level. If you’re not doing these key items, your sales numbers will wither away while another dealer takes your customers.

Lowered Expectations?

Yet, when the service department is handed the ball, responsible the client’s care until their next vehicle purchase, the same standards aren’t held dear. It’s expected that the client will conform to the service department’s way of operating. Unfortunately, fixed operations has to be revolutionized. Clients have too many options to take their patronage for granted.

Take a look at the service customer check-in process at your dealership. Where is the focus? Who is the most important person in the room? It’s clear to see – it’s usually the service advisor.

• The client has to approach the service advisor.
• The service advisor dictates the services and repairs required.
• The service advisor quotes price and timeline.

It falls just short of kissing the ring. When the focus is on the service advisor, it’s no longer on providing client-focused service. That’s precisely what consumers won’t stand for anymore.

The service department realm has a God complex. It’s assumed that being the authority on your brand’s product repairs and service means you’re the best customer choice. But you can be the best at vehicle repairs WITHOUT being the customer’s choice.

They’ll go where they are comfortable, and where their needs are the focus of the visit.

Advise on Recommendations

Like in the sales department, your service customers don’t want to be ‘sold’. They want their service visit to be beneficial. To do that, you must present service and repair items as a benefit and not a requirement. Explain to the customer how each item will make their life easier, their car more reliable, and so on.

The minute shortcuts are taken and service is about selling as much as possible, you’ll see a productivity decline. It may have worked in the past, but it won’t work today or tomorrow.

Communicate, not Dictate

Your client base wants to be in touch with you on their terms, using the methods they are familiar with. For the sales department, smartphones have been recognized as a leading method of interacting WITHOUT a vocal conversation. Text messages, emails, Snapchats, videos, and photos are all media that can be used, and most of your clients prefer communication in these formats. Don’t force them to just call you or take your phone call – embrace the communication method they prefer.

Meet on the Customer’s Level

The sales department knows that technology is where it’s at. Formats of technology, from video, communication methods, and even advancing DMS systems are intent on creating an authoritative, forward-thinking approach. In the service department, processes devolve into the stone age.

You print everything – the work order has to be signed, estimates are printed, invoices are printed in triplicate. There’s paper everywhere. All this paper is put in your clients’ hands, then gets shoved into the glove box or console and never seen again.

Your clients want simplification. In an age of technology, there’s no reason these documents shouldn’t be available in digital format, at the touch of a button. Companies such as TriPAC have explored the topic of paper in the dealership. They recognize that digital access to documents, from F&I contracts, sales agreements, service contracts, and service invoices can greatly enhance the customer service experience.

Whether it’s shifting your service department’s focus from the staff to the client or seeking opportunities to simplify the service experience, you must find new ways of providing old-school customer-centric service.