Now that you have a six-year-old pop song from Carly Rae Jepsen running through your head… this post has nothing to do with dating. It IS, however, completely to do with getting to know your customer. More specifically, learning how your customer wants to communicate.

As a service advisor in years gone by, one of the biggest pain points in the position is reaching a customer whose vehicle is in the shop. For any number of reasons – the technician needs more information, the problem is intermittent or we need help duplicating the concern, there’s an estimate prepared – it can be critical to reach the car owner in a very short time. Like, right now is perfect.

Reaching the customer isn’t always as easy as picking up the phone. It never has been. You have service customers who work factories and can’t answer their cell phone. Office workers and executives could be in big board meetings. Even stay-at-home parents may be tied up changing a diaper or in the backyard with their kids.

What might feel frustratingly simple to you – “just pick up the phone!” – just isn’t as easy as it seems for some customers. And that small thing, an unanswered call, can play a big part in your day. The technician is frustrated that they can’t proceed on a repair. The repair line can be closed out as “Cannot Duplicate Customer’s Concern”. The customer is ticked off that you haven’t done anything on their vehicle. Or, after finally reaching the customer, you get the repair approval but it’s too late to finish the fix today.

The 80/20 Rule

Customer contact falls under the 80/20 Rule. In almost everything, a process works for 80 percent of the time. That’s where you should put the majority of your attention instead of the 20 percent.

In terms of customer contact, keep doing what you’re doing…except for one thing. It’s a small question that will help eliminate SOME of the pain in contacting customers.

In the walkaround that your service department WITH THE CUSTOMER should be doing with every RO write-up, you’re confirming the customer’s information. It’s one of the final steps before printing the repair order. One small change can make all the difference in communicating with segment of your customer base.

“How would you like me to reach you today?”

See where it’s going? It’s not just asking which phone number is best to call. It can open a dialog that allows for clarifying questions. You’ll get answers like this:

“I actually have a meeting between 10 and 12 today and won’t be able to pick up my phone. But if you text me, I can respond right away.”

“My job doesn’t allow me to take calls while I’m on the floor. But if the repair is less than $XXX, just leave me a voice mail with the details and go ahead with it.”

“I’ll be on a flight. If you need my approval, it’s going to need to wait until I land.”

It’s no longer a guessing game of IF you’ll reach the customer. You’ll also find out if people will be available at their home number, their cell phone, by text, or by email.

It might seem like a really minor difference, but it can make a significant impact on your service department. Your technicians will appreciate the faster response, your customers will love the communication in the way they want, and the service advisor will appreciate that they don’t have to try four different numbers before reaching the customer.

Just slip the question in at the end of the walkaround. “How would you like me to reach you today?”