The customer experience has several dimensions, and all of them have to line up to achieve a truly awesome customer experience in the service department. To a client, your store is only ever as good as their last visit, and the same is true on a CSI survey.

Everything could be phenomenal during their visit. Their appointment process was smooth and easy, they checked in without any issues, and their vehicle was ready on time. They’re ready to click ‘submit’ on the most glowing online review as they step up to the cashier until they see the invoice. “My service cost HOW MUCH?!?”

In the 2018 Cox Automotive Service Industry Study, 10 percent of service customers expressed frustration toward their dealership at ‘finding out how much they charge’ for services. This phrase can be seen in a couple of different ways – the inability to find pricing for services and repairs, or sticker shock at realizing how much it cost. Today’s buzzwords in the automotive industry are TRUST and TRANSPARENCY, and these interpretations deal with each term. Let’s take a look at both of those.

Sticker Shock

A customer that visits your service department should have the ability to TRUST that they’re getting a fair price on the services their vehicle needs. For example, taking a vehicle to the dealership’s service department for a wheel alignment should come with the expectation of an invoice around $100 or so, whether or not the customer asks in advance. But if they return to pick up their car and are greeted with a $200 invoice, a mild to moderate freak-out is realistic.

It’s dangerous to leave pricing expectations up to the customer, but if it happens, there shouldn’t be a reason for the customer to lose their mind. Knowing that your prices are in line with other local competitors is key to avoiding sticker shock.

Hard-to-Find Pricing

Avoiding the sticker shock part of the equation is much easier when your pricing is TRANSPARENT. Whether it’s a basic oil change or a major hourly job, you owe it to your customers to post your shop’s door rate and common maintenance items and packages.

Having a reader board in the dealership is obviously great, but service customers are going online more than ever to book appointments and check maintenance schedules. Pricing is often tough to find or non-existent on a dealer’s website for service items. It shouldn’t be that way. If it’s alright for the sales department to post new and used car pricing online, the service department should also be expected to.

Service customers are the best source of future car buyers at your dealership. By providing the best customer experience possible, you’ll keep them coming back until they’re ready to start the vehicle lifecycle all over. But if one of the poor customer experiences occur, like sticker shock or tough-to-find service pricing, you could be driving them to find a different service provider and their future car seller.