Fixed Ops Journal teamed up with DealerRater in April 2019 to ask customers a question:

“The last time you took your vehicle to the dealership for service, did you buy additional work that the service adviser recommended?”

That’s a pretty simple question, right? Of the 11,456 respondents, 31 percent of mass-market vehicle owners and 33 percent of luxury vehicle owners said that they had. It shows that more than two-thirds of those asked refused additional work.

The poll as it’s reported leaves me asking more questions. Are customers who weren’t asked to purchase an upsell excluded from the survey, and how do customers qualify the term ‘additional work’?

Forgive me if I seem skeptical of a rather subjective poll that seems open for interpretation by respondents. Perhaps the researchers didn’t want to ask leading questions, but the statistics appear to paint a picture of apprehensive customers unwilling to bite on upsells that aren’t required work. I have a different takeaway than their image of advisors who peddle extra work on customers for profit.

Not Every Service Visit Requires an Upsell

I’d venture to say that most dealerships have service BDCs that are well trained in booking appointments according to maintenance schedules. They’re also checking their previous history to recommend refused work and are asking questions to ensure all of the customer’s concerns are listed on the work order.

Not every appointment is incomplete anymore. Advisors might have a multi-line RO that covers all the bases. It’s an ideal situation from a service advisor’s standpoint when you don’t need to upsell to every customer. And it’s because service departments are doing a better job before the customer arrives in the service drive.

Good Advisors Don’t Seem Like They’re Upselling

Mr. Jones receives a text message stating, “The pre-trip inspection that you’ve asked us to do found a couple of relatively minor things that need attention. Your front brakes are at 10 percent remaining and there’s a small coolant leak. I imagine you’d like to address these while it’s here? I’ll text you a quote right away.”

It’s asking for the sale, but the customer may not see it as additional work. If the advisor can phrase the conversation so the customer takes ownership of the service visit, it doesn’t seem like an upsell. And that can skew responses to an ambiguous question about additional work.

The Better Metrics

Rather than looking at how frequently a customer thinks they’ve been upsold, there are better metrics to determine your advisors’ success.

• Multiline ROs. Want to know if your advisors are growing in their sales techniques and recommending maintenance and repairs other than the requested oil change? Look at the average number of lines on work orders. This metric alone doesn’t tell the whole story because there can be $0 lines, but it should trend higher for more experienced service staff.
• Average $$ per RO. In conjunction with multiple lines, you should be able to see improvement in the average dollars per RO. From the store’s position, you’d like this number as high as possible along with an ELR as close to door rate as possible.
• Customer satisfaction. Here’s the overarching standard by which to measure your advisors. If customers are happy and are returning, your advisors are doing a great job. That means they’ve been treated well, and their cars are serviced to their satisfaction.

Recommending additional maintenance and repairs is an important part of a service advisor’s role. Keep an eye on more than just that one statistic – additional work – to determine how well your team members are performing.

Ask anyone which is more important, customer service or price, and you’ll get a consistent answer: both. In order to have the opportunity to serve the customer, you have to be priced competitively. But once they’ve arrived at your store, the customer experience isn’t just a good thing.  

CX is everything.

Research from global consulting firm, Stax, reports that price is the driving factor for only 18 percent of purchasing decisions. That means everything else – the dealership amenities, comfort, peace of mind, customer treatment, friendliness, brand-based knowledge, transparency, honesty – is collectively more important than the number at the bottom of the invoice.

Consider you own choices. A quick lube shop at the street corner may have to do in a time crunch. But while they’re working on your oil change, you’re either a prisoner in your own car or in an uncomfortable plastic chair flipping through a Reader’s Digest from 1994. A grimy coffee pot and CNN news coverage might be on as you try not to lock eyes with the shop manager at their keyboard three steps away.

But the dealership? You pull into the bright, clean service drive where a seat cover and floor mat are put in your car. Neatly-dressed service advisors greet you, walk around your car with you, and discuss your service needs. You’re either shuttled away or you have a seat in their air-conditioned/heated customer lounge for a cup of coffee and free Wi-Fi or browse the selection of new cars in the showroom. If you have work to do, you plug into the complimentary work station and plunk away on your keyboard until YouTube takes you down a rabbit trail.

When your car is done, the importance of customer experience shows up again. A credit card machine handed through your window at the quick lube shop versus a personal invoice walkthrough with the service advisor.

Customers Want the Experience!

Everyone loves to be treated well. It makes us feel good inside. At the dealership, you have an advantage in CX that you should be exploiting. Your dealership has:

• Professionally trained front end staff to greet customers
• Knowledgeable service advisors to write up their work orders and communicate with customers.
• Factory-trained technicians that have brand-specific knowledge no one else has.
• Receptionists, lot attendants, detailers, and others to make their experience even better.

These people are a distinct advantage for your store. They make sure every customer has a consistent, fantastic visit in your dealership. That does wonders for reviews, referrals, and repeat visits.

But more importantly, it’s what it does for the subconscious. A wonderful experience the first time around becomes an expectation. It’s peace of mind. And that’s what keeps a customer coming back time after time.

Apply Customer-Centric Training

Every dealership does it in some form already, yet skills for interacting with customers and tailoring their experience to them can always be more intentional and thorough. Focus on training that emphasizes listening to the customer and understanding their underlying concerns as well as sessions that build job skills to make the customer experience flawless. That may be phone skills, computer training, DMS training, or conflict resolution training.

In addition, keep your facility in pristine condition. CX depends heavily on perception. How you treat the customer and your facility is how they expect you’ll be treating their car!

A simple Google search for dealership social media ideas gives you a snapshot into things dealerships think about customers. One after another, all the ideas revolve around creative ways to show vehicle features, equipment, and benefits. That’s great… if the reader is in the search for a new vehicle.

But what’s noticeably missing in social media strategies for car dealers – at least, the ones I’ve seen in my feeds – is the service department.

Assuming a car owner buys a vehicle every five to six years on average, there’s a period of YEARS where those posts are of no interest at all. But the service department? They’ll need to visit someone for service twice a year or more. Shouldn’t those profitable visits during ownership get some traction?

Abysmal Defection Rates

There’s no arguing defection rates at car dealerships. Anywhere from 50 to 67 percent of car buyers choose not to service at the dealership after warranty is over, and many while warranty is still in effect. It’s not just possible but likely that a segment of those owners could be retained simply due to service-related posts in a dealer’s social media presence.

Social Media Ideas for Service

Broad advertising for service hours on the Twitter machine or Facebook is fine from time to time, but there’s not much value you can add in that alone. These ideas can bring much more traction to your social media followers.

Why Services are Required

Readers eat up informative posts regarding automotive services. Remember, most car owners know only basic maintenance like oil changes and tire rotations. They don’t understand why brake fluid needs to be changed or why an alignment should be done as maintenance. Include a couple benefits, the time it takes to perform the service, and the cost.

Service Deals

Looking to boost business in a certain department? Maybe you have a 4-for-3 tire deal, an alignment special, or you want your customers to know you now offer full vehicle detailing. Put these posts in front of your customers’ eyes on social media with a link to your online appointment scheduler.

How-To Videos

Honestly, no one wants to pay $39.95 in labor to change their cabin air filter. For services that a customer can perform on their own with just a little know-how, post a video, made in-house, so they can do it themselves. Also post how much you charge if they prefer the professionals do it. You’ll have two reactions: customers who buy the parts and do it themselves, or customers who come to you because they couldn’t be bothered.

Staff Features

People love people. Feature one of your service advisors, service administration, technicians, and even your management in a social media post. Give a quick profile on how long they’ve been with you, their interests, favorite food, and what they drive.

Common Faults to Watch For  

Address common mechanical or diagnostic issues that customers face. Why the Check Engine Light comes on, causes for steering wheel vibration, what that little red light means – anything that customers could find valuable in their car ownership experience and emphasizes the dealership’s authority and expertise can be the focus.

According to the CallSource Automotive Inbound Call Data Report, the service department phone is a missed opportunity. Over the past four years, 40 percent of inbound calls to fixed ops phones were converted to appointments.

That’s a telling statistic – it says customers are price shopping. You might say, “If they aren’t willing to pay our rate, what can you do?” But ask a sales manager. That strategy doesn’t fly.

A salesperson/product specialist knows that the real question being asked on that call isn’t “what is the cost?” but rather “why should I choose you?”. It’s a wide-open door to explain why the dealership is the best place for repairs and service.

Keep in mind that the phone is just one contact method being used. Countless more customers are browsing your dealership online, a vast majority of whom will never even pick up that phone. You’ve lost the opportunity to convert that lead into a customer before you had a chance.

That’s where conveying your dealer or OE advantage is so important.

Tools in Your Dealer Toolbox

Without a doubt, dealerships have a massive advantage over aftermarket service providers. Once you realize it and put it to use, you should have no problem increasing call conversions.

Amenities

Dealerships offer a better experience than aftermarket shops. Have you seen a non-franchised repair shop with a building that compares to the vast majority of dealerships? It’s just not the norm. With the store comes a beautiful customer lounge, courtesy cars, Wi-Fi, refreshments, and more. Some non-OEM stores offer bits of it, but not the whole package.

Brand-Focused Knowledge

Staff that know the customers’ vehicles inside out isn’t a quirk. It’s a tool to use. Knowing the brand, common concerns, fast fixes, and having the wisdom to train customers how to use features before they become ‘No Fault Found’ is something the dealership does best. It’s impossible for non-OEM shops to have the same level of expertise on the product.

Factory Trained Technicians

It’s one of the most important advantages dealers have. The technicians in your shop have intrinsic knowledge that only comes from specializing in your brand. That can save a customer repeat visits and added expenses. Above all, it gives peace of mind that their repairs or service will be done correctly every time.

OEM Parts

You might see that OEM parts are an added expense; that other shops can offer aftermarket parts cheaper. But that’s not how most customers see it. When you put forward that OEM parts are designed to fit perfectly, just like the original, and that using high-quality parts can save future parts AND labor expenses from premature failure, not to mention that OEM pricing is highly competitive, that can be an attractant instead of deterrent.

Backed by Warranty

Peace of mind. When customers know their repairs are backed by warranty through the manufacturer, it’s a great reason to choose the dealer. Of course, we know that aftermarkets say the same thing. The benefit is that OEM parts warranty can be done by any dealer nationwide, not just the Joe or Jane that did the repair down the street.

How to Implement Your Advantage

So, then, how do you implement the dealer advantage into your strategy? For phone calls, it’s a matter of training staff on handling calls. Here’s a sample:

“Can you tell me how much front brakes are for my car?”

“Sure, I’d love to. Just so you’re aware, we’ll use OEM parts that are covered by a nationwide OEM parts and labor warranty. One of our factory-trained technicians will have your brakes working like new. We also offer courtesy cars/shuttle ride, or you can grab a coffee and snack in the lounge while you wait for your brake job. Front brakes for your car will be $XX dollars, parts and labor included. How does that sound. When would you like to book your visit?”

  The Online Presence

Implementing your advantage online can seem more challenging. You can draw attention to the OE advantage with competitive price comparison data, though, with almost no effort at all. Build on the comparison pricing tools you already have at your disposal.

Be transparent with your customers on how competitive your pricing truly is. See how InteliChek’s web widget will change the way customers interact with your website. Most of all, it shows your OE advantage before the phone even rings.

Service managers and fixed ops directors, this one is for you.

Anyone who has had a role in service management knows how lonely it often is. You’re responsible for keeping service advisors, technicians, and support staff of all types happy and productive. There are vendors to call and fires to put out. Often, it falls on the service manager to keep facility maintenance and repairs under control too.

And that’s all to maintain the status quo.

Since we all know that just keeping your head above water isn’t going to cut the mustard for the general manager and dealer principal, you need to find a way to do all the daily tasks AND accomplish the task of moving the needle forward. It can feel like an insurmountable challenge that’s all on your shoulders.

It’s where burnout begins. When you feel like it’s all on you, day after week after month, the dread of going into work creeps in. No one wants to be there. You want to feel challenged but thrive under the pressure, not just survive.

Learn to Delegate

I’ll be the first to acknowledge that I want things done my way. For that reason, I have a difficult time handing tasks off to someone else. However, your plate is full. Give up some of the tasks that aren’t important for your hand to be in.

Work within the Eisenhower Matrix pictured above. Break tasks down into four categories:

• Tasks that are important and urgent, do immediately. These should be your personal priorities.
• Tasks that are important but not urgent should be scheduled in. Get to them when you can.
• Tasks that are urgent but of lesser importance, delegate to someone you can trust.
• Tasks that aren’t urgent nor important, consider dropping from the to-do list.

Seek Support

It might feel like you’re alone…but you aren’t. Believe it or not, thousands of people have been in or currently are in your shoes. One of the healthiest things you can do to prevent burnout is to get together with likeminded people, and others in your same career position.

One of the best ways to do this with automotive seminars and industry functions like the DrivingSales Executive Summit. There are others too, often smaller and in your locale. Take in sessions on best practices and hear from thought leaders in your specific area – fixed ops.

If your store is part of a dealer group or you know other service managers and fixed ops directors locally, meet together. Even though you might be competition, you can learn from each other to improve not just your own dealership but the industry as a whole. You’ll leave feeling refreshed and supported.  

Find Inspiration

Fuel your passion daily. It’s impossible to keep up the same level of intensity, or vigor, or passion – whatever drives you to succeed – without feeding it. You’ve seen automotive podcasts, webinars, books, and blogs everywhere. Participate in at least one inspiring media daily, first thing in the morning if you can. When you start your day focused on a topic or interest, positive or negative, your actions throughout the day are destined to be influenced by it.

Maintaining a healthy perspective on the workplace as a manager is tough. But if you want your service team to be positive, productive, and healthy, you must start with yourself. Be the example for others to follow.

The Cox Automotive Maintenance and Repair Study emphasizes that less than 1 in 3 service visits are done at the dealership. Customers are taking their vehicles to aftermarket shops and those mom-and-pop service centers down the street. By the numbers, that means there’s a 70% defection rate, since all cars are originally purchased new from dealers, right?

As an industry, there’s a struggle to retain that service business, and it doesn’t come easy. Customers need to learn that they can trust the dealership to service their cars without getting ripped off. And high prices are one of the customer’s biggest complaints.

Knowing the Market

Fixed ops directors and service managers, one of the tenets of improving your customer retention rates must be positioning your service shop competitively with other local providers. The Meineke or Pep Boys, the muffler guy two blocks over, and the specialty shop nearby all take your business because customers have decided you charge too much.

Competitive price comparisons can offer two things for you: a clear picture of your market, and the opportunity to do something about it.

- Shopping local service providers helps you know your competition. You can figure out who is baiting your customers and what they’re charging for similar services and repairs.

- Mystery shopping your competitors can reveal your OEM parts advantages. If the competition is using white box parts for the same repair to lower pricing, you can use that to your advantage in advertising.

- Dealership amenities show up as an obvious benefit. It can be the comfy customer lounge and complimentary coffee, the free courtesy car or shuttle service, or the easy access to warranty.

Compare Apples to Apples

With information from competitive price comparisons, you have a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips. Now you can present a complete picture to your customers, and it’s best before they defect.

In service advertising, spell out your advantages over the competition. Do you offer complimentary transportation? Most non-franchise repair shops don’t. Do you have OEM-certified technicians? That’s a claim independent shops can’t make. Refreshments and a play area in the waiting area? You’ll catch a parent’s eye with that type of detail.

Adjust Your Prices

Customers aren’t as fickle as you think. It’s a pain in their backside to try to find a repair shop they can trust and that has the ability to service and repair their car start to finish.

What you may not know is that car owners prefer the expertise they get at the dealership. But when pricing factors into the decision, they go elsewhere when they believe the dealership is charging way too much.

The sweet spot for a customer is within 20 percent. If your service menu pricing is within 20 percent of other local providers, most car owners will make the choice to visit the dealership. It’s a smart decision.

Armed with local market knowledge, adjust your menu items to within 15 to 20 percent of your competitors. Include that information on service advertising and on the website.

Tools like InteliChek’s service pricing widget show your local competitors’ pricing alongside your own, displaying your advantages. When you’re open about your pricing as it compares locally, it offers the transparency customers need to begin rebuilding their trust.

Phone skills are one of the things that everyone thinks they have. After the first hour of training, every new employee knows what to say when they answer the phone.

“Good morning, thanks for calling ABC Motors. How can I help you today?”

“Let me check on that for you. Do you mind if I put you on a brief hold?”

“I see David is in. I’ll transfer you to his direct line if that’s alright.”

It becomes automatic, engrained, a no-brainer. But here’s where it gets a little tricky. You have to pick up your phone to use those skills.

In the Customer’s Shoes

I pray that this experience is local, and that no one else runs into the same scenario. But this is my very recent experience.

I was looking for a specific part, a fuel level sending unit. Knowing I wanted a quality part, I called dealerships exclusively. I’m no slouch when it comes to research, so I used direct lines to parts departments to eliminate the need for transfers. So, I called the first one which was the closest dealer to me. I just prefer shopping nearby.

No answer. Four rings, then to voice mail. I get it. People are busy. I waited ten minutes or so then tried again. Same thing. I left a voice mail this time.

As a customer, I didn’t stop at that. I called the next dealer but again, no answer. Getting irritated, I tried a third. This time, someone answered, took my information and the part I needed, and said they’d call me back. Still without an answer, I called a fourth store. Imagine the frustration when they didn’t answer either!!

To the Point

I’ll get to it fast. Answer the phone! Customers calling for a part aren’t your loyal base. They won’t always give you a second chance or be satisfied to sit back and wait for a call back.

And it’s not just one parts sale you’re blowing off when you don’t answer the phone. By not answering the phone, you’re essentially telling the customer that you don’t care about their business. If you’re okay with them shopping at a different dealership, starting a relationship with their team, potentially taking their service business into their drive thru, and even starting a sales conversation elsewhere, then answering every phone call isn’t important.

One manager I had early in my career became so mad when the phone reached a third ring. He would routinely impress upon all front-end staff that the phone should be answered on the first ring if possible or the second ring at the latest. By answering the phone quickly, your non-verbal communication tells customers what they’re business is worth to you.

It doesn’t matter if it’s the receptionist, the sales floor, the service department, BDC, or the parts department. Answering the phone within two rings should be the standard to achieve. And absolutely never let it go unanswered.

How It Ended

In my situation, I never received a call back from the first dealership, nor the second. The third one did return my call about 30 minutes later, and the fourth also never returned my call. One in four… simply not acceptable.

Parts managers and fixed ops directors, I encourage you to ‘mystery call’ your parts departments. I hope to heaven that they do a better job than the experience I had.  

Customer retention at the dealership level is abysmal after a customer’s new vehicle warranty expires. Extended service contracts help somewhat, but the Cox Automotive 2018 Service Industry Study shows that, at best, 33 percent of vehicle maintenance and repairs happen at the dealership. Keep in mind, that doesn’t even mean it happens at the selling dealership.

It’s obvious that customers don’t trust dealerships. Focus groups have shown that the general public believes dealerships are obscenely expensive, usually with the perception that their service department charges double the rate of an aftermarket provider. That’s why customer defection rates are so high.

And whether you think your clientele are loyal or not, they’re shopping you for price. On average, car owners call around for two additional quotes before deciding who will get their business.

Price matters.

Lowest Price Doesn’t Mean the Winning Bid

Now, you don’t have to have the lowest price to gain a customer’s maintenance and repair business. You just need to be close. You might be thinking, “Our service prices are very competitive with other local dealers and aftermarket shops, but it’s not enough!” You’d be right. It’s not enough to just have competitive prices.

Customers need to know your prices are competitive.

On this topic, I performed some firsthand research. Don’t worry, service managers, I’m not naming names. What I found are these contrasts between the customer’s perspective and the dealership’s view:

- Dealers perceived their prices to be in line and, in some cases, lower than the aftermarket. That is a very different view than the customer has of the dealership charging twice as much.

- Across the country, service managers believed customers would be willing to pay between 5 and 90 percent more for their services than an aftermarket provider. Customers are more likely to choose the dealer if they’re within 20 percent.

- None of the dealerships were aware that customers think they charge double the price of an aftermarket provider.

The Extras Make the Difference

Consumers have no doubt that their OEM dealership is the best place to service their vehicle. They’re the only place that can perform warranty repairs and they have the special equipment necessary to handle the most complex diagnosis. They can expect to wait comfortably in the lounge, get a ride home with a shuttle, or even get a loaner car. There’s confidence in using OEM parts and fluids, plus a host of other advantages over the competition.

Consumers will happily pay more for these extras.

The challenge is for consumers to understand your dealership isn’t double the price. It’s on you as the authority in auto service to show them that your menu pricing is competitive.

A Massive Opportunity to Gain Trust

If your sales-to-service customer retention is only 33 percent, that means 2 in 3 customers are going elsewhere. Some of that will be due to their proximity to your shop while others might be DIYers. But you can be certain that some of those – maybe 1 in 3 – don’t come through your service drive because they don’t trust your service pricing is fair. You can influence that figure.

Provide a consistent message through data-driven marketing that shows your pricing is competitive. Competitive comparison pricing data is the tool to use, and it’s readily available through most OEMs.

Use competitive comparison pricing data to show the value your store provides for services through service mailers, in-store menu boards, and on your website. And if you can keep the theme consistent, your customers will begin to take notice while they’re shopping around for the best price.

Again, it doesn’t have to be the lowest price in the neighborhood, but it must be within 15 to 20 percent.

You can:

- Send mailers to current customers, and especially to those who haven’t serviced at your store in the past 12 months. Show the competitive pricing along with the extras you provide.

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• - Post local competitive prices on your menu board. This transparency lets your customers know you’re aware what other places charge, plus it lets them compare firsthand if your pricing is reasonable. 
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• - Be deliberate in posting customer testimonials. Another customer places more weight on a third party’s words than on what you say.

How Competitive Comparison Pricing Benefits the Dealership

Over time, implementing intentional strategies around competitive pricing analysis is bound to pay dividends.

Consumers develop trust in your dealership. Through transparent pricing and data-driven marketing, you’re able to build a trusting relationship with customers over the long term.

Customer retention rates are higher. The customers who would’ve gone elsewhere because they once thought you charged too much now continue to service their vehicles at your store. And when 74 percent of car buyers complete their purchase where they regularly service their car, that’s going to mean referral and repeat vehicle sales business.

Service department revenue increases. Even though you might be dropping the occasional price on a menu item, your overall revenue increases from the other RO lines you sell, as well as the multiple annual visits each customer makes between vehicle purchases.

Access Comparison Pricing Data the Expert Way

There’s no need to make mystery shopping calls by yourself to a few local shops. InteliChek provides competitive comparison pricing data from local dealers and aftermarkets. It’s up to date and ready to put into action.

Better yet, InteliChek can make marketing your competitive edge easy through printed promotional materials, your website, and a nifty little widget. And because it’s all fueled by a third party, it gains traction with your customers in a way you can’t on your own.

Transparent service pricing is only effective if you’re competitive in your locale. With intentional use of competitive comparison pricing data, you’ll build customer trust while you’re at it.

As a former service advisor for one of the busiest Chevrolet dealerships on the prairies, I know firsthand how many customer interactions frontline staff have on a daily basis. It becomes so incredibly easy for the job to take on a factory-style assembly line feel. One after another, you check customers in for appointments, send them on their way, call them with an estimate, and call again when their car is ready.

Some days, you feel like you hit a rhythm and things are great. You’ve written 15 to 20 customer ROs or maybe more, you haven’t forgotten any phone calls, and all the work is done at the end of the day.

But for some reason, the customers don’t seem impressed. The problem is this: the workflow has become about YOU, not serving the customer to the best of your ability.

Not Always the Advisor’s Fault

Honestly, I get it. With as busy as it gets in the service department, it’s might be all you can do to keep your head above water. There are days where you just have to push through the heavy, hard parts of the job – expensive estimates, unhappy customers, and people who don’t have the same passion and care as you do. Those days happen.

However, some days become self-centered when the service department should always be about serving the customer. To do that well involves determining the customers’ needs and finding a way to make their experience better.

Making the Shop Process More Customer Friendly

One of the things I hated about being a service advisor was managing expectations, both for the technicians and the customers. There are two very different views:

• The technician thinks, “My time is valuable. For every five minutes I’m waiting for the customer to approve this work, I lose $XX dollars. I’m kicking it out – I can always bring it back in later.”
• The customer thinks, “I’m paying my hard-earned money to have ABC Motors service my vehicle. If they won’t respect my time, I’ll just take it elsewhere.”

A technician expects a fast answer for upsells and estimated repairs. A customer expects fast service for the expertise at the dealership.  But only one of those opinions truly matters – the customer.

How Does the Service Advisor Factor In?

To manage these expectations falls on the service advisor largely. It becomes their job to contact the customer quickly, sell the work, add the RO lines, and get the technician rolling. But the customer call isn’t always quick as the tech wants or the call goes a different direction than expected.

With a few adjustments to the service process, it can serve both the customer and the technician well… especially the customer.

• At service checkin, ask the customer for a pre-authorization. “Mr. Jones, if the cost to repair your brakes is under $300, should I have the technician proceed? Or would you prefer I call you first?” With an option to approve a pre-authorization as well a ceiling for that pre-auth, around 70% of customers will give the go-ahead. You’ll still need to call before the vehicle is ready, but you’ve bought a bit of time.
• During checkin, confirm the fastest method to reach the customer if necessary. Offer text messaging, phone calls, or emails. With smartphones, most customers can respond quickly if they know it might be an urgent call about their car.
• Adjust the workflow to diagnose and estimate concerns before preauthorized maintenance and repairs. With a diagnosis complete, the tech can move onto the other services while you reach out to the customer. It’s a common process for many dealers already, but certainly not all.

It’s All Contingent on a Few Basics

Any of these suggestions can be used to improve the service process. For them to be effective, a few things need to be in place.

First, a walkaround has to be done on every service drive check-in. Every time. No exceptions. This builds trust that you’re caring for their car and, ultimately, for the customer.

Second, the customer has to be convinced that your pricing is competitive. If you don’t have regionally competitive service pricing, there could be a delay in an approval if they feel the need to call around for quotes first.

Third, and most important, it’s all in the customer’s hands. Follow the customer’s lead in how they want to be treated. If they want to ask more questions or need some extra time to make a decision, give it to them. Being pushy or trying to fit a customer into your ‘box’ won’t work. You’ll just tick them off.

With new car sales trending downward, dealerships will be relying more heavily than ever on their service departments to attract, serve, and keep the customers. Do your part by making the experience about the customer, not about you.

No matter what industry you look at, there are things we’d change as a customer. For the health care field, the wait time to see your doctor wouldn’t be as long (and they’d be on time for appointments!) For the food service industry, the kitchen would only use fresh ingredients instead of pre-prepared or frozen.

It’s probably safe to assume that all of us here are in the automotive industry. We think we’ve done a pretty good job of increasing efficiency for the customer, specifically for the service department. The customer can book an appointment online, there’s an option to wait for your vehicle or take transportation home or to work, and the workflow through the shop has become as streamlined as possible.

But that’s streamlined for us, not the customer.

Both firsthand and anecdotally, the service process isn’t as customer friendly as we think it might be. Just like all other industries, customers find flaws (often, MANY flaws) in how dealerships operate their service departments.

Online Appointments

It’s become an industry standard to offer an online appointment calendar. Customers can choose the services they think they need, pick a convenient time, and bring their vehicle in. But it’s never that smooth, is it?

Think about it from the customer’s perspective. You’ve booked an appointment online and arrive precisely on time. You’re met with a busy service drive and a 10-minute wait to see your service advisor. The advisor then reviews your appointment details and performs a walkaround (hopefully). Then, you’re given your quote for the services requested, and you’re on your way.

Doesn’t sound bad, but the customer sees:

• An inconvenient wait when they arrive for an appointment time.
• Duplication between their online request and the advisor’s review and upsells.
• Often a different estimate between the online booking and the in-person visit.

In today’s world of ‘omni-experience’, I’ve yet to see an online appointment scheduler that mimics the in-dealership’s experience and pricing. It’s inconsistent, and that damages trust.

And this is just one facet. We could talk about how your workflow through the shop isn’t customer-centric or why someone from a call center might be performing follow-up calls instead of in-dealership staff. Customers don’t view it as efficient.

Making Processes More Efficient for the Customer

So, let’s take a look at how a customer’s online appointment might serve them better.

Before the Visit

Online appointment forms typically do alright to suggest required services…for the current mileage. They assume maintenance and repairs are up to date and that there aren’t any declined services. Aside from a walkaround, this is where an advisor would need to upsell.

For online appointments, have a service advisor – or well-trained BDC member – contact the customer to check up on any declined services. State the quote they’ve received online for consistency. Then there’s less time spent in dealership when they check in for their appointment.

At Check-In

Have a ‘fast lane’ for online appointments. There’s no need to review the work order requests unless there are add-ons by the customer. Have a pre-work order ready for a signature once the mileage is recorded. And once again, review the pricing from the online appointment, plus any potential add-ons.

The Walkaround

One step that can’t be skipped or trimmed: the walkaround. You’re building trust in this stage by showing thoroughness and consistency by performing a walkaround every time. After a 90-second walkaround, the customer is ready to go.

When Service is Complete

When the vehicle has been completed in the shop and the customer is informed (with their desired method of communication), review the work completed and re-state the price they were first quoted along with the final price if there were any additional services or repairs. When a customer has heard the same pricing consistently between the online appointment and vehicle pickup, even if there have been changes, it builds trust.

These facets all increase efficiency for a customer, and we’ll look at others in the coming weeks. You might find they cost your service department in additional staffing. But if a customer-centric omni-experience is what you truly want to offer, start asking questions from the customer’s perspective.