Pleasing customers, generating loyalty, encouraging repeat custom and ultimately driving profits are vital elements in building the best service and repair business. Following its successful Golden Garages campaign that saw 9,000 members of the public voting for thousands of garages across the country, Motor Codes has compiled a selection of top tips for being the best.
“Standing out from the crowd by surprising and delighting customers is a great business tool and a key part of improving the industry’s reputation,” said Chris Mason, Motor Codes director. “The Golden Garages campaign did a brilliant job of demonstrating that nationwide there are so many outstanding businesses that deliver top class customer care. Having sifted through thousands of customer comments and analysed how our UK Top Ten garages go about their daily work, we’re now able to share some of the best ideas.”
Motor Codes top tips for customer care:
- Agree work required with the customer and check before starting additional jobs.
- Set a price and payment method, don’t change these without customer authorisation.
- Encourage technicians to talk to customers to build personal relationships.
- Don’t charge for small/easy jobs to generate goodwill and trust.
- Contact every customer after a few days to ensure maximum satisfaction.
- Monitor customer feedback and act on it to make improvements.
- Offer a loyalty bonus to encourage repeat business and develop relationships.
- Continually improve your business by discussing operational issues with staff and customers.
- Turn any complaint into a positive result to retain customers.
The Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair has already had an impact on the number of complaints levelled at the industry, halting the rise in motorist issues as reported by Consumer Direct. The Code’s Consumer Advice Team has already helped over 2,500 motorists this year, from answering simple questions to providing conciliation and arbitration services where necessary.
“Focusing the direction and actions of any service and repair business on enhancing the customer experience is a sure fire way to success,” explains Keith Kingham, winner of Golden Garages. “Building trust and goodwill with a customer is a long-term process but the investment of time and money will pay off as customers return again and again.”
