Auto Repair Customer Service: The Role of Phone Skills

Auto Repair Customer Service: The Role of Phone Skills

by | Jul 17, 2023 | Auto Service, Best Practice, Process

Providing a seamless and satisfying customer experience is the key to business success in the automotive repair and tire shop industry. Often, the first point of contact between a customer and a business is a phone call, making it a critical component of the overall customer experience strategy.

Crafting the Customer Experience Strategy

Customers are the lifeblood of any business, and their satisfaction should always be the priority. The success of your store hinges on the growth and satisfaction of your loyal customer base. To ensure a positive customer experience, your strategy should revolve around the following key elements:

  • We empower teammates who feel capable and see a growth path with the company.
  • Ensuring that teammates treat customers with respect, help them make informed buying decisions on tires and car maintenance, and keep them informed about the progress of their vehicle.
  • Building customer trust by fixing their car right the first time and delivering on promises.
  • Ensuring the company receives a return on its investment while customer loyalty and market share grow.

This customer-centric approach starts when a customer hears about your business and continues through every interaction with your team.

The Role of Phone Skills in the Customer Experience Strategy

Superior phone skills are crucial to attracting customers and providing them with a positive first impression of your business. To ensure consistency and quality in every customer interaction, we provide a free “talk track” that you can implement today. A talk track is a script or guideline on handling phone interactions effectively, from the initial greeting to confirming appointment details.

Here’s a detailed version of the talk track: Service Writer Phone Talk Track

Step One: Create a Positive First Impression

Answer the phone in three rings or less and provide a friendly introduction. Example: “Thank you for calling [Store Name]; this is [Your Name]. Can I ask who I’m speaking to? Hi [Caller’s Name], how may I assist you today?” This step sets the tone for the conversation and makes the customer feel welcome.

Step Two: Understand the Customer’s Needs

Ask the customer for their tire size and the vehicle’s year, make, and model. This information helps you understand their needs better and provide accurate assistance. Ensure you verify the tire size to avoid any confusion or miscommunication.

Step Three: Offer Value

Ask the customer if they have purchased tires from you before. This question can help you gauge their familiarity with your services. To demonstrate your value, mention your free services, such as a Free Alignment Check, Free Tire Inspections, Free Tire Rotations, and Free Air Checks. Also, mention your low price guarantee to reassure them of your competitive pricing.

Step Four: Encourage a Store Visit

Quote the lowest single tire price and invite the customer to visit the store. If a customer asks for more options, quote the next lowest tire option. Remember, the goal is not to sell the tires over the phone but to encourage the customer to enter the store. Phrase your invitation positively: “We have tires in stock for that size as low as [lowest tire price per tire]; we can install them for you today. Does that sound okay to you?”

Step Five: Set Up an Appointment

Set a convenient time for the customer’s visit and get the caller’s information. If the caller doesn’t want an appointment, inform them about your 30-day Price Match guarantee to overcome objections. This assurance can build trust and make customers feel more comfortable about their decision.

Step Six: Provide Information and Answer Questions

Ask the caller if they have any other questions regarding your tires and services. Always provide and confirm the store location. This information ensures the customer knows where to find you and feels prepared for their visit.

Step Seven: Confirm Details

Confirm the details, including the tire selection and price, if an appointment was made. If no appointment was made, provide the store hours and days of operation. This information helps set the customer’s expectations and reduces the chance of misunderstandings or confusion.

Step Eight: Show Appreciation

Thank the caller for their time and express appreciation for their interest in your store. Example: “Thank you! Thanks again for calling [Store Name].”

This detailed talk track is a practical tool that embodies your customer experience strategy and emphasizes phone skills. It provides a consistent approach to every phone interaction, increasing customer satisfaction and stronger customer loyalty.

Conclusion

By integrating superior phone skills into your customer experience strategy, you can ensure a positive customer journey from the first phone call to the completion of their vehicle service. This cohesive approach, reinforced by the practical use of a talk track, leads to increased customer satisfaction, stronger customer loyalty, and, ultimately, the success of your business.

To download a FREE version of that talk track I use in my training or check out other Tire and Auto Repair Owners’ resources, including Inspection Forms, Job Descriptions, and example recruiting ads, head over to our Retail Tire & Service Resource Center.

Good Selling!

 

Pat

 

Want to fix your Business? Focus on Your People First

Want to fix your Business? Focus on Your People First

by | Mar 23, 2020 | Auto Service, Best Practice

As leaders, how often do we delegate critical people “interactions” and tasks to others?

Is interviewing new team candidates the first thing that gets delegated?  How about the training?

It’s been my experience that the delegation of critical people tasks happens a lot.  Why?  Because it’s hard work to hire people!  It’s very time-consuming!  Let’s face it .. its a pain in the butt to keep training and coaching people!  But if you want to build great teams, “hands-on” is absolutely necessary.

Show me an underperforming business unit, and you will most likely find the leader disengaged with his/her people and preoccupied with administrative tasks.

As a leader, there is nothing more important than the time you spend with your people.

If great performance starts and ends with great performing people, you must spend the time it takes to hire the right candidate and invest the time it takes to develop that individual.  

Want to fix your business? Spend time with your people!

  • Involve yourself in the hiring process – meet every candidate.  Don’t delegate this most important task.
  • Remember, you are competing for good people.  Learn to sell your opportunity as well as sell your products.
  • Always, Always ensure your people have the tools, knowledge and understand what they are supposed to do before they start.
  • Set goals and keep score – every day.
  • Celebrate Success frequently, address underperformance daily!
  • Remember – long-lasting and sustainable results come from continuous improvement

So close the laptop, put the iPhone down, tell your vendors your not available and go spend some time with your people.

 

Good Selling!

 

Pat

Why You Should Offer an Inspection to Every Customer

Why You Should Offer an Inspection to Every Customer

by | Mar 19, 2020 | Auto Service, Best Practice, Process

I live in Arizona, where there is no requirement to have an annual safety inspection performed on passenger and light truck vehicles. According to Wikipedia, only 17 States now require regular inspections of automobiles “to rid the highways of dangerous vehicles with bald tires, wobbly suspensions, smoke-filled exhausts, and defective brakes and lights.” You can find that list of States here.

If I owned a Tire and Service business in a state that doesn’t require regular safety inspections, I’m not sure that I would need another reason to recommend a full mechanical inspection on every one of my customer’s vehicles at least once a year. I would charge for that inspection as well.

If you do need another reason to offer (sell) inspections to every customer, here is another one! It has to do with identifying customers that are interested in having a safety inspection performed on their vehicle. 

Believe it or not, there are lots of customers that are interested in having a safety inspection performed of their vehicle! Statistically, 20% of your customers would fall into this category. These customers will wait the additional time it takes for you to provide them with a full vehicle analysis and accompanying recommendations.

For the customers that are not interested in a complete vehicle inspection, inform these customers that part of the service that they are receiving today comes with a less comprehensive courtesy check. That way, the customer still expects that you will be inspecting their vehicle, just not to the extent of the full vehicle inspection. These customers will also be more receptive to listening to your recommendations based on the courtesy check.

The purpose of informing the customer of the option to purchase a full vehicle inspection has more to do with qualifying your customer and focusing your efforts then it does with generating revenue from the sold inspection.

It’s a proven fact that customers that will pay for an inspection are much more likely to buy your recommendations.

 

Good Selling!

What I Learned from Hiring 1,000’s of Technicians for Shops Across the Country

What I Learned from Hiring 1,000’s of Technicians for Shops Across the Country

by | Mar 11, 2020 | Auto Service, Best Practice, Technicians

Throughout my career operating Tire and Service Centers, one of my main responsibility was finding, training and developing new talent. I did this for years and hired thousands of technicians for different dealers at all different stages of business.

And I’m not saying it’s an easy thing to do – find and hire great technicians – but there were two things that almost every dealer was doing wrong that was making it way more difficult than it needed to be.

Learn from their mistakes, and start taking the right steps to find and hire the best technicians for your shop.

First, how you attract technicians must be done correctly.

You need to think about hiring technicians like you would attracting customers. You can’t just post an ad on a website these guys (and gals) aren’t spending any time on, and you can’t ask them to do something they can’t or won’t do – like send you their resume.

Nine times out of ten, the best technicians aren’t unemployed perusing job sites. Most of them aren’t even signed up for these sites. They’re employed and realizing that they aren’t happy where they are. The most qualified also won’t have updated (or any) resumes to send your way – so stop asking for them.

Instead, post an ad to Craigslist. It may sound old school, but this has worked, time and time again. Post the ad with your phone number and request the technician call or text you for details.

If you’re thinking about hiring like you would think about getting new customers – you realize you need to offer an incentive to bring new technicians in.

Just like you’ll give a new customer a low-priced oil change, offer a new technician a signing bonus. Structure the bonus with the first half paid out upon signing and the second half after 90 days. Also consider a Flat Rate incentive program.

Here is an example Ad:

Auto Technician – for busy shop – Full Benefits – Signing Bonus

I am looking for 4 qualified mechanics with at least 2-3 years of experience.

Please call/text me immediately @ 555-555-5555 or respond to this posting.

We are paying the following bonuses for qualified new hires:

$1000 A Tech

$750 B Tech

$500 C Tech

*Please call for details

Technicians with at least two years of documented working experience need to apply.

The second and most important step, make yourself available.

It sounds like a no-brainer, but I would repeatedly see dealers post job ads and then not answer incoming calls. Answer your phone. I’m not saying you need to be available 24/7…but, basically, be available 24/7.

Save yourself time and pre-screen candidates over the phone before scheduling a time to bring them in for an in-person interview. I find that most dealers are pretty good at interviewing, but as a refresher, be sure you’re focusing on:

  • Past experience & jobs
  • What level of technician they’d consider themselves (A, B, C)
  • How many ASEs they have
  • Work ethic

If you’re thinking about hiring like you would think about getting new customers – you realize you need to offer an incentive to bring new technicians in.

When to hire? I get this question a lot. There’s no cookie-cutter answer from a revenue perspective – this decision varies depending on the services you offer, the technicians you have, etc. But, what I can say with confidence is that if you’re turning customers away at the counter midday – if you’re saying no to business – then it’s definitely time to consider hiring another technician.

Do you have any other hiring tips for dealers? Share them in the comments.