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Your initial greeting and presentation to the customer early in the morning was top notch. When an update was called for, you contacted the customer on a timely basis and let her know about revised estimates and how her car was progressing through the service visit. And when she picked the car up mid-afternoon you even shared a laugh of some amusing news story in the paper. So why did she give you a failing grade on the factory's CSI survey?
Maybe it was because the main problem that brought this customer to the dealership in the first place was still annoying her on the drive home. All that time and effort on your part, and the customer does not have warm fuzzy feelings about you or the dealership, because her problem was not corrected. The sad truth is that no matter how well you have done your job, it can amount to nothing if the quality of the repair is not quality inspected before you return the vehicle to the customer.
Of course we would like to double check every vehicle before giving it back to the customer, but in the real world most dealerships run short of time to get that done. To help create a quality check system that will work for you, we sought the advice of Don Tipton, fixed operations consultant and president of DTC Retail Consulting.
"If we can't check every vehicle we should try to check as many as we can," Don started. "I know sometimes advisors might feel that a quality check requires a long test drive on the highway to verify the repair, but that isn't always the case. Sometimes the issue is just a loose trim piece or a window that won't go down. Those types of complaints are easy enough to check out in the parking lot."
When pressed for time Don recommends you give special attention to:
u Survey customers - Some manufacturers have predictable habits about which customers they will be sending surveys to. For instance, some makes might target customers who have previously sent in negative reports, or send a survey after three months of ownership. Check with your service manager about likely candidates. As a default, you can concentrate on all warranty repairs, since these customers are also likely to receive a survey.
u Major repairs - These customers have just spent a lot of money for repair work and more than likely have been without their vehicle for a while. Nobody feels good about having major work done only to have the problems still occurring. It makes them feel as if the repairs were unneeded or done in a shoddy manner.
u Safety related repairs - You do not want the customer to be the first one to try out those new brake pads. Take the time on safety items to do a final test before handing the keys back to the customer.
u Drivability concerns - Because of their intermittent nature, drivability complaints should receive extra attention. These types of problems are more likely to leave the customer stranded on the side of the road - something we all want to avoid.
u Comebacks - If a customer is returning with a repeat complaint, you want to make sure that this second (or more) visit is not in vain. This is your chance to prove the shop cares about winning the customer back after an unpleasant experience. If you do not take the time to validate that the vehicle is actually fixed this time, it gives every impression that you just do not care.
u No Problem Found diagnosis - "NPF is a comeback that just hasn't left our shop yet," says Don. The very nature of an "NPF" means that the shop has not been able to correct the customer's concern. Try one last time to get the problem to occur and be prepared to explain your diagnostic routine to the customer.
Don then added, "I want to eliminate as many 'heat cases' as I can. By 'heat cases' I am referring to customers who have had past problems with service or parts and will likely need extra attention. You can believe if a tech ordered the wrong part last time, I am going to make sure we got the right one this time."
Aside from making sure that the repair was performed correctly and that the customer's complaint has been resolved, you also need to look at the other factors that will influence customer satisfaction. While you are inspecting the vehicle check its overall cleanliness.
u Was the vehicle washed - if that was our intent?
u Ensure repaired areas are cleaned - no finger prints!
u Make sure the radio station was not changed - especially easy to correct if the key fob resets the customer's preferences.
So what happens if you find a problem in the quality check?
Return the vehicle to the assigned technician for immediate correction. Keep a log of quality control re-checks and make management aware of problem technicians.
Resource: Don Tipton is president of DTC Consulting, a company that specialized in improving fixed operations. You can contact Mr. Tipton by calling 803-530-0396. Or visit him on the web at www.dtcretailconsulting.com.
Your initial greeting and presentation to the customer early in the morning was top notch. When an update was called for, you contacted the customer on a timely basis and let her know about revised estimates and how her car was progressing through the service visit. And when she picked the car up mid-afternoon you even shared a laugh of some amusing news story in the paper. So why did she give you a failing grade on the factory's CSI survey?
Maybe it was because the main problem that brought this customer to the dealership in the first place was still annoying her on the drive home. All that time and effort on your part, and the customer does not have warm fuzzy feelings about you or the dealership, because her problem was not corrected. The sad truth is that no matter how well you have done your job, it can amount to nothing if the quality of the repair is not quality inspected before you return the vehicle to the customer.
Of course we would like to double check every vehicle before giving it back to the customer, but in the real world most dealerships run short of time to get that done. To help create a quality check system that will work for you, we sought the advice of Don Tipton, fixed operations consultant and president of DTC Retail Consulting.
"If we can't check every vehicle we should try to check as many as we can," Don started. "I know sometimes advisors might feel that a quality check requires a long test drive on the highway to verify the repair, but that isn't always the case. Sometimes the issue is just a loose trim piece or a window that won't go down. Those types of complaints are easy enough to check out in the parking lot."
When pressed for time Don recommends you give special attention to:
u Survey customers - Some manufacturers have predictable habits about which customers they will be sending surveys to. For instance, some makes might target customers who have previously sent in negative reports, or send a survey after three months of ownership. Check with your service manager about likely candidates. As a default, you can concentrate on all warranty repairs, since these customers are also likely to receive a survey.
u Major repairs - These customers have just spent a lot of money for repair work and more than likely have been without their vehicle for a while. Nobody feels good about having major work done only to have the problems still occurring. It makes them feel as if the repairs were unneeded or done in a shoddy manner.
u Safety related repairs - You do not want the customer to be the first one to try out those new brake pads. Take the time on safety items to do a final test before handing the keys back to the customer.
u Drivability concerns - Because of their intermittent nature, drivability complaints should receive extra attention. These types of problems are more likely to leave the customer stranded on the side of the road - something we all want to avoid.
u Comebacks - If a customer is returning with a repeat complaint, you want to make sure that this second (or more) visit is not in vain. This is your chance to prove the shop cares about winning the customer back after an unpleasant experience. If you do not take the time to validate that the vehicle is actually fixed this time, it gives every impression that you just do not care.
u No Problem Found diagnosis - "NPF is a comeback that just hasn't left our shop yet," says Don. The very nature of an "NPF" means that the shop has not been able to correct the customer's concern. Try one last time to get the problem to occur and be prepared to explain your diagnostic routine to the customer.
Don then added, "I want to eliminate as many 'heat cases' as I can. By 'heat cases' I am referring to customers who have had past problems with service or parts and will likely need extra attention. You can believe if a tech ordered the wrong part last time, I am going to make sure we got the right one this time."
Aside from making sure that the repair was performed correctly and that the customer's complaint has been resolved, you also need to look at the other factors that will influence customer satisfaction. While you are inspecting the vehicle check its overall cleanliness.
u Was the vehicle washed - if that was our intent?
u Ensure repaired areas are cleaned - no finger prints!
u Make sure the radio station was not changed - especially easy to correct if the key fob resets the customer's preferences.
So what happens if you find a problem in the quality check?
Return the vehicle to the assigned technician for immediate correction. Keep a log of quality control re-checks and make management aware of problem technicians.
Resource: Don Tipton is president of DTC Consulting, a company that specialized in improving fixed operations. You can contact Mr. Tipton by calling 803-530-0396. Or visit him on the web at www.dtcretailconsulting.com.
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