February 2020

FEBRUARY 2020 AFTERMARKET 17 www.aftermarketonline.net If you really can’t solve the customers concerns, take ownership of the issue and ensure that the complaint is effectively escalated and that you follow up to see what the outcome is. It’s also worth mentioning that if you say you are going to do something, you should always do it. Don’t be tempted to tell customers that someone will get in touch with them in an hour when they might not get a call for a few hours. The customer won’t thank you for it in the long run. Always be sure you can meet the promise you make. Perspective Many of us have worked in the automotive sector for so long we forget what it is like to bring our vehicle for repair. Knowing what your competition is doing can also pay dividends in other ways too. It can help you set yourself apart by creating a business experience, an atmosphere that is different from any other garage locally and far beyond. Keeping perspective when it comes to the customer experience will help you to create a positive customer experience and maintain a solid customer base. At Brunswick Garage we were of course never happy to receive complaints, however we used it as a prompt to better our service and if a customer made the effort to write or email us with a concern, we displayed their comments in reception with the thank you letters. We wanted to show our customers that we were not perfect, but also show them we took complaints very seriously and we always aimed at achieving a positive outcome. Learning to handle challenging customers will build respect for your business and ultimately result in higher customer retention and profits. Positive/negative When we receive complaints, we often look upon them in a negative way. However, complaints can be really useful to any garage and although it doesn’t feel like it at the time, the complaint is extremely positive in that it helps highlight problems with our service and procedures. The alternative to receiving customer complaints is not receiving them and carrying on just the way we are, oblivious the negative impact our actions are having on customers who perhaps won’t return or will be complaining to their friends rather than to us. This is extremely damaging as we never get the chance to put right the errors that we don’t hear about. It’s a bit of a cliché, but complaints really are a gift. Business training days Business skills are paramount to the success of your garage, so that’s why leading aftersales expert The Garage Inspector (Andy Savva – an experienced award winning former garage owner), has launched his eagerly awaited courses which are unique to the independent garage repair sector. Book today to secure your place. Limited spaces • Book early Please email andy@thegarageinspector.com or visit The Garage Inspector website for booking instructions and full terms & conditions: www. thegarageinspector .com For those readers who may not know me, I offer several business improvement services for garage businesses including, one day business training days in, finance, marketing and customer excellence. These courses have been specifically written and are delivered for independent garage owners, managers, technicians and reception staff by me. Please visit www.thegarageinspector.com for much more information NEW DATES & COURSES FOR 2020 • Chester: 28th Jan Effective Leadership/Managing Quality • 29th Jan Customer Excellence/Reception Management • 22nd Sept Financial Understanding for the Garage Business • 23rd Sept Marketing Essentials • Fleet/Guildford: 4th Feb Effective Leadership/Managing Quality • 5th Feb Customer Excellence/Reception Management • 2nd June Financial Understanding for the Garage Business • 3rd June Marketing Essentials • Lincoln/Grantham: 25th Feb Effective Leadership/Managing Quality • 26th Feb Customer Excellence/Reception Management • 3rd Nov Financial Understanding for the Garage Business • 4th Nov Marketing Essentials • Cardiff: 3rd March Effective Leadership/Managing Quality • 4th March Customer Excellence/Reception Management • 6th Oct Financial Understanding for the Garage Business • 7th Oct Marketing Essentials • Newcastle: 7th April Effective Leadership/Managing Quality • 8th April Customer Excellence/Reception Management • 1st Sept Financial Understanding for the Garage Business • 2nd Sept Marketing Essentials To book or for further information, please go to www.thegarageinspector.com