Wooing Future Customers
For Chuck, adapting to change goes beyond addressing current challenges to his business; it includes anticipating future ones as well. Recognizing that he has an aging customer base whose need for automotive service is declining, Chuck set about looking for a new market with which to engage. With University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne, Chatham, Carnegie Mellon and many other college campuses and hospitals nearby, he found it in the young university students and medical customers and decided to capitalize on his proximity to them.
“These people drive the cars we want to work on,” remarked Chuck. “European, high-end Asian, hybrids and electric cars have now become a significant portion of our overall mix.”
With that in mind, he targeted his marketing efforts toward this potential customer base. Learning that this group listens to National Public Radio, Chuck began to underwrite broadcasts and sponsored its community events. He responded to their strong environmental awareness by promoting the fact that his shop is the only retail source for bio diesel in Pittsburgh, that it is involved with Carnegie Mellon’s electric car conversions and that he has an electric car charging station on site. He is also a board member of Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities, an organization for promoting the use of alternative fuels.
“To adapt to our younger customers, we have also changed the way we communicate. We text them, send quotes by email, send pictures of needed repairs to their phones and generally have established our business as one that will always be current with all the technologies needed to fix their cars,” he said.
Chuck has found the Bosch Car Service credit card to be particularly suitable for this group. First, it can only be used for purchasing automotive parts and service at participating Bosch Car Service facilities. Second, the customer can take advantage of promotional financing on all qualifying purchases. So, if multiple repairs are needed on several cars throughout the month, for example, and each one meets the minimum purchase amount, the customer would qualify again for the same benefit. Not to mention that the credit card can still be used for smaller purchase amounts.
Finally, authorized users can be added to a Bosch Service credit card account, so all family members can have a way to pay for necessary car repairs at their own pace, while still ensuring the credit card is a dedicated way to manage those expenses and only those expenses.
What Does Not Change
What does not change though, is his focus on delivering outstanding customer service. This involves taking special care to communicate to his staff that they are primarily in the business of solving the issues that a broken down car can cause its owner. His advice to his staff is: if the customer needs transportation, suggest a reduced price rental; if they are overwhelmed by the repair cost, sign them up for the Bosch Car Service credit card; if they can’t get here by closing, let them pay by phone and pick up the vehicle after hours.
“My customers really appreciate the help we offer in sorting out the logistics of being without their cars,” Chuck said.
According to him, adapting to his customers’ needs is key to the way he does business. “We want to be the first call when a car problem occurs and have our customers be confident that we will resolve their problem honestly, quickly and with a minimal amount of drama.”
For information on the Bosch Car Service network, visit www.boschcarservice.us/Pages/Overview.aspx
For information on the Bosch Service credit card, visit www.boschcarservice.us/Pages/BoschServiceCreditCard.aspx
