The unspoken mantra of every business is something akin to, “See opportunity, profit off of opportunity.” But succeeding as an independent repair shop is more complicated than that. You have to earn your customers’ trust through transparency and a focus on individual needs if you want to become a staple within a community.
Building and sustaining a true world-class customer service organization starts with leadership. That means owners and managers must be actively involved in the customer service effort, lead by example and continuously demonstrate high customer service standards and proper behaviors.
Our mission at Repair One is “to provide quality and dependable auto repair and service with complete integrity and to build long-term relationships based on honesty, service and respect.” In order to accomplish our mission, many steps and procedures must be in place and consistently followed.
If the customer doesn’t feel comfortable with you, it will be a challenge to sell repairs and services. You should always sell yourself first. After the customer is sold on you, you then need to sell them on the technician who is working on their vehicle.
In an industry that is not often thought of as environmentally friendly, the owners of Safari Ltd. lead by example. During the past 10 years, Hugh and Kelly Phillips have endeavored to create an environmentally responsible and sustainable automotive repair shop in Grand Junction, CO.
First published in 1990, Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” is one of the best-selling and most influential personal development books of all time. In this article, we’ll look at each of the habits and how they apply to maximizing success as a sales/customer service professional.
Fear is standing between you and a long-term relationship with your customer. You need to change their minds, show them that you’re different and overcome that fear to build trust. In essence, you need to take care of them.
It is often said that change is the only constant. Nobody understands that better than Chuck Wichrowski, owner of Baum Boulevard Automotive, an 8-bay automotive repair shop in Pittsburgh, PA. He has built his entire business model around the concept.
Summer is the shop owner’s best friend. Just as surely as Independence Day means fireworks and Thanksgiving means turkey, the end of summer means the fall slowdown. And while it doesn’t happen overnight – just one fewer car here and another there – by September, the fall slowdown will be in full effect.
If you close your eyes and picture a tough customer, what image do you see? Is it a price shopper on the phone? An argumentative customer at the front counter? A Yelp reviewer who went directly to the Internet instead of giving you a chance to address his or her concerns? Each of these kinds of tough customers can put a kink in our day if we let them.
Can an independent repair shop still be successful with only limited space? Just ask Scott “Oz” Osborn, who makes the most of his three-bay shop in Redondo Beach, Cal. Square footage comes at a premium in Southern California, and Osborn prides himself on providing quality service and making every square foot count.
