5 November 2008
Shop Management
Sell the Job
The manner in which an independent Service Advisor today greets his customers tells a big tale! If you haven’t taken a page out of the dealership’s Service Advisor’s book, then you need to. The independent should be aware that a first impression is often a very lasting one!
Shop management is welcoming your customer, asking him the right questions to start with: what does he need; if you perform a job, what that job entails; what you’re going to do to his vehicle, why this should be done; and should it be done now, or can it wait.
First impression
“Good morning, how can I be of help today?” is a good opening to use, while looking friendly. In other words, say it with a smile. “Tell me about your concerns.” This is always a good way to start off the customer’s ‘unpleasant’ visit to your shop.
You need to listen carefully to the customer’s description of what he thinks is wrong with the vehicle. “It’s making a funny noise,” doesn’t really help a whole bunch. Don’t simply tell the customer “We’ll look at it”; your best option is to have a technician go out with the customer and listen to the ‘noise’ then pinpoint it. Remember, the important thing here is to fix the customer’s vehicle and get him safely back on the road, happy.
What needs doing?
Your average motorist isn’t a ‘gear head’. When they pull in and ask for a tune-up, most of the time they’re not sure what that entails. If you ask them what they mean, they’ll likely tell you they want the oil changed and snow tires installed! You’re the one to suggest checking the thermostat, checking the air in the tires, checking the antifreeze, how are the wiper blades, checking spark plugs…the list is a long one. And, of course, it depends on the season as well.
After the job has been determined, you need to inform your customer how long it’ll take and how much it will cost. You need to get their OK before starting the job. We know your regular customers trust you, but if this is a new customer, you need to build his trust, be honest with him and hopefully, he’ll be honest with you.
Build confidence
After the job has been completed, you must road test the vehicle. You need to make sure that what needed fixing has been done correctly. If it was a brake job, you don’t need the customer to get into the vehicle, put his foot on the brake and have it go right to the floorboard! Do the job correctly the first time. This too, will build customer confidence.
If the independent shop wants to survive, he must give service—pleasantly, correctly, and honestly. You want this customer to come back, so sell the job properly. For instance, do you now ask, “Do you have the system that tells if your tires are going fl at (TPMS)?” A lot of people won’t know. They may see the amber dash light but not know what it’s telling them. You need to inform them that each tire has a sensor and if they get broken, they can cost the customer up to $150 each to have replaced. Telling them this ahead of time is your best recourse!
Your first step to good shop management is greeting the customer properly. It’s a way of building trust and the more of this you do, the happier and more loyal the customer.
Pierre Bissonnette is the technical instructor for Federal-Mogul and holds a teaching certificate in andragogy – which is the art and science of helping adults, whose general education has been cut short, in their learning process. | 
