Going the Extra Mile to Keep a Customer
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I’m sure many of you have had your car serviced before only to be presented with an upsell for several services that you decline. After you have given the service adviser the big “NO Thanks” the story seems to be pretty common…. either you get “Well this is really important and you really need to do it - let’s schedule for another time” or you will get the “oh…. ok…. have a nice day” with a a lot of disappointment and a side of guilt added to it. What if the service adviser did something you didn’t expect? Would he have you saving your hard earned money to come back for those upsells later?
Last week I had a thermostat go out on my car and had it towed to the dealership. The fix was right under $300 (this also included a coolant flush). The service adviser called me and recommended a timing built replacement, a transmission fluid change, and a power steering fluid change.
With the cost of a new timing built coming in at a hefty price of about $480 I had to decline the service. When I first started working in the real world I was an automotive service technician for a local Honda dealership so, if I feel like it, I can usually do most of the work myself (normally I’m to busy though).
Then a twist to the plot…. the service adviser said “OK…. I’ll send your car back for a wash, it should be ready in about an hour or so.”
That’s it, no guilt, no disappointment….. even though he didn’t make the sale, he still had my car washed for me….. Even though I know a dealership can be more expensive for service, I would prefer to go there for a couple of reasons.
1. Big Company = Big Reputation
If they mess up I can bitch and whine until I’m satisfied because people will be more interested to listen to complaints about a big company then a little company.
2. Factory standards and training
This really isn’t some BS sales line…. it’s true. Factory training on a specific car can make a tech. that much better… I went through it and I felt like I gained more knowledge from the factory training then I did from my general automotive training…. Plus the trip to the training center in Ft. Lauderdale was pretty sweet too.
Anyways…. this all goes back to understanding good customer service. Just because you didn’t make the big sale that you wanted to doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go the extra mile to make your customer happy.
Because of this service advisers extra efforts, I will more then likely save money and spend more then I normally would to have my timing belt replaced at the dealership…. WHY? Because I don’t like hassle… I hate dealing with crap from companies and since this company has so-far proved that they have good customer service, I’m willing to spend the extra money for future services.
Can you honestly say that your business goes the extra mile for customers that don’t make big purchases? Do you think that they might be willing to spend more money with you if you do go the extra mile?
