AutoFix AdvisorCast

Michael Doherty [00:00:00]:
Service Advisor Nation. What's happening? What's going on? Good morning, good afternoon, good evening to all of you today. Wanted to talk about customer experience from our side of the counter and customer side of the counter. I think it kind of goes both ways these days. But I guess first and foremost, you know, talking about first impressions and I guess, you know, just being in a customer service role as a service advisor and experiencing that on the other side of the counter, you know, if you, you know, go out to dinner, if you're going to a movie, if you're anywhere, you're experiencing customer service, you know, the drive thru, Dunkin Donuts, whatever, you know, I mean, you know, you want, you want that first impression to mimic kind of what you're doing for that client. You know, you want someone to be engaged with you, you want somebody to help you through the questions if you've got any. Especially if you're ordering new menu items at a restaurant. Hey, I'm not sure what this is.

Michael Doherty [00:01:12]:
Can you, you know, what do you think about this dish? You know, in, in them being genuine and honest with you and telling them, them telling you about it. But definitely for me, you know, first impressions from a customer service experience or just so many, somebody that's jovial, right? Somebody that's, you know, you know, got a smile on their face when you walk in the door or if you call on the phone, you know, we call it smiling through the phone. So again, just, you know, not someone that when you've, you know, that phone rings or you walk in and they kind of have rbf, right? So I'm not going to explain that acronym, but I think you know what it means. Somebody's just kind of just, you know, pouty puss, pouty face or has, you know, bad tonality, you know, they're, you know, hey, thanks for calling, you know, XYZ Automotive, how can I help? No, that's, that's, that's an media turn off. So again, first impressions, right? Being jovial, smiling through the phone. But I mean, I don't think anything beats in person first impression experience, right? So you know, as a service advisor, if you've got the opportunity, if your desk, your cubicle, wherever you're doing business at is near the front door and you've got windows and you've got access to see who's coming up to that front door, who's pulling in the parking lot, that's all the more better. And you can be Proactive, right? You can open the door for that client, that one that, you know, that's coming in or the one that's not on the books. You know, if you haven't somebody, you know, somebody walking up that you haven't seen before and you've been at that place for a long time, you know, who's this? I don't know.

Michael Doherty [00:02:41]:
You know, open the door for them, right? I mean, you're greeting them, you're welcoming them, you're welcome. Welcoming them in to the business, right? Beating them to the first step. You know, I think a great place that does that, I think, is Chick Fil a. If no one knows. Well, some people don't know what Chick Fil a is. It's a restaurant. And they've got, you know, really good menu items. But their customer service, Their customer service is what keeps me coming back.

Michael Doherty [00:03:07]:
You know, every time you ask them something, it's answered with my pleasure. Their menu items are very good. They're consistent with how they do things across the board. Just, you know, they've, they've, they've got the customer service experience really down for what would ultimately be, you know, a fast food place. And they've got such a cult following of people always going there because they're always treated the same. You know, they're treated with dignity, they're treated with respect, and the, the workers are polite. I don't think I've ever gone to a Chick fil a and seen somebody with a pouty puss or not a smile on their face. They've got a really good team dynamic.

Michael Doherty [00:03:44]:
So you, you know, again, first impressions, you know, when a client's coming up to your door, if you've got availability, you know, even if you're on your phone with somebody, you know, if it's not a dire situation, you know, sorry, Mr. Jones, I got to put you on hold real quick. Go across the counter, open up that door. Hey, thanks for coming in. I'll be with you in just a moment. Here, have a seat in the lounge. You know, again, just doing it differently because people, people have a choice, you know, I mean, yeah, there's a lot of automotive shops in, you know, a 5 mile, 10 mile square area of where they're getting service done. And best believe it, they're trying new places out, they're going places, but you want to give them such a great first experience that they don't want to go somewhere else.

Michael Doherty [00:04:28]:
Right? And it's all the little stuff. It's all the little stuff that Accompanies that. So, you know, again, great first impressions. Smiling through the phone, if not on the phone, being jovial, welcoming them in. And then obviously, you know, when you've got them one on one, you know, at the front counter, you know, it's got to be more than them just dropping off their car, you know, it really does. I mean, there's got to be more of a connection there. You know, talk about the weather, talk about sports, talk about something to get their mind off of the car, you know, and again, just, you know, if they're, if you could tell they're kind of having a bad day, you know, I mean, do what you got to do and, you know, be empathetic, but, you know, hey, I hope you have a better day. Something, you know, something.

Michael Doherty [00:05:08]:
But again, first impressions, really important. And that's going to be, build the long term relationship with that client, that prospect, right? You know, if somebody's calling on the phone, you know, you know, hey, thanks for calling XYZ Automotive. I'm glad, so glad you called today. I'm John, how can I help you out? No one's expecting that, you know, or if you've got a special run. And hey, thanks for calling XYZ Automotive. This is John. Are you calling about our, our special today? Oh, what special is that? Oh, we're offering xyz, you know, I mean, get them engaged, get them excited. Talk about your ASC certified technicians, right? Talk about, talk about the awesome warranty you have.

Michael Doherty [00:05:42]:
Talk about loaner car availability if you have it, or shuttle service. What sets you apart from the other businesses, right? And right out of the gate, you know, they're gonna, they're gonna get it, they're gonna, they're gonna hear that, they're gonna resonate with that. Wow, this, this, this place is, this place is pretty cool. They're excited to have my business. Yeah, we are. We want your business. We want your business and we want you to become part of our work family. We want you to be with us for a long time.

Michael Doherty [00:06:06]:
So again, first impression is really important. Also creating customer confidence. How do we do that? I think the number one thing is from a service advisor standpoint is product knowledge, right? Product knowledge in the sense that when you're using your client guided sales, you're speaking to them about their concerns, you're going over with them what their car needs, that you've got the product knowledge and the confidence to talk to them about what's happening. And also the second part of that is breaking it down in a manner that they understand it because not everybody speaks car. So you know, some people don't know what an alternator is, some people don't know what a crankcase vent valve is, some people don't know what a ball joint does, what a connecting rod is. So again, you know, there's so many resources out there. There's pictures, there's, there's AI right, there's a whole bunch of things. But again, just breaking it down to the client in a manner to which they understand it and not going overkill.

Michael Doherty [00:07:11]:
Right on, on the, on, on, you know, the scientific breakdown of it, you know, just, just enough information to get them to understand what it does, why it's important, why they need it and why they want to do that job with you. Right. So again, creating customer confidence and then of course, you know, along those lines too is building trust. Building trust with the customer. And I think the number one thing that I hear the most from in a negative fashion and it's amazing, I mean if you, if you go on Google, look up, you know, look up reviews of shops around you, you know, in a 5, 10 mile radius and include the dealer, you'll quickly realize that the number one thing that upsets customers is black hole of communication. My car was there for three days, nobody called me. I had to go up there and that still wasn't ready. No one knew that the car was there, et cetera.

Michael Doherty [00:08:08]:
I called, I called, I called, I never got a call back. You know, I mean the biggest thing is communication. So the biggest way to build trust I think especially with clients, is, is do what you say you're going to do. That's integrity, right? So if when they drive, when that client drops off in the morning, you know, pre frame it, explain to them, let them know, kind of paint a picture of what's going to happen. Hey Mrs. Jones, thanks for dropping off your vehicle. After the vehicle cools down, we're going to get it in the shop and get started to working on it for you and I'll look to have an update to you today, probably between 10:30 and 11:00am what would be the best way for me to get in contact with you at that time? Would you prefer a text, a phone call, an email? And let them tell you what their preferred communication method is? Because if you just assume that they're going to be available via phone call and they've got something else going on and you can't get them, you can't get to them, it's not a fail on your part. But Again, ask them, ask them how they prefer to be communicated with text, email, phone call, pigeon with a note, you know, I mean, seriously, I mean it's, it's, it's their choice.

Michael Doherty [00:09:17]:
And you better stick to what you told them you were going to do because they're going to be looking out for that communication at that time. So again, it kind of puts ease in their mind when they're leaving your facility that, you know, well, I, I don't know, I don't know what time this is going to be done. I don't know. You know, you're taking the thought, the thought process out for them. At that point, they don't have to think about it because you just committed to a time frame and under that time frame, right, update them at that time and if you can't get them directly, if they ask for a phone call, leave them a nice voicemail and say in the voicemail, hey, here's what's going on with your vehicle. I'm going to update you again around 2 to 2:30, right? And they might call you back from the voicemail, they may not. But again, if you're leaving that voicemail, if they've asked for phone call communication, let them know on that voicemail what the next time is that you're going to update them. And again, that builds trust.

Michael Doherty [00:10:10]:
Wow. They're doing what they say they're going to do. And most places, I hate to say it, don't do that. It's communication issues. It always is internal, external, you know, do what you say you're going to do. And one thing too, I think is super, super important, after they've come back to pick up their vehicle, while you've got them at the front counter and they're, you know, paying for your services, remind them, remind them that it's an investment that they made with you today, right? And as part of that investment that they made with you today, they're getting a warranty for what you did as long as that warranty applies. I know some shops, most shops wear inter items, you know, maintenance items. They don't warranty, but you know, for larger jobs, electrical, mechanical, suspension, things of that nature, you're definitely going to offer a warranty, you know, and again, let them know the warranty, you know, and yeah, it's going to be on your paperwork or that email that you provide them.

Michael Doherty [00:11:00]:
But again, you know, again, you're providing value. You, you're reinstilling in them that we're going to be here, we got you, here's the warranty and thank them for their business. One extra step, and I used to love to do this, is if they've got, if they don't seem rushed to get out the door and they're kind of, you know, chatting it up with you or whatever. Again, you know, a conversational Colin or a Chatty Cathy, you know, walk out to the car with them. And if you did engine work, even if they can't, you can't show them exactly what was replaced. Pop the hood. Pop the hood, point in the area of the repair and say, hey, just to let you know, we, you know, here's the X, Y and Z. It's under this intake manifold.

Michael Doherty [00:11:40]:
Probably pre framing for a starter. But you know, again, explain to them, explain to them what's going on. And while that hood's open, ask them if they have any questions. You know, hey, do you have any questions about anything that's under here? Most people don't ever open the hood of their car. They have no idea what's under there. One thing that we used to do for people is at no charge, we would clean out in North Carolina. There's a lot of pine straw. That happens especially around, you know, gosh, which word I'm looking for.

Michael Doherty [00:12:07]:
Well, yeah, pine season. So, you know, cleaning that pine straw out from under the hood, various debris, leaves, whatever, and you know, point that out, point that out that you did that for them as a courtesy. Hey, by the way, so that water can drain properly at the cowl area, we removed your mini beaver dam under your hood. You know, we cleaned that out for you. And here's why we did that. Because we don't want water to get into places that it shouldn't. And we just wanted to clean that up for you. So, you know, no charge.

Michael Doherty [00:12:31]:
Thank you for your business. We did that for you. Oh, by the way, while the hood's open, any questions about anything under that I can answer for you. And you know, you kind of, you'll see their eyes start to go, which means their brain's working and they're kind of thinking about some questions and somebody may not have a question. But again, you took the time to walk outside, open the hood, ask them if they have any questions. And a lot of places I don't think even do that, you know, so again, it's, it's creating a different experience, right? And whether it's a guy or a girl, I guarantee that is going to burn in their brain. Wow. That's the first time that ever happened.

Michael Doherty [00:13:03]:
No one ever has walked Me out after I've settled up on a bill and popped the hood. Show me under the hood. Or, you know, if they did suspension work, if you're doing control arms, if you've done tie rods, something of that nature, I mean, you know, before they get there, park the car on the front line, turn that wheel lock all the way to one side, and when you bring them out, you know, show them that nice new, you know, aluminum control arm or that ball joint or that control arm, you know, and just, you know, again, it's a visual. It's a visual you're showing them, you know, And I think that builds rapport, that builds trust, right? Also, I think one thing that is really important too, if you've got the availability and it exists and reason I say that is because sometimes they've gone missing, they've never been open. But, you know, if you've got a vehicle that you've done a service or maintenance on and it's their first time in with you or their 10th time in, if you can get to. If you open up the glove box and it doesn't look like a junk drawer, you know what I mean? Everybody's got a junk drawer at their house. But if it looks clean and it's easily accessible, take out the service manual. Take out the service manual and stamp it.

Michael Doherty [00:14:05]:
Stamp it with your dealer stamp and not the, you know, your shop stamp. Write the information on it, the weight of oil, the service that was done, date it, mileage, sign it, and leave it open, face, leave it open face on their passenger seat for them. So when they get in that car, they see that you did that again. Most places don't do that. And if the, if the service maintenance manual does not exist, then you can let them know when they're checking out. Hey, by the way, I wanted to fill this out for you, but it didn't exist. I didn't see one in there. Do you have it at the house? Do you want to bring it by later? Do you want to go buy one at the dealer? Do you want me to order one for you and then fill it out? And of course, you're not going to be able to fill it out for services that you haven't done.

Michael Doherty [00:14:46]:
But just again, taking, you know, building trust, building rapport, you know, having a good. Them having a good impression with you. So again, just, you know, customer experience, creating customer confidence, building trust. You know, walk them out to their car, fill out that maintenance book and also really, key, super key, follow up, follow up with them. I've had clients that, you know, I'm excited to tell them about. You know, I personally drove their vehicle. We did your suspension work. We did your alignment.

Michael Doherty [00:15:15]:
Oh, my gosh, this car feels unbelievable. Mr. Or Mrs. Jones, I can't wait for you to get here and drive it. And when they leave, you know, 10, 15 minutes later, if they're going down the road, call them. You don't have to wait 24 hours. There's no cardinal rule that you have to wait 24 hours, 48 hours. I mean, again, keep the excitement going, right? I mean, call them when they're driving the car.

Michael Doherty [00:15:37]:
They've probably got a Bluetooth speaker. They can answer, you know, hey, it's, you know, it's Michael from XYZ Automotive. I know you just left, but I wanted to give it 15, 20 minutes. I figured you're still in the car. What do you think? You know, how's it feeling? And they're going to tell you, man, this feels awesome, man. You were right. But again, if you tell them that you personally drove the vehicle, that's confidence, right? And of course, your technician drove it, but, you know, around the parking lot, put a mile or two on it, whatever it takes. But again, for you as a service advisor to personally say, I drove it, I felt a difference.

Michael Doherty [00:16:11]:
You're going to love it. I mean, that goes such a long way because again, you're showing that you care. You're showing the confidence. You're excited about it. And keep that excitement going all the way on that conversation. Follow up to asking them for a review. Hey, since you agree and you can tell that the car is performing awesome and it feels great. Hey, when you get time tonight, Mr.

Michael Doherty [00:16:31]:
And Mrs. Jones, would you be so kind to go on Google and leave us a review? We would really appreciate it. It'll help us grow this business and attract more clients like you. You know, again, compliment them. Just, there's a whole bunch of cool stuff you can do. But again, customer experience, first impressions, creating customer confidence, building trust, you know, following up with them. And again, be yourself. Always be yourself, you know, and have fun with it.

Michael Doherty [00:16:56]:
Right? It is a job, but it's a job that you can have fun with. And you're going to learn something new every day, whether it's from a technician, the car that you're working with. And I say that truthfully, the car that you're working with. Oh, yeah. It'll talk to you and the client, right? I mean, you're always going to learn something new every day. So. Service advisor nation appreciate you for an episode of the Autofix Advisor Cast. Keep those bays full and again, be yourselves.

Michael Doherty [00:17:21]:
Take care of yourselves, take care of your co workers, make some quality time, make some breaks for yourself every day, and keep doing what you're doing. We appreciate you, and thanks for tuning in to another episode of the Autofix Advisor Cast. All right, till next time. Hey, thanks for listening to the Autofix Advisor Cast. If you're ready to take your shop to the next level, check out our sponsor, WorldPAC and the WorldPAC Training Institute. WTI. Big thanks to them for their sponsorship. Follow the podcast on social media for more insights and subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Michael Doherty [00:17:55]:
Oh, and tell your friends we want to help the industry grow and help advisors love their jobs again. See you on the next Autofix Advisor Cast.