A Team Approach To Customer Service
by Mark Mayberry * My wife, Lisa, dropped off some of my shirts at our local dry cleaners. Lisa asked for half of the shirts to be put on hangers and half to be folded. The next day, I went by the dry cleaners to pick up the shirts.
As I drove up to their drive-in window, a woman came out from behind the counter and asked my name. Since I travel the country talking about customer service, I found it somewhat irritating that Lisa and I had been customers at this dry cleaners for about a year and they still did not know my name. However, I told the sales clerk my name and she went to retrieve my shirts.
When she came back, I noticed that they were all on hangers, contrary to Lisa’s instructions. I pointed out the error to the sales clerk and her response really soured my mood. She said, "Your wife did not tell us that she wanted half of them folded!" Although I’m quite sure that I was "right," I let it drop. I paid for the shirts and headed home.
When I arrived home, I reached in the back seat to get the shirts. I noticed that the shirts were in two bundles, four each. Much to my dismay, I also noticed the order slips on the front of each bundle and the instructions were quite plain. One slip said "fold" and the other slip said "hang." Lisa had given the right instructions, but they had been ignored!
I promptly returned to the cleaners. I showed the order slips to the same woman that had insisted that Lisa failed to give the proper instructions. In return, I got a stare that said, "Who cares?" This really upset me.
As calmly as possible, I pointed out that Lisa and I were spending at least $600 a year on dry cleaning and they were about to lose our business. I explained that in the next 10 years, we would spend about $6,000 on dry cleaning. I also reminded the woman that an upset customer tells at least 10 other people about a bad experience, which could mean that they would lose as much as $60,000 in business over the next 10 years. The woman’s response was to shrug her shoulders and mumble that she would have four of my shirts folded. I was not a happy customer!
When I returned home and told Lisa the story, she put her finger on the problem right away. She told me, "Mark, you were wasting your time. That sales clerk only works there!"
In today’s competitive business climate, your company cannot afford to have anyone with this attitude of "I only work here." Everyone in your shop, from service writer to technician’s helper or parts runner, needs to understand that customer service is part of their job.
Stan Hathcock, an Automotive Service Association (ASA) member who owns Webster Garage & Body Shop in Atlanta, understands the need to have everyone on his team buy in to serving the customers. When a customer drives into Stan’s parking lot, Stan and his office team have a friendly contest to see who can remember that customer’s name first. Stan told me that when they can remember the name of a customer that has not been in for a couple of years, the customer is absolutely amazed! (At the dry cleaner, they could not remember my name from last week!) Stan also has a meeting each morning with all of his technicians on the status of each car " and relates every car to the customer that owns it! It’s not the ’89 Ford Bronco, it’s Mrs. Smith’s car!
Words such as customer, team and team member need to stand out and be meaningful, both in your business and mine. To get everyone on your team to be involved in customer service, follow this simple acronym: C-U-S-T-O-M-E-R.
C = Community
You must be an active member of your community. Your team members should also participate. Esprit, the incredibly successful women’s apparel manufacturer, pays every team member at their corporate headquarters to do 10 hours of community service every month!U = Unique
This is the step that should challenge every team member " how is your service really unique? Let’s pretend that we take a poll of your competition, asking just one question, "What do you do better than your competition?" I would venture to say that 90 percent of them would respond, "We give the best service." But that’s not possible! Everyone can’t give the best service! With your team’s involvement, you can find ways to make your service truly unique " service that customers will not only remember, but that they’ll tell their friends about!S = Speed
There’s one thing that our customers don’t have enough of " time! Your team needs to give their input on innovative ways to get your customers in and out! While speaking at a recent convention for Sunoco, I heard a dealer that borrowed an idea from another industry. They watched the rapid check-in policies of the car rental companies, such as Hertz and Avis. They said, "We can do that!" Their customers now call a service manager before they bring in their cars, then simply drop off the keys at the service center. There’s no need to wait!T = Train
Just as many companies simply pay lip service to customer service, the same can be said about customer service training. Your team must be trained on the technical parts of their jobs. A service writer must be able to quickly analyze a situation and explain to the customer the best process for servicing the vehicle. A technician must make sure each diagnosis and repair is done correctly. Everyone in your organization needs to be trained on ways that they can delight your customers!O = Overdeliver
No matter how hard we try, mistakes are made. When a customer is upset, the last thing they want to hear is, "Our policy is ..." or "I’ll have to go check with my boss." The customer wants the problem solved now! They don’t want to be passed around to someone else! Your team must be empowered to make the customer happy — and when a customer has a complaint, that’s a great time to deliver more than the customer expects. If your team members solve the problem on the spot, your customers are much more likely to give you another chance. If you exceed their expectations when a problem occurs, they’ll even tell others about you!M = Measure
Customers are tired of filling out customer comment cards. The best way for you to measure service is to get your team involved. They are in constant contact with your customers and, when properly trained, can get fabulous feedback from your customers on a daily basis. Of course, your team must also help you design a way for that feedback to produce measurable improvements.E = Entertainment
Like it or not, every automotive service facility is in the entertainment business today. Customers are looking for an experience — a very positive one at that! Your team must work in an environment where they are having fun, which makes it fun for your customers! Your shop does not need to look like Disney World, but it should break the mold and differentiate itself from your competition.R = Revolution
There is a revolution going on around us. The Goliaths are expanding, our customers’ needs are constantly changing and it is no longer acceptable to "change with the times." We must go beyond change, to revolution. Every aspect of your customer service program should be analyzed by your team. Get their input, get them involved in creating solutions and get them excited about delivering those solutions!As a client put it recently, organizations today have mercenaries (those who are in it for the money) and patriots (those who are in it with their hearts). The patriots are the ones that you need on your team!
I’m in the process of writing a book called, "In the Company of Entrepreneurs." For you to succeed in the next decade, your entire team must look like, act like, and be "entrepreneurs" within your organization! A good place to start is with your customer service program. A good time to start is today.
* Mark Mayberry is an international speaker, author and consultant, as well as an instructor for the Automotive Service Association Management Institute (ASAMI). His book, "In the Company of Entrepreneurs," will be out later this year. To get on Mayberry’s mailing list, write to him at The Mayberry Group, 6015 Twinpoint Way, Woodstock, GA 30189.
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AutoInc. Magazine ®, Vol. XLIV No. 6, June 1996