Your Customer Doesn’t Care How Much You Know Until They Know How Much You Care

A New Approach To Customer Care In The Collision Repair Industry

You can have the best quality repairs in the collision or car care industry, but if customers don’t feel like you care about them, they won’t stay loyal. Most collision centres don’t train their front office staff the “soft skills” they need in order to effectively interact with customers such as empathy, listening to their needs or asking the right questions. But the soft skills play a vital role in managing the clients experience with your company.

“We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.” Says Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.

So what does caring for your customer look like? Here are six ways your auto collision centre can show the customer that you really care:

Remember Your Customer’s Name

Everyone at the collision centre who interacts with the customer on a daily basis must make it a habit to remember the customers name whether it is in person or over the phone. This small gesture lets your customer know that you truly value them.

Pay Attention To Customer Feedback

The Internet and social media has made the buyer a force to be reckoned with. With 92% of customers reporting that a word-of-mouth recommendation is the top reason they buy a product or service don’t sweep social media feedback under the rug. Believe it or not, customer feedback is a good thing, no matter how negative so don’t hide from it. Only 74% of large businesses ask for feedback and even fewer (65%) small businesses ask for it.

Keep Your Promises

Say what you mean, and mean what you say. Deliver on the promises you make to your customers.

Be Positive

It’s nearly impossible to set a caring tone when talking negatively about your job, competitors, customers, the industry, weather etc. A negative culture is not a caring one. Employees don’t have to sugarcoat everything but you can create a positive, caring environment by promoting the good things and asking for solutions to problems — and not complaining about those problems.

Go The Extra Mile

Look for ways to make every interaction just a little bit better. Small actions, such as walking customers to their car when upon delivery, show you’re interested in customers and how they’re treated. Follow up calls to make sure everything went as expected mean a lot, too.

Offer Support Long After They Pick Up Their Vehicle

Customer service cannot end at the time when the customer picks up their vehicle. If people feel that your collision centre only cares about them in the moments leading up them leaving their car with you, then you can bet they’ll think twice before giving you a referral or doing business with you in the future. Sending follow-up emails to ask people how their experience has been following a purchase is a great way of showing people that you’re dedicated to progressing your organizational offerings based on their experiences and opinions.

There’s a reason why certain brands become iconic mainstays in their respective industries and others fade over time. And one of the factors that most shapes longevity is dedication to customer care.