HOW A POTENTIAL VEHICLE ISSUE CAN BE A GOOD WAY TO BUILD SOLID RELATIONSHIPS
It goes without saying that vehicle recalls, once identified by both OEMs and Transport Canada, must be notified to both dealers and their customers.
Today, raised awareness of liability claims resulting from potential safety issues has led auto manufacturers to consider recalling their vehicles even when there is only a very slight risk stemming from safety, liability and quality concerns.
When such recall news is released through the media, it can often cause customers to panic, which can result in a difficult situation for the dealer.
However, like many other aspects, it is often how the dealer handles customer concerns that will have a bearing on the future in terms of relationships and business.
As a manager in customer management operations, I am quite used to facing recall criticisms and difficult customers both in person and over the phone. I embrace this opportunity to invite new and welcome back lost customers to explore and expand service business, and in many cases I have cashed their concerns into additional revenue.
Recently, an upset customer walked into my office and slammed a recall notice on my desk and said “Are you guys making lemon cars? I have taken time off work to get this recall fixed. Who is going to reimburse my lost time? I want to get it fixed right away! Or I’ll…”
Firstly, I apologized for the inconvenience caused and thanked the customer for coming to our dealership to rectify the recall issue.
I also explained to the customer the positive side to recalls. First, it is in the interest of and also a benefit to our customers to get something fixed for free, which most customers are not aware of or not entitled to. Only selected vehicles are qualified to get this recall notice, due to the fact that they have been maintained by our dealership and as a result, are listed in our active customer database file. That is why customers received the recall notice. Otherwise, customers that take their car to aftermarket auto-shops do not get such free and fair repair invitations, and they could end up paying huge amounts to fix such deficiencies.
In many cases, recalls only affect vehicles sold in the U.S. Once, I had an upset customer who came in with two pages of recalls on a specific vehicle. Later, I noticed the recalls were mentioned in miles and concerned vehicles sold in the U.S. not in Canada. As a result, the customer’s worries were unfounded, since their car was not actually part of the recall.
As dealers, we do not hide recalls to make money later. In fact we follow up and encourage our customers to bring their car in to fix genuine recall concerns and issue alternate transport if required. At the end of the day, customers can save substantially on unexpected repairs resulting from recall campaigns.
For you, the key question is not whether your dealership will face a recall, the question is when. Are you ready to respond to and stay in control during these events? There is only one way to minimize risk during this situation – be fully prepared to face a recall.
Remember, consider recalls as an opportunity to meet and greet new and lost customers that could translate into prospective business.
For more information on this subject and to find out more tips about how to handle recall customers: visit www.canadianautodealer.com
