A DEALERSHIP MIGHT THINK IT’S PROVIDING A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE BUT A CUSTOMER MIGHT SEE IT DIFFERENTLY
Providing quality customer care is the desired goal for every dealership. As the competition in the market continues to increase, one of the main things that will differentiate dealerships moving into the future will be the perception of which dealerships deliver the best customer service.
I use the word “perception” because it plays a large role in customer service. While a dealership may think it’s providing great service, it doesn’t matter if the customer disagrees.
Think about the last time you experienced great customer service. What made it so memorable? The person you spoke with? Was it your preconceived expectation of how the service interaction would go? Was it so great because the experience exceeded your expectations?
Perceptions reflect the ways we’ve been treated, along with our values, priorities, prejudices, and sensitivity.
Two customers can share the same experience and then describe it differently. Unfortunately, perceptions are not necessarily based on rational ideas and may be influenced by momentary frustration and anger.
It’s important for us as customer service providers to always work at providing the customers with excellent service so that their most current perception is a positive one.
Customers may not remember every detail of an experience, but they will have an overall feeling.
PERCEPTION BY VISION
So much of the brain research today seems to support the idea that what we perceive defines our reality.
I was waiting for my turn at the butcher shop to buy minced beef for my barbecue when the woman ahead of me let me go first. I thanked her, then asked why she gave up her spot in line. She said that she would prefer to wait for Joe, one of the butchers at the store, because she liked the way he weighed meat.
That made me curious. After I got my items, I stayed to watch Joe fill the woman’s order. His technique was to start with less meat on the scale and then continue to add meat little by little until he filled the required amount.
John, another butcher who had filled my order, used the opposite technique. He started out with extra meat on the scale and then took some away until he got the required weight.
Two different techniques from the same brand which add up to the same weight, quality and cost. But Joe’s technique ends up having a more effect because it looks like he’s adding meat, while John’s approach is more negative by taking away meat. It’s all about visual perception.
ELEMENTS OF PERCEPTION
For a customer to perceive that they are receiving great customer service, they need to have had a good experience at every level of the dealership.
There are certain things that a customer will expect in dealing with the dealership. The dealership may already have a good reputation that has been passed on via word of mouth, and consequently, the customer will expect to receive service as good as (if not better than) what they have heard about.
The customer will expect to have their needs met, and to have any problem resolved. They will also expect to receive treatment they have gotten in the past.
The dealership will be judged on how competently they address the problem, and whether it’s done in a timely fashion. The service provider’s attitude will influence whether the customer feels the dealership really cares about them.
What a customer expects and what they perceive, whether real or not, forms their perception of the dealership. And to the customer, perception is reality.
NUMBERS GAME
A while back, we sold a similar car to a set of twins, but one complained more than the other. Just to study their level of perception I put a card with the number sideways on my desk, and asked them to read it. The customer who complained read out the number six and the other read out nine.
From this exercise, it’s clear that two customers can potentially rate their service experience differently, even if they have the same product and service.
When it comes to customer service these days, there is a lot of talk, but not nearly as much walk. Every dealership claims to be customer-service focused.
For quality customer service there are, unfortunately, no short cuts. A strong commitment from everyone in the dealership is required, as well as continual training, evaluating, and adjusting.
But dealerships often believe that they provide far better customer service than they actually do. A customer poll can tell a different story.
We all know that successful service is not a one-time event. You have to work hard at it.
Customer service is only as good as your last encounter. It’s a production that goes on stage every day at the same time, and it’s live.
PRESCRIPTION OF PERCEPTION
Whenever possible, try to deal with your customers as individual human beings. Respect their time, circumstances, and priorities. Always convey to customers that you appreciate the time it takes them to do business with your dealership. Ask the customers if there is anything else that you can do for them.
Periodically, ask customers how they are doing. The feedback they give about their experience will provide valuable insights. Remember that you may not be able to erase a customer’s negative perception based on their prior experiences.
What you can do is change their mind.
For quality customer service there are, unfortunately, no short cuts. A strong commitment from everyone in the dealership is required, as well as continual training, evaluating, and adjusting.
It’s not easy but the results from the effort will pay high dividends now and in the future.
