Are you greeting customers properly?

A proper greeting process will boost your revenues

Hopefully you were able to listen to some appointment phone calls. What did you learn? Did they go the way you expected them to?

Was the ending of the call enough to impress your customer? Did it communicate to them that you care about their visit? Or, was it a simple goodbye?

An impressive ending would be to lay out exactly what will happen when they arrive, telling our customer to drive into the Service Drive. As mentioned in our last column, this one crucial step is the main reason why we don’t see customers using the Service Drive.

Who greets the customer in the Service Drive and are they prepared for arrival?

1. All parts required have been verified as in-stock and pre-picked;
2. Recalls have been added to the service repair order;
3. Alternative transportation has been arranged (loaner agreements filled out so our customer doesn’t have to wait and watch us complete this);
4. Maintenance required priced and included items easily viewable with customer;
5. Previously denied work priced and ready to review with customer;
6. Applicable accessories ready to present;
7. Detail packages on display;
8. Tires priced and on display — we need to be in the tire business; and
9. Protective covers ready to use.

If your advisors are not in the Service Drive then we need to develop a system to get them out there. Service advisors need to perform a walk-around or active check-in with the customer at the car.

You get one shot at this, you had better make it good!

If you have a service porter or greeter are they putting in the protective seat cover, steering wheel cover and floor mat into the car?

We believe this is an important step to do in front of the customer so they see we are protecting their car’s interior from the moment they arrive. While your service porter is doing this, we need to have the service advisor come out to meet the customer. If your advisors are already in the Service Drive, that’s great.

If your advisors are not in the Service Drive then we need to develop a system to get them out there. Service advisors need to perform a walk-around or active check-in with the customer at the car. Right now we can hear all of you grumbling that customers won’t do that or they don’t have time to complete a walk-around with a service advisor.

Our rebuttal to you is ….did you tell them what was going to happen when they arrived at the dealership during the appointment process? When you were listening to your phone calls did you hear something like this? “Mr. Williams, when you arrive at the dealership pull up as close as you can to the Service Drive thru doors and they will open. Our service greeter will then get you to pull into the Service Drive and our service advisor, Tony, will come out and do a walk-around with you at the car. Allow ten minutes for this check-in process. Does that sound good to you Mr. Williams?”

If you didn’t hear something like this, it’s no wonder that your customers don’t have time to do a walk-around. You forgot to sell the value to the customer.

Have a good, better, best tire display with pricing in the Service Drive. Customers will pick the better tire, so have those ones in stock and ready to go

When we ask service advisors why they do a walk-around they usually say it is to check the vehicle for damages. Yes, this is an important step and we do have to examine the vehicle’s condition before we take responsibility for it. There are three reasons to do a walk-around:

1. This first reason we agree with the advisors, check the vehicle for damages. What we tend to see is a service advisor or greeter doing the walk-around alone and then they walk back into the showroom to their waiting customer and say, “Did you notice the dent on the right front fender?” What it sounds like to the customer is: “Hey dumb ass, you put a dent on your S500!” If your advisor is doing the walk-around with the customer we coach the advisors during training with us to touch the dent or scratch and ask something like this instead: “Mr. Williams, that is an unfortunate dent on the fender, would you like me to get you an estimate to repair that?” Now we are adding value.
2. The second reason is to engage with your customer. With the customer by the vehicle the very first thing that we have the advisor do is sit in the driver’s seat and start the car. We are checking for correct mileage. We see too many advisors sell incorrect maintenance repairs because they simply do not know the mileage. At this point we also check if there are any other warning lights on. Sometimes customers see a check engine light on and think that is why it is due for service. The explanation is given to the customer and the line is added to the RO. We can also check the wiper operation and make a recommendation based on the wiper condition. At this point 50 per cent of customers will remember something that they forgot to mention during the appointment process. Wow 50 per cent! Looking for ways to increase your hours per RO? Before shutting the car off, turn the steering wheel all the way to the left. That way the front tires are in a position to view more conveniently with the customer. Shut the car off and check the tires. We are checking for tire wear with a digital gauge because it is easier to view with a customer. Non digital gauges need to be explained and usually hard for a customer to see. The service advisor needs to check the tires with the customer at the vehicle. We need to be in the tire business! Customers usually buy tires from the first person that recommends them. We are not the cheapest tire place in town, but we are convenient. We need our service advisors to be able to quote installed tire prices at the car. Have a good, better, best tire display with pricing in the Service Drive. Customers will pick the better tire, so have those ones in stock and ready to go. Customers are not brand loyal! They didn’t have a choice when they bought their car. They are bringing their car to you and trust your opinion on a brand that you would recommend. Every time we ask a service manager or advisor what tire they have the least issues with and good wear results we always get an instant answer. Recommend the tire you know works well with your vehicles. Checking tires with the customer at the vehicle needs to be done every time the car comes in. We know at 15,000 km the tires are going to be good, but at 75,000 km the customer needs new tires. If we did our job correctly, then the other eight times the customer came in, we told them the tires were good. We are continually building trust with the customer.
3. The last step is to get to know your customer. We are trying to build a relationship in the Service Drive. Engage your customer about their car. What are they using it for? Do you see skis stuffed in the car with the ski tips resting on the dash? If so, recommend cross bars with ski attachments or a ski box. Is the back seat full of dog hair? If so, recommend a dog blanket. Do you see the trunk full of miscellaneous items? If so, recommend a trunk organizer. Customers don’t know what you have until you tell them. Service advisors are there to enhance the ownership experience. It is our job as service advisors to do that in the Service Drive.

You get one opportunity to sell to your customer. Make sure you optimize your chance. If you are not prepared with prices, suggestions and answers immediately, then you are opening yourself up to be price shopped and potentially lose the sale.