Customer Retention and Managing Expectations

A customer’s vehicle is broken down. Now what? The majority of customer complaints come about because expectations aren’t managed properly. You told your customer one thing and they thought you meant something entirely different. Customer retention depends on properly managing expectations: 1) What and how well are you communicating? and 2) How well are you delivering?

Your customers want to know you care about their needs. When their vehicle is broken down, they don’t care how many other vehicles you have in your shop or whether or not your technician called out sick. We live in a society where our vehicles give us a sense of independence. When their vehicle is in the shop, they may feel a little loss of control. All they care about is getting it fixed, and quickly, so they can go back to their normal routines.

Customer Retention Depends on How Well You Manage Their Expectations

Here’s how:

1. Listen. Don’t rush your customer through the check-in or check-out process. Think of yourself as a solution provider. Take the time to listen to the problem. It may be more than what’s going on with the vehicle. Perhaps your customer is dealing with a tight work deadline or is juggling after-school activities for the kids. Under certain circumstances, having the vehicle in the shop becomes a bigger burden. In situations like these, low-cost or no-cost loaners are an excellent way to ease some of the stress. Your customer will thank you for it, especially when it comes to repeat business and referrals.
2. Set moderate, realistic expectations for customer service and then exceed them. I truly believe we can always go beyond what our customer expects to receive. Read 4 Things You Can Do in Your Auto Repair Shop to Raise the Bar on Customer Service for more.
3. Communication is key. Give your customers as much information as possible, without using jargon. If you say you will call by a certain time, call. If you promise that the vehicle will be ready by a certain time, make sure it is. Doing so will help you build and maintain trust.
4. Add personal touches to all your interactions. Get creative.

There are many more ways to improve customer retention and manage expectations. Hopefully, the few listed here will give you some ideas on how to improve in these areas. Need some help? Contact us today to schedule a complimentary consultation to talk about your shop and what can be done to help you grow your business.