3 Steps to Making Your Customers Feel Like They Are a Priority

It was quite unnerving that almost within a few hours of the service light popping up on the dashboard, I received a call from the call centre at my local garage.

Have they really fitted a hidden camera in my headrest to watch my mileage, or are they simply brilliant with their marketing and record keeping? Either way, the call was timely.

Our records show that your car may be due a service; have you had it done elsewhere already?the pleasant but slightly robotic voice enquired. It immediately struck me as a very odd way to ask.

First of all using such a closed question was bound to gain a yes or no response and the nature of the question implied that it was common for the garage to lose customers to competitorscould it be they offer a better service, or are cheaper?

Your timing is perfect I repliedand gladly agreed to go through the booking procedure.

Once the initial data capture was obtained, Tracy, the voice, explained several additions to the service cost.We recommend an air conditioning service every two years and we are doing them on a special offer price of 79 would you like us to do that for you?

Frankly my air conditioning seemed to be working fine and in the absence of any real customer benefits; I declined. In any event, how do I know 79 is a Special price, I had nothing to compare it to.No problemshe replied (well that was easy to avoid, I thought). My only real query was about how long the service would take, as I had a prior appointment in the afternoon of the booking day. I was told it would take about two hours and I was to drop my car off with all the necessary bits at 8:30. Great Job done at the agreed price of 187 fully inclusive of parts labour and VAT.

When I arrived for the service, the garage staff seemed to be efficient and courteous; and all of the paperwork was ready. They eagerly took my keys and best contact number in case they found anything they needed to report. I decided not to wait on site, because Costa make a better cup of coffee have free Wi-Fi and, were directly opposite the garage. So that was where I went to kill a couple of hours making calls before my meeting.

It was when I settled down with my second cappuccino that I noticed that my car was still in the same car parking space as I had left it. It was now 10:00 am. Still, not to worry, my meeting was at 2:30 and I had plenty to do. The next time I looked up the car was not there. Time passed and no calls from the garage, but I was feeling that I had outstayed my welcome in the coffee shop, so I wandered back to the garage; surely it would be ready by now as it was after 11:30 am.

Barry, the senior service advisor (according to his badge) looked at me rather blankly when I stood in front of him. He vaguely recognised me, but had clearly forgotten that he checked my car in only a matter of hours ago.

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3 Steps to Making Your Customers Feel Like They Are a Priority