Improving Customer Satisfaction: Essential Skills for Automotive Service Advisors

Dealerships are all too familiar with the new challenges that arise in the automotive industry, including customer retention and overall client experience. Both are critical to the growth and success of your dealership, but how can you translate this into positive customer service scores and service department retention rates?

NCM Associates expert Jeff Lind is here to help improve your customer satisfaction. Trust us to take your automotive dealership to new heights!

Service Center Surveying 101: The Basics

The first thing service managers need to look at is the feedback reported over the past six months to a year to determine if there are patterns that may be causing these survey scores to lower. Many manufacturers provide details on how the Service Department scored on each question in the survey.

The best practice would be to identify the three lowest-scoring questions and then inspect the people and processes involved. For example, a service manager may determine that the "Fixed right the first time" question on the survey has lower scores than any of the other questions over the course of the past year.

It’s then up to the manager to evaluate each technician, track parts availability, and possibly create a quality control process to ensure that vehicles are repaired correctly. This relatively easy process goes a long way toward securing higher customer satisfaction.

Best Practices for Service Center Surveys

Once you've determined the areas that need more attention and improvement, service managers should ask, "Who’s taking the surveys?" In most cases, there are two types of dealership survey takers: those who love the service and those who are frustrated with the service.

Regardless of the outcome of each individual survey, the more results you get, the better the score. Encouraging more customers to take the manufacturer’s survey begins with the service advisors. Advisors should be trained to get a commitment from the customer at the beginning of the service visit to take the survey.

One example might be:

Advisor: “Mr. Smith, my goal today is to provide you with the best experience you have ever had at a car dealership. If I accomplish that, will you take a few moments to complete the manufacturer's survey about my performance?”

Client: “Sure, I would be happy to do that.”

Advisor: “I appreciate you doing that for me.”

Later in the visit, when it’s time for the advisor to update the customer on the repair needs, the advisor can lightheartedly remind the customer of their commitment.

Advisor: “Mr. Smith, I'm calling to update you on your vehicle. During the service, we performed the complimentary multipoint inspection and found your vehicle to be in good shape overall. The technician did want you to know that the rear brake pads are close to the wear indicators and should be replaced. The cost of the repair is $238. Would you like us to perform that service for you today?”

Client: “Yes, let's go ahead and proceed with the brake repairs.”

Advisor: “Okay, we will get that taken care of for you and will contact you at 4 pm when it is done. By the way, has this been the best service you have received at a car dealership?”

Client: “Absolutely! You are doing great!”

Addressing Positive & Negative Survey Responses

Implementing this strategy shifts the client's focus from the transactional conversation back to their commitment to complete the survey. The advisor should always thank the client and confirm that everything was done to their satisfaction before letting them know a survey will be sent to them soon.

If something goes wrong during the visit, the service advisor needs to adopt a different approach. The advisor should apologize and take the necessary steps to alleviate the issue.

Once the issue has been addressed, the advisor should inform the client that the survey from the manufacturer serves as their personal report card and to be honest about how the advisor managed the transaction. The advisor should then offer to introduce the customer to the service manager to help resolve any remaining concerns.

Find Your Path to Sustained Customer Satisfaction

With repair order growth flat or declining, ensuring customer retention is a crucial step in maintaining the success of your dealership. Contact NCM Associates to learn more about how we can help your dealership thrive with new and returning customers