There is a belief among some that when a customer asks a question you are not being an effective communicator. In reality, the opposite is true. Questions from the customer are the best sign they feel comfortable with you and your shop. The most effective service advisors realize a question from the customer is more than a question, it a chance to listen. A customer who is not engaged is less likely to follow your recommendations.

Mighty offers point-of-sale materials to help your customers understand the repairs you are recommending. Mighty can turn your waiting room into an educational center with our Showroom video, or help you to promote current offers and special services with a variety of bay banners. Click here to learn more.

Don’t assume that the person on the other side of the service counter is only interested in price. The reason most people ask for a price is because they don’t know what else to ask. Accordingly, most customers ask for a price to get the conversation started. Customers want their vehicles repaired right the first time, price is secondary.

Click here to learn more and have your local Mighty representative contact you.

Equip your service bays with a spray bottle of water. After cleaning the windshield, spray down the windshield and operate the wipers. If the wipers streak or chatter, recommend replacement.

Mighty offers a complete line of wipers including frameless, conventional and even rear wipers. Click here to learn more.

Once, an elderly lady came into a shop complaining of water coming from the exhaust pipe. The customer left the vehicle and planned to pick it up the next day. The service writer assumed it was the head gasket leaking and wrote on the repair, “inspect for head gasket leak.” The technician performed a complete inspection of the cooling system including a pressure test and a check for exhaust gases in the coolant with a five-gas analyzer. Both tests came back negative. The technician informed the service writer and parked it outside.

The customer was disappointed and said she would pick the vehicle up in the morning. When she arrived, she was given her keys and walked out the door. A minute later she rushed back in saying the car was leaking right now! The service writer and technician rushed out to the lot, and found the leak was nothing more than condensation coming out of the exhaust pipe.

If the service writer just stated the customer complaint and maybe asked a few follow up questions, the customer and technician would have been a lot more satisfied.

There is no such thing as too much information on a repair order.

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