While boomerangs can be entertaining when used for sport or hunting, they are far less desirable when they refer to customers returning to your service department with complaints. In the automotive industry, where customer satisfaction is paramount, having to deal with repeat issues can be costly and damaging to your reputation.
Both you and your customers want to avoid these situations. As a business owner, you don’t want to waste time and money fixing the same problem multiple times or risk negative word-of-mouth spreading about your staff. For customers, it can be frustrating to have to return to the service department shortly after their initial visit.
Prevention is the key to avoiding these scenarios, and we have compiled some practical tips and tricks to help you achieve this goal.
Implementing quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) measures is a key strategy for preventing comebacks and increasing customer satisfaction and cohesion. QC/QA should be an integral part of the entire customer journey, from the initial contact to the final repair verification.
To start, it is essential to gather as much information as possible about the customer’s needs and concerns when scheduling an appointment. For instance, if the customer has a noise concern, advise them to allow enough time around their appointment to spend some time road testing with a qualified and/or certified staff member to identify and recreate the noise. Explain to them why it’s critical to their satisfaction in the repairs and your service team’s success.
When the repairs are complete, it is important to verify the repair with whoever road tested the vehicle or is familiar with the original issue before any contact is made with the customer. If there’s a question that the problem still exists, be transparent with the customer, explain what has been done thus far, and ask that they come down for another road test if needed. This approach will increase customer satisfaction and loyalty since customers appreciate it when efforts are made clear to them.
By ingraining QC/QA at every step of the way, you can maximize efficiency and customer satisfaction, ultimately leading to increased customer loyalty and retention.
Dusty French, Auto Repair Expert
Dusty's interests in all things mechanical started early when he successfully disassembled and reassembled the family VCR player. He began his career at a Porsche & Volkswagen dealership, and then worked at a Lexus and Toyota dealership where he was master certified through dealer training programs. Throughout his career, he’s been successfully employed as a Lead Technician and Shop Foreman before joining the team at RepairPal. Dusty enjoys spending time with his wife and their two dogs, music, and playing, building and modifying guitars in his free time.
