We have all had them. Days that just seem to bring you every single problem that can happen. As advisors what do you do to put out your Dumpster Fire Days?
When I have dumpster fire days, I like to evaluate what I have not done to avoid them. Feasibly, every issue can be avoided or minimalized with the right forethought and planning. The most important part of this plan is……The update communication.
New advisor: “What is an update communication?”
Gold Standard Service Advisor (GSSA for short going forward because that is a lot to type each time): “Well, that is the time when you start to call or text your customers (yes all of them) to let them know where the vehicle is in the repair process”
Newbie: “What if there is nothing to tell them? Should we still call? Will they get mad?”
GSSA: “Yes you should. And they won't be mad if we communicated in the beginning about the process and what to expect my young padawan!”
Yes, it is true, I am Yoda, and I am one with the Service Advisor Force!
I will tell you unequivocally that if you are not reaching out to your customers BEFORE they call you for an update, you are lighting the match and throwing it into the dumpster yourself. You are the cause and you are the only hope of a solution as well.
I consider it a huge failure if I have not called or texted a customer before they call me for an update. Sometimes people call with unrealistic expectations, and then, I revisit what I have said to them when I was writing them up. Was I clear enough? Did I promise something and not deliver? Did I rush through the write-up process? Or is this one of the 5% I have to let go of?
Aiming for updates anytime around 12:00 and 2:30 pm starting with the people that dropped off first and are due early, is kind of my sweet spot. I start to get physically agitated if I have not sent texts or if I have not called someone by a certain time. In the back of my mind, I am thinking how would I feel right now? My answer is, that I would want to know what in the H. E. double hockey sticks is happening. Period.
Most newer advisors, well many advisors period no matter how long they have done the job, are scared to call to say nothing.
Try and imagine you are the customer. It is 3:30, the day is winding down, you are thinking about what you are going to be cooking for dinner, you maybe have to go pick up something to cook, and… OMG… my car is still at the shop and they have not called me once!! Cue the panic, pick up the phone, and call the dealership…. You like 35 other people are calling to find out what is happening with your car, so the phone is ringing and ringing.
Someone, that is not your advisor, picks up the phone finally and has no idea who you are, they have to locate your file, and find your advisor. Only to find out they are on the phone, so they send you to voice mail, which you did not want, so you hang up and call again. Cue the circle of events again.
Not only has this made me tired of thinking about it, but I am also tired of typing about it! The customer needs and wants, clear, regular, and accurate communication about the status of their vehicle. If you, as an advisor, do not have paperwork printed and ready when the customer shows up, you are not prepared, organized, or communicating effectively with them.
It is a simple thing to say, and feel free to copy and paste this to save your teammates bailing your butt out of the fire over and over again or the frustrations of your customers calling for information, or coming to the dealership not even knowing if their cars are ready. Copy and paste it so save the BDC the calls that absorb more of their time than booking appointments in the afternoon. And copy and paste it to save the anxiety and frustration of your customers as well as the sub-standard survey it will produce.
Hi there, Alana from XYZ Dealer Service here, just wanted to send a little update for you on the status of your vehicle. Currently, there are only _(insert number, I use 6 depending on the situation)_ more vehicles in front of yours before it hits the shop. We are still on target for completion around 4:30 – 5:30. When we are closer to completion, I will reach out. Do you need a ride back when we are done?
I copy and paste this to anyone that has not hit the shop by 12:30. If those same people are still not in the shop by 2:30, I talk to the dispatcher to see what the plan is and formulate what I am going to say from there to mitigate issues as they are presented to me.
If it is in the shop and almost done, I send this:
Hi there, Alana at XYZ Dealer Service here, just wanted to update you. Your vehicle is in the shop being worked on. I will reach out when it is closer to completion or to discuss anything of note. Do you need a ride back when we are done?
By asking at the end about the ride, I am reassuring the customer they will not be left stranded. Most times I pre-book the ride back so I don’t have to do it later on. Another thing off my to-do list.
I have canned messages for special order parts messages, and contact info update requests. Anything that I have to type regularly, I have a canned message for. Even my night drops get a pre-made message. There is no way I am calling people to review appointments and pricing at 6-7 am without permission!
And yes, there will be people that are disappointed it is not in yet. But how much easier is that to deal with on the phone rather than at the counter in front of a lineup of other customers that are feeling the same way?
If you have inadvertently lit your dumpster fire…. Do not throw more gas on the fire by avoiding the customer even more. Return their calls. Address their concerns, and do better next time. Work toward being a conduit of information, advice, and assistance.
I find it helps to have personal goals and communication guidelines;
Clear expectations communicated and set at write up
Regular updates as required. If no movement has occurred before 12 on the repairs send an update anyways.
Promise the car 30 minutes before the car is due. This gives time enough to prepare the paperwork and arrange a shuttle.
Use those promised times of completion to guide you on whom to contact first.
Make sure everything you said would be done is done, or it has been otherwise communicated as to why it is not done.
Get the paperwork, estimate, and inspections all ready BEFORE the customer arrives.
Try and be the person reviewing the information. Deliver the final total on the phone before they come to pick it up so there is no shock or arguments at the counter.
Put out the dumpster fire! Or maybe, don’t be the person that tosses the match into the dumpster in the first place. Call your customers! Remember that you are the connection between them and their vehicle. They want to hear from you. Even if it is to tell them essentially nothing.
The final bit of advice: If you are struggling to reach out to customers in a timely fashion, you may have too many to take care of. Or you may need help organizing yourself differently feel free to reach out to me for help.
If you are struggling to update customers, reach out! I would love to help.
Message me: adviseme@goldstandardservicetraining.com
What is the biggest issue keeping you from updating your customers?
I am afraid they will be angry if the vehicle is not in yet.
I don't have time.
i don't have the right tools to do it quickly.
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