In the ever-competitive automotive aftermarket industry, delighting customers has become a differentiator for successful businesses.
According to Murray Voth, an automotive aftermarket coach and consultant with RPM Training, the secret to achieving this lies in understanding the unique expectations of each stakeholder.
“Delighted customers are very difficult for competitors to take away,” he said at the recent Automotive Aftermarket Retailers of Ontario training event. “Delighted customers are not incredibly price sensitive, leaving the business with more room for profit. Delighters customers first serve as marketers for your company.”
Voth explained that clients in the automotive industry are seeking more than just honest and quality repairs. They want a shop that values them as a person. For example, he encouraged keeping notes about customer interactions. Say a client said they’re going to Cuba for a vacation in the winter. Make a note of it in their file so that you can ask them about it the next time they’re in, even if it’s months later. Better yet, you can leave a note in their car when they pick it up.
It’s little things that can leave a customer delighted. And they’re what you need.
“A delighted customer base provides a strong foundation for a company. A satisfied customer base provides the opportunity to try and keep their business. We’re always trying to keep it,” Voth said.
However, a dissatisfied customer base only means bad news and requires a lot of effort and luck — and likely even price cuts — to convince customers to give you a chance.
And don’t confuse things that should come standard as differentiators.
“Honesty is not a differentiator. That gets you to the game. That opens the door,” Voth explained.
Another is quality. “Who in the morning, wakes up and says, ‘I’m going to go to a mediocre shop. I really don’t feel like quality today?’ It’s hilarious. Nobody does,” Voth said. “Quality work? That’s not a differentiator.
Instead, Voth emphasized that clients want to be listened to, understood, and provided with transparent communication about the repair process.
“They want transparency about the repair process, clear communication about timelines, about costs, about delays, but how things work at the shop — not the actual details of the repair process.”
Voth suggested that automotive shops should embrace digital tools, such as online appointment scheduling and electronic estimates, to enhance the customer experience.
“They want to be able to receive estimates digitally, and they want to be able to receive video and photographic evidence digitally what’s going on in the business,” he said.
Image credit: Depositphotos.com
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