Remember the simple things

Last month Jim Anderton wrote about his experience of trying to get a power steering flush for his vehicle, a job that can be done on a while-you-wait basis. The catch was that he would have to wait for at least a day in some cases.

Something similar happened to my wife a while back as well. Last year, my wife needed to get a brake light changed for her car. She went to several independents who either told her they were too busy to deal with the issue and one who suggested she should just go to Canadian Tire and buy the bulb and do the job herself.

Fast forward to this year, and I had a similar problem, but with my car. Needing the job done quickly, the closest service operation was a dealership shop . . . the experience could not have been more different. When I pulled up to the bays the service writer came out and asked what I needed. When I explained the situation, he ushered me into the service area, took my information and said he would take care of the problem immediately. He offered me a cup of coffee and said I could wait in the lounge while the car was looked after. A short time later the service writer came to see me and said the work was done and that he had instructed the technician to also check the tire pressure, fluid levels and even to give the floor mats and vehicle exterior a wash. I was back on the road in twenty minutes and the charge was less than what I would have paid for a Starbucks coffee.

Why we fail to get or to retain business is because we often overlook work that seems simple. This can be for any number of reasons. In Jim Anderton’s case, it was due to time factors or a lack of staff; in others, the work was never considered important enough to invest in. The burnt out bulb on my wife’s car was treated as an annoyance, the investment in time not worth the small revenue the work would generate.

What some shops fail to take into account is that the investment in time is an investment in customer branding and loyalty building. Customers remember small gestures more than larger ones. They will not remember how good that brake job was, but will remember if you turned down some simple but needed work. Customer loyalty is built on such small things.

Why do you think the best retailers forego charging for replacing a lost button on a shirt or jacket? It is because those small gestures are what build customer loyalty and greater sales in the future. You remember if the waiter was extra attentive to your needs or those of your child, more than the food. Doing so will bring you back to that restaurant again.

Those who I told about my brake light issue have all said I should continue sending my work to this dealership. Not because an independent can’t do the same job – it is a light bulb, really – but simply because of how I was treated. That is what is more important for most persons than what the work involved.