Running a successful shop is a team effort. That’s why it’s important to place a high value on your techs’ contributions to the success of your business. With competition at every turn, every interaction with a customer is critical in projecting the proper image of your business.
While their technical acumen is paramount in ensuring satisfied customers through quality repairs that are done right the first time, never underestimate your technicians’ impact on delivering top-notch customer service, instilling trust and growing your brand.
With that said, everyone on your team needs to realize their role in the customer-for-life equation and be fully engaged in your shop’s goals and objectives. If a tech’s mentality toward customer service isn’t aligned with the shop’s, and they don’t project a positive image day in and day out, you risk damaging your business’s reputation and losing customers in the process.
So, what does it look like when an employee’s attitude gets in the way of proper customer service? The following example happened in a retail setting, but can applied to any business situation.
I was doing some lunchtime grocery shopping the other day for some produce and was just about to check out. As I approached the checkout line, I offered a few friendly words to the cashier. Not only did my pleasantries go unreturned, I received no acknowledgement at all — no greeting, no eye contact, nothing. Thinking she maybe didn’t hear me, I repeated my cordial greeting. Still no response.
Frustrated by her lack of acknowledgement, I proceeded to ask, “So, are you having a bad day?” Finally, she replied with a less-than-chipper response: “I could think of 100 other places I’d rather be than here, but that won’t pay the bills.”
To my chagrin, I immediately put myself in the place of the store manager and wondered what he would think if he knew he had such a disgruntled employee, or worst yet, that an employee would think it was OK to speak to a customer in that sullen manner and tone.
If you’ve been in the business for any length of time, you know how a bad customer can ruin your day. Well, the opposite is also true. One negative exchange with a customer can eradicate any and all goodwill your shop has accrued, leaving you with only broken trust and a damaged brand.
The lesson here is to make sure you are proactive in creating a culture where your employees are happy, motivated, appreciated and fully engaged in your mission. This should be projected every hour of the day in their thoughts, words and deeds. And, if one bad apple surfaces, you need to take action fast. As the saying goes, one bad apple does spoil the bunch.
