In February’s issue of ImportCar, we discussed how a “high-powered offense” means taking the reins of your business to proactively improve your shop’s profitability. But, if you think that your high-octane offense alone is enough to sustain your business model for the long term, think again.

With competition at every turn, especially from dealers who continually seek to get a piece of your service business, you also need a “lockdown defense” to safeguard your business strategy.

A key component of your defense is to offer a value proposition that hinges on delivering quality services to your customers — each and every time. In other words, that “consistent” quality that stands the test of time.

Think of how many times you go to your favorite restaurant for lunch or dinner and you order the same thing off of the menu. Why is that? It’s because you know your meal will meet your expectations, as it has each time you’ve ordered it before. In essence, consistency takes away the threat of customer disappointment before you even walk in the door.

Your goal should be to have your shop regarded by customers in the same way. You want your customers to return because familiarity with the level of service you provide breeds comfort, trust, loyalty and satisfaction.

So, think about quality from the customers’ point of view at every stage of the repair process. That’s right, you need to be consistently on your game from the initial phone call or website visit to schedule the repair, to their arrival at the shop and how they are greeted, to their interaction with the service advisor to review their vehicle’s service needs, to the diagnostic process to accurately pinpoint the problem, to the high-quality parts used to ensure a proper and lasting repair, to the customer follow-up call, text or email to indicate that the vehicle is ready for pickup.

If you over-deliver on these expectations, your payoff will be loyal customers who return time and time again for the same level of service. If you don’t, you risk losing their business to a competitor or, worse yet, negative reviews that can spread like wildfire.

You make the choice: Do you want resentful or raving fans? The latter are easier to maintain if you serve them up a little consistent quality to feed their appetite for service excellence.