Jan. 21, 2021—Quick lubes see dozens of vehicles come and go each day. Through training and continued work, techs learn a thing or two.
There's a prime opportunity in customer service to share that knowledge with customers. Costa Kapothanasis, owner of the Costa Oil 10 Minute Oil Change chain of shops, says that this is baked into the company's employee handbook. The most educated customer will choose them, he says.
“It’s about having a conversion with the customer," Kapothanasis says. "Letting them know hey, your car is special.”
A customer's vehicle is likely one of the biggest investments they have, and their attention to preventative maintenance shows that they care about it. That means that the knowledge that techs can provide is a great added value to the service experience.
Many of these education opportunities are tied to sales. Does a customer have a gasoline direct injection engine? Does it require a specialty engine oil? Often these questions are answered as part of the service process. Other times, it's simply for the customer's benefit.
“If they have an electric power steering, and maybe they haven’t had the car for a long time and they’re used to seeing power steering fluid checked," Kapothanasis says. "And then all of a sudden it’s not there, and they don’t know why, we proactively will tell them that this vehicle has electric power steering."
At the end, the customer knows more about their vehicle, and their level of trust grows. The dual benefit, according to Kapothanasis, is that you're serving your shop as well.
"It is about creating credibility," he says. "And credibility comes from knowing what you’re doing.”
Keep an eye on NOLN for more on establishing credibility and overcoming misconceptions that customers might have.
