Growing up, Shawn Gilfillan—owner of Automotive Magic and a member of the NOLN editorial board—was surrounded by the customer service world. Both his parents owned successful businesses. What got him involved with the automotive industry specifically was his dad’s business. For over 46 years, his dad sold automotive tools, and Gilfillan had the pleasure of riding with him as he bounced around to different dealerships and shops.
“I always had an interest in automotive tools, and I wasn't so great in school,” Gilfillan says. “I had more fun playing with dirt bikes and things like that. So, I saw my calling and I started my business in 2003.”
Automotive Magic has been around successfully for the past 22 years, and in 2022, Gilfillan’s entrepreneurial skills allowed him to open a second location that focused more on maintenance and service work.
“I think what really attracted me to opening up my own shop and ensuring its success—as I did work for, you know, a couple private shops, as well as some of the chain shops,” Gilfillan said. “And, you know, just some of the things that were going on ethically with selling stuff to people that they didn't need, or charging somebody for something we didn't even do. It was something that I wanted to change in the industry.”
A large way that Gilfillan ensures he runs an ethical, friendly shop is by maintaining an organized record system.
Using Personalized Data
By keeping receipts of the jobs performed on customers’ cars, Automotive Magic is able to meet the needs and expectations of its customers.
“It really gives us the opportunity to drill down into specific areas,” Gilfillan says. “For example, some people name their car. So, if my employees see somebody that's got a car named Fluffy coming in, we ask, ‘Hey, how's Fluffy doing?’ Stuff like that just gives an instant rapport with the customer. So, we keep birthdays and inspection dates. They're great for marketing.”
Additionally, by keeping track of inspection dates, Automotive Magic can see who is due for inspection within the next month and send them reminders.
“I think the more information that we can gather and keep organized, (that) helps us to help people take care of their vehicles,” Gilfillan said.
To uphold an organized record keeping system, Gilfillan must properly train his employees in the note taking process.
Ensuring Effective Record-Keeping
When training employees about record keeping, Gilfillan is always readjusting and changing the process to work best for his employees.
“Looking back through all the years and how many times processes have changed or updated—especially with the technology today,” Gilfillan says, “it’s like you can follow this step by step, and then you change your point-of-sale system, or something gets updated in your inspection software. And it's like, now we got to rewrite this whole process again. But getting the team to look at how we can do things better is a big factor of success in record keeping. Having that mindset of how can we do this more efficiently (and) how can we be a better service is important.”
Teaching his employees to always be on the lookout for ways to improve the system ensures that Gilfillan’s employees have everything they need to please their customers.
Focusing on Customers
Furthermore, good record keeping helps employees find fast solutions when there's some kind of discrepancy between the customer and the shop.
“We don't tend to have too many disagreements or misunderstandings,” Gilfillan said. “And if we do, when we repair someone's vehicle, we're taking pictures throughout the process. So, when we run into something like that, we’ll be as proactive as possible.”
By having good records and communication with the customer, employees are able to save time and uphold customer satisfaction.
“I think to keep in touch with people—keeping good track of your communication with them, being able to be that assistant to the customer of getting their car scheduled space reserved for them—is just good work,” Gilfillan said. “And some of this is, I would say it's not 100% our shop. But from where I'm standing, I think it’s important to get my employees to communicate well with the customers. Because we want them to know we care and it’s necessary for customer satisfaction and shop success.”
