Before joining FullSpeed Automotive in the summer of 2023 and becoming a Grease Monkey franchisee with the opening of his first store in Arizona one year later, Thomas Prouse spent two decades in automotive and aerospace manufacturing.
During that time, Prouse once found himself in a company town hall event in which the organization’s CEO delivered a simple message that would shape Prouse’s world view on conducting business. It’s an outlook that has stayed with him since shifting careers.
“There's no customer that places a purchase order and on that purchase order says, ‘Give me poor service, give me poor quality, and charge me the most amount of money for it,’” says Prouse. “I still believe that.”
Drawing on principles of lean manufacturing, where consistent processes and standards reign, Prouse has built a culture of communication and customer service at his store. Thus far, it has been a winning formula at the shop in Mesa, Arizona, and it has enabled Prouse to put into motion plans for a second franchise location in nearby Tucson later this year.
Starting Strong
Building a rapport with customers starts before even a first “hello,” says Ellie Pentland, a 25-year industry veteran who has spent the past three years as a partner with Santa Maria, California-based Throttle Muscle. A neat uniform, relatively clean hands, and a confident stride all help to cultivate an image of professionalism, says Pentland.
“(For example), in side-by-side bays, you could have two different people go out with two different approaches,” says Pentland. “One saunters out there, tosses a cigarette on the ground, and stomps it out. That's happened to me at a store visit. He has a shirt half untucked. He hasn’t washed his hands all day, just thick with grease. They don't look like they care, and when they saunter out there, they say to the customer. ‘How can I help you?’ That does not make me feel overjoyed that I chose that shop to spend my money.
“Conversely, the guy on bay 2 is tucked in, and he has washed his hands. They might still be greasy, but he looks pretty good. They kind of march out to the car with an air of gladness that a customer is on bay 2. And when they get to the door of that car, they say, ‘Thanks so much for choosing (our quick lube shop). We're so glad you're here. How can we help you today?’ It's the tone of voice. It's the smile. It’s all the little details.”
In a typical visit to the Mesa Grease Monkey, customers are welcomed by a certified technician upon arrival. All staff members are trained on how to greet customers, however, new employees typically don’t take on that responsibility until after they’ve been on the job for 30 to 45 days and have completed a series of training exercises, Prouse says. Team members also participate in a staff book club, with reading materials that will help them stay sharp on serving customers well.
“If (the customer is in) for an oil change, we receive them into the system, and from there we'll know what their automobile requires in terms of service, oil, oil levels, et cetera,” Prouse says. “We have a no-handles policy, so when you pull into our service center, we open your car door, we open our store doors upon entry and upon exit, and when we walk you out to your car, we open your car door.
“We really want to roll out the red carpet for you. From the moment we say good morning or good afternoon, we give you an experience that you're going to remember when you leave.”
Keeping the Lines of Communication Open
Along the way, it’s also important to make customers feel like they are being heard, says Pentland.
“One of the most important pieces of customer service is to really hear your customer when they come to you because they either don't know how to do it themselves or they don't want to do it themselves,” says Pentland, who now works remotely out of the Chicagoland area. “And so, if they don't know how to do it, listen to their questions and answer them genuinely. My most important thing is to have a conversation, don't talk at somebody.”
During a visit for service, “about 98%” of Grease Monkey patrons wait in the shop’s lobby, where snacks, drinks, and TVs are available, says Prouse. The service bays are visible from the lobby so customers can see work being performed. They also have the option of staying in their vehicle (where they are still offered drinks and snacks) or observing from a safe area in the service garage. Customers are often interested learning about the call-outs being made between team members during an oil change, and staff members are happy to explain the calls to the customer along the way.
An average service visit at Grease Monkey is about 20 minutes, says Prouse. About halfway through, a service advisor provides the customer with a status update and walks through services that are recommended by the vehicle’s manufacturer. Prouse emphasizes to his staff the goal of these interactions is to provide education, not a sales pitch.
“We're not there to sell you a service,” Prouse says. “It is not our responsibility to sell you a transmission fluid or a tire rotation. It is our responsibility to educate you on the (vehicle) manufacturer's recommended services and why.”
A lack of communication with customers remains one of the biggest missteps Prouse sees in the quick lube industry. Employees should initiate dialogue with customers and not leave them wondering whether progress is being made, says Prouse.
“I want to make sure that a customer is never asking us the status of their vehicle,” he says. “We want to make sure that we are communicating (both) accurately and consistently throughout the entire process.”
Still, even the most well-run shops will have an employee make a misstep when interacting with customers during a visit for service. In these situations, Pentland says it’s best for managers to take a “praise in public, correct in private” approach with team members to help them get it right the next time.
“Embarrassing an employee will never get you something good in return,” Pentland says. “It will get you begrudging completions of tasks in the moment. Public praise gets you a little more productivity. It gets you respect. It makes other employees want to get that from you (as well).”
Standard Operating Procedures
Ultimately, Prouse says, good customer service comes from setting a standard within a shop and expecting it to be met by everyone on staff.
“That is the basis for everything that you do,” says Prouse. “In my view, it doesn't matter what product or service we sell if the service is below standard. If you really want to understand the customer experience and be able to measure that experience, you have to first set the standard and everyone in the organization—whether you're a smaller franchisee like me who's just starting out or you're a larger multi-store operator—(you should be) trying to establish a culture. If you don't have the standard in the beginning, it is extremely hard to move that culture when you get 10, 15, 20, or 30 stores.
“(Hold) yourself to that standard, and then continuously (improve) upon that standard. I think that is your differentiator in the automotive services world.”
Adds Pentland: “Always remember and remind employees that you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. So, let's put those cell phones away. Let's not smoke outside the store where customers pulling up can see. Let's walk around the store or have an employee walk around the store several times a day to pick up trash. Look for curb appeal. And remember: You're blessed to have a job, so act like it.”
