Communication is a lost art

I wonder if you guys experience this... I would say 8/10 people that call the shop have such a hard time carrying on a simple conversation. It is understood their guard is up. They are testing the waters, asking questions to feel you out I get all of that. What I don't understand is the awkwardness of how people speak and their tonality.

"Yeah... uhhh... I need to uhhh... bring my car in today... uhhhh I got a check engine light... uhhh P1234 code"

"So you uhhh... can't just check it like... uhhh real quick?????"

Then I get apprehensiveness when it comes to asking for name/number/e-mail for my scheduler. Its like everyone is a criminal and doesn't want to give out their personal information. SO STRANGE!

Do you guys experience the same thing? Or is it just people that grow up here in the jungle??? I just don't get it...

I get it occasionally, "why do you need my address?" In case I forget my tools under your hood.

But seriously, the first person the customer talks to needs to take control of the situation. Get the keys, get the info, explain what's going to happen. They will fall in line and understand unless their profession is engineer.

I get it occasionally, "why do you need my address?" In case I forget my tools under your hood.

 

But seriously, the first person the customer talks to needs to take control of the situation. Get the keys, get the info, explain what's going to happen. They will fall in line and understand unless their profession is engineer.

Engineer or friggen helicopter pilot. I was telling a guy about how his throttle body gasket was cracked on his turbo subaru ( I am normally really good about explaining things so a 5 year old would understand) and it was causing a poor running condition. He just looked at me and cocked his head to the side, then my transmission rebuilder came in with stoichiometric efficiency is compromised due to the infectiveness of his throttle body gasket and he goes oh I see.

Maybe its a regional thing. The thing is the south seems to be it takes so long to get the essential information. Everyone has a story to tell, and they wander off point with something else, then back to the situation, but so slowly! Meanwhile the phone will not stop, parts are being delivered, it feels like some of these folks are poking along at 5 mph on the freeway of life.

People are hesitant because they don't want to feel as if they obligated themselves into a verbal contract with you for service. They are probably gathering information on pricing, warranty, procedure etc... to make an informed decision as a consumer.

I do the same thing when I am shopping services. When I had my parking lot installed I would have made a major financial mistake just calling the first few companies I found in the phone book.

People are hesitant because they don't want to feel as if they obligated themselves into a verbal contract with you for service. They are probably gathering information on pricing, warranty, procedure etc... to make an informed decision as a consumer.

 

I do the same thing when I am shopping services. When I had my parking lot installed I would have made a major financial mistake just calling the first few companies I found in the phone book.

no they just want free diags and trust me, the dumbing down of America is real. You see it everyday. Problem is we just beat around the bush. I tell it like it is. I weed out the dead beats fast that way. You get some idiot that goes ummmm all the time, its time to end the call. Good luck, you guys will figure it out soon enough.

Had one today "I need some air I know my rim is bent so just put some air in real quick". No problem sir, we'll put it on the lift in a few minutes and fix your rim, it will cost about $20. "Can't I just get some air?". No, its a waste of time for both of us, would you like us to fix it?

This one turned out well, his steel wheel was bent, but the screw in the tire was causing the leak. We fixed his leak, straightened out the rim, and gained a customer. He was happily surprised that I didn't charge him for the tire patch seeing I had the tire off anyway to fix the rim. He also learned that his dash was wrong about which tire needed repair.

The ones that just want free leave before the car gets on the lift, we let the other guys get used for free. " oh you are going to charge me?" Yes sir.

My brother was asking a customer about a problem on his vehicle the other day, and he said after he asked the question the guy just stood there for like 30 seconds staring at him. My brother finally said, "did you understand what I'm asking?". The guy paused another few seconds and then responded, "dude, I'm going to be honest with you, I really have to use the bathroom and I think that it's hindering my thinking". My bro responded, "by all means go use the restroom". :-P I think he may have been a little high too.

It's understandable these days that some percentage of your marketplace will be hesitant when you start asking for what they may consider "personal" data. In addition to using the correct tone & matching their enthusiasm, it's important to remember these two things as well:

1. Timing is EVERYTHING. We've found that there is significantly less hesitation if we ask the right questions at the right time, and then never forget that when it all comes down to it, some aspects of how we do business is really just important to US, not our customers. For example, having a touch of OCD, I like to make sure that by the time we're invoicing out a customer at our counter, that ALL of the contact data our system collects has been entered, and if it's a repeat customer, that we've made an attempt to update it & confirm that nothing has changed. Let's face it, the invoice just looks so much more "balanced" when all the info is there, right? A new customer making an appointment for the first time, whether in person or over the phone, is only required to give us their first/last name, phone number, and their best guess as to what kind of car they drive. We never ask for anything else at that point, because let's face it....you don't need to know anything else yet. By the time the car is there, and we discover after decoding the VIN that it's a 2003 PT Cruiser, not a 1999 Chevy Impala as they thought, we better have had the chance to begin building a rapport with them, which brings me to my second piece of advice.

2. Never forget that it's a PERSON you hope to servce, NOT a car. As shop owners, we need to teach everyone on our staff to stop thinking like a mechanic/technician...at least to a small degree. If you answered the phone or greeted a new friend correctly in your lobby, and followed through by offering genuine sincereity in regards to the laundry list of issues they describe, an amazing thing happens. They actually start liking you, right off the bat. Anyone involved in guerilla marketing knows that they NEED to know & like you WELL before they will trust you & your staff. Offer them a cup of coffee, grab a notepad, and for Pete's sake, come out from behind the desk to meet them coming in the office. Sit down & discuss their concerns, listen attentively, then make sure that whatever their primary concerns are that you are blatant about telling them, "Mr. Smith - I see why you're concerned. I'm sorry it's been a real headache for you up until now, but the good news is that you're in the right place. Enjoy a cup of coffee, and relax. We'll get your inspection completed in no time, and before any other service is done, we'll make sure you have all the facts, and have a chance to ask questions before we begin. Can I have your keys, please?"

Now...the amazing thing happens...

A technician, either standing by, waiting for "the gentleman to arrive, or called in by the advisor, takes the keys and the printed work order, and smiling at our new friends, says, "You must be Mr. Smith! Hi, sir, I'm John - I'm gonna work hard to get you all the information you need, and I'll be back in xx minutes with what I've found. Thanks for coming in!"

Now...the service advisor steps in, and says, (in true Peter Falk (Columbo) fashion, with hand to forehead), I almst forgot, Mr. Smith...can I get some basic information from you real quick, while we're waiting?"

At that point, I think you'll find that Mr. Smith won't hesitate to tell his new professional friends exactly what they need to know to make sure they are best able to take care of him now, and in the future. Name, Phone, Address....and yes....Email address.

Just one man's opinion

To help your guys, the mindset can be "if they won't give the full information, they will likely not be the consumer we're looking for." I've met allot of rebuttals from staff and other business owners but I've also worked for some of the best sales companies in the world and they consistently prioritize profile creation/updating at the top and it only makes sense. You may lose some folks but you win the great majority of extra time that can be spent creating and maintaining customers that are interested in the relationship, not just the transaction.

Also, one of the best sales tools I've ever encountered is recording a phone conversation and letting the employee listen to himself and critique himself on his phone conduct.

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If you can get your customer to laugh it really helps. Say a new guy comes in asking for a headlight. You know the drill " I couldn't get it out I don't know what to do" No problem throw the keys on the counter we'll get right on it, I've got some tricks. I'll go out to the shop grab my 4' pry bar and the sledge hammer, or my chop saw, or something equally large and destructive and i'll come back in the office with my "tools" and get the keys. With the customer staring out the window in horror of what I'm about to do I throw the tools in my pickup and pull their car in. Lol.

If you can get your customer to laugh it really helps.

I have also found this to be true , even if it is a stupid dry sense of humor you use on them. The other thing I have notices is if you match the way they approach you . If they come to you rude and some what demanding I am the same way to them, for some reason it tends to get them to listen and understand. I have also found that the easiest way to get rid of a customer that is totally wrong and wants to basically get you to do something for free or the wrong way is to kill them with kindness especially if they are upset about something because they don't understand or think they are right..

I had a (Dr.) (don't know what they had their doctorate in but they made sure to put Dr. in big bold print in front of their name) get a state safety inspection from me the other day. Needless to say the older car failed for wiper blades, two motor mounts , an inner tie rod , left brake light and the 3rd brake light which was totally missing off the car. ( 2005 pilot) She came back to me 2 days later and said she had gone to the DMV and motor mounts don't fail and that her wiper blades were fine and that her tie rod had been replaced about 3 months ago, she had the receipt and credit card bill to prove it. I told her that she was given a check sheet with what failed and the motor mounts are on the sheet and that is a state issued check sheet and she was miss informed by the DMV. Then she said her wiper are fine I told her they are not they need to clean the window in three sweeps up down up .. now I also told her I gave her the benefit of the doubt since I retried the wipers while I was driving 40 mph down the street and they still failed. At this point she is telling me I don't know what I am doing and shouldn't be doing inspections, I told her I have been doing them for 25 years and I don't do them for the station or to make money they are done for the state and are called a safety inspection for a reason they are all safety related items , if she had a problem she could contact the state trooper in fact I would be happy to call him for her myself she said no she would take care of that. Then she started in about her tie rod end . I explained to her she has 2 inner 2 outer tie rod ends and she may of had one of the other three replaced but the one I failed is bad and that it is loose and must be replaced. Once again I told her that if it breaks she could crash and kill herself since she would loose steering of the car. Her reply was 'that is not the point I had it replaced already" so I told her that is the point it is a safety inspection. now she is yelling at me of course I have not raised my voice once to her. I then told her look everything I fail must be repaired if she wants me to issue her an inspection certificate she then. stated she has been recording the whole conversation and I was going to be in big trouble she was calling the police. I smiled told her to have a nice day, try not to let this ruin your day she began to yell about her tie rod again at which point I said " I guess that third brake light is working properly as well " she looked at me as if she was going to cry. I asked if she wanted and estimate for the repairs she told me I would be arrested later once she calls the police I told her the conversation was now over and if she wanted I could call the police for her and that she had wasted enough of my time and have a nice day. I walked away and she tore off out of the parking lot. Not one time was I mean or loud, which made her angrier and angrier. I have not yet seen her back, but that is fine I did my job and was paid for the inspection and that is one customer I would rather not deal with in the future anyway.

This is meant strictly to amuse. Our primary business is auto repair and but we do towing as well so we get the 'winners', only at all hours of the night. Some examples.......

"What is your address, please ma'am/sir?"

My house.

Well, you go down the SEA MEANT road, then look for the cow with brown spots.

There isn't one. It's the house next to the one with the dog tied to the tree.

What do you need my address for?

And my all time favorite:

"Your driver was very insulting."

I'm sorry. Can you please tell me what happened?

He must think I'm stupid or something. Just because I'm a woman, probably.

Can you please tell me what happened? (by now I hear my driver on the speaker phone with my dispatcher, "You're not gonna believe this one......")

He's trying to tell my I have a nail in my tire and that that's the reason it went flat.

Sounds logical. Am I missing something here?

I can see the nail. But it's on the very top.

Ok......... Ma'am, I'm sorry but I'm failing to grasp what's wrong.

The nail is on the top (she almost added, "you stupid ass"). How can it be flat on the bottom if the nail is on top?!?

Me? SPEECHLESS.