The key difference between a good auto shop and an exceptional one comes down to one thing: great customer service. Bill Hill, president and CEO of Mighty Auto Pro in Medina, Ohio, lives by this rule when running his business.
Roughly 20 years ago, Hill saw a huge gap in how the business he worked for was run.
“We were not providing to our customers,” said Hill. “We were more about fixing cars than building relationships.”
He knew that he could service clients’ vehicles, but he also wanted to offer a great customer experience. After he was told to “put your money where your mouth is,” Hill bought Mighty Auto Pro and began his customer service journey.
As a national award-winning business owner, co-author of the book, Whatever Happened to Outstanding Customer Service? and an experienced professional in the automotive industry, Hill is a leader in customer service.
Because of his expertise, Ratchet+Wrench asked Hill his top three customer service tips.
Make a good first impression.
“Your phone is by far the most important tool in your business,” Hill says. “I can spend as much money as I want in marketing, but if I don’t answer the phone properly and get that customer in the door, I’ve wasted that opportunity.”
Quite often, a phone call is the first point of customer contact. By answering the phone in a pleasant voice and listening to the concerns of the callers, new customers’ first impressions of the shop are bound to be good, while old clients are reminded of why they chose this shop in the first place.
Create a welcoming atmosphere.
When a customer comes into the shop, Hill wants to make sure every question is answered and every need is met.
“Sometimes those concerns take 30 seconds, and others take three and a half minutes,” Hill states. “Our job is to make sure we’re listening to everything [the client has] to say.”
Welcoming and communicating with the customer is important, but the shop’s appearance is also a decisive factor. Hill’s goal is to have a clean and pleasant waiting area that is stocked with drinks and snacks, a treasure chest of toys for children and treats for clients’ canine companions.
Go the extra mile while servicing a vehicle.
When a vehicle has been serviced, it is taken for a routine road test to make sure the problem has been fixed. At Hill’s shop, the vehicle is also double-checked for cleanliness and inspected to make sure everything is running smoothly.
Hill also gives his clients his personal phone number in case of emergencies. He wants to make sure that he is available all the time because mechanical issues can happen at any time on any day. When speaking about coming to the rescue of a client at 3 a.m., or fixing a vehicle over Thanksgiving weekend, Hill states, “You don’t do those things because you want publicity. You do those things because it’s the right thing to do.”
