Retained customers are not only more affordable, they can provide a better ROI, are generally more loyal and also send referrals. Here are a few simple and effective ways to improve customer retention in your Service Drive.
Set expectations early and often.
If you don’t set expectations and communicate these clearly, customers can easily become upset. The way you communicate these expectations is key. Always overestimate the actual time estimate and, especially for waiters, mark it on your watch, that way a customer who has been waiting can see how much time is left in your estimate. Remember, sitting in a waiting room for 20 minutes seems like an hour! Make a PROACTIVE status call, there is nothing worse for killing the “mood” than forcing your customer to call for information. Furthermore, when they do call they will not be as open to being upsold additional needed services.
Understanding these points of view and communicating deadlines, progress toward goals, what’s included in a job, your process, your communication style, etc., is essential for making sure expectations are met. This, in turn, will keep customers happy within the relationship, longer.
ASK FOR CRITICISM AND TAKE ACTION!
You can’t improve customer retention without first understanding why customers leave. Once you know the reasons and the correlating signs, you can work to prevent customer churn by proactively dealing with issues. Factory surveys can seem very one-sided because only the problems get exposed and not all of the “good” experiences. Don’t get discouraged, make SURE you ask your HAPPY customers for a “PERFECT” survey to offset the naturally occurring poor surveys. Do, however, pay attention to the bad survey results and do your level best to correct any issues YOU can control.
Don’t take their next trip to you for granted!
Once you have done an outstanding job taking care of a customer, let’s not leave it to chance they return! Here are a few “musts” with every customer, every time
Make sure they know YOU!
Your name, your email address, your best phone number. People are looking for “that girl/guy” they can depend on when it comes to service and repair for their vehicle. Make sure they have your business card and send them a PERSONAL thank you email or letter as a reminder.
