There’s no shortage of auto repair shop options available for consumers who need maintenance done on their vehicle. How can you make sure they choose your shop instead of any of the others? The best auto repair shops excel in ten key areas. Take a look at the first five below – how does your shop stack up?
1. They Focus on Their People First
This tip is number one for a reason. The best auto repair shops out there know that their people are their most valuable asset, and they treat them accordingly. This begins in the hiring process. Excellent shop owners look for technicians with extensive experience and specialized schooling, yes, but even more important is the attitude they bring to the shop. Do they work hard? Are they reliable? Are they willing to both teach and learn? Do they have a real passion for automotive diagnosis and repair or are they just clocking in and out again? In the front office, the best auto repair shops hire service advisors who truly delight in serving customers and who are adept at diffusing tense situations. They don’t hire people who are just looking for any old job. Once they find these people, the best shops work hard to keep them through competitive pay and benefits, regular opportunities for professional development, and a vibrant company culture.
2. They Do Consistently Excellent Work
This may seem obvious – doesn’t every auto shop want to do good work? Of course they do, but the best auto repair shops focus on it as a top priority. They pride themselves on excellent customer satisfaction ratings, which are evident in their positive online reviews and testimonials. They ask for feedback often and actually act on it, so customers feel heard and appreciated. They make sure the lines of communication with the customer are always open, and they’re constantly looking for new ways to improve the customer experience. They also monitor their staff and hold them accountable through recorded phone calls, third-party follow-up surveys, and more. The customer is at the center of everything these shops do, and they make sure everyone knows it.
3. They Invest in Technology
The best auto repair shops are well-run shops. They don’t take notes in greasy notebooks with dull pencils. Instead, they have a shop management software system that they’ve customized for their needs. This software can be accessed by service advisors and technicians alike to enhance communication between all aspects of the shop and the customer. In addition, they’re always looking for ways to use technology to improve the customer experience. From Wi-Fi in the waiting room to allowing customers to pay via text message with Text to Pay, they know that investing in technology shows customers that they’re committed to continued growth and even better service moving forward.
4. Their Shops Look Just as Good Behind the Scenes
Have you ever been in an auto repair shop where the front office looks great – clean, neat, and comfortable – but the shop floor is an absolute mess? This isn’t how the best auto repair shops do business. Rather than putting on a show by dressing up the parts of the business that customers see while the rest suffers, the best auto repair shops take pride in all aspects of their business. Technicians work in a clean, safe environment on well-maintained equipment that they’ve been thoroughly trained to use. The shop floor doesn’t need to be state-of-the-art, but everything does need to work properly and do its job well. The best shops set aside part of their budget every year to upgrade equipment and tools so that their techs are set up for success.
5. They Put Safety First
On a related note, the best auto shops understand that working on automobiles can be a hard and dangerous job. They have programs in place to take care of their people and protect them on and off the shop floor. From requiring ear plugs, eye protection, and other safety gear to enforcing breaks and prioritizing time off, the best auto repair shops do what it takes to ensure their employees are happy and healthy.
It All Starts with Passion
It’s hard to do all these things, especially all at once, but the business owners who succeed run some truly tremendous auto repair shops. We’ve been privileged to work with some of the best in the business as their credit card processing partner, and we’d love to do the same for you. Give us a call at 1-855-360-0360 or drop us a line on our website. We’d love to show you why we’ve been chosen as the payments provider for some of the best auto repair shops in North America.
PS – Check out these tips to take the customer experience at your auto shop to the next level.
PPS – Here are even more customer experience tips for your shop.