The Three Symptoms Of A Service Advisor Problem
By
Eric M. Twiggs
“It's easy to look back and see it, and it's easy to give the advice.
But the sad fact is, most people don't look beneath the surface until it's too
late.” Wendelin Van Draanen
“Greg”, and I were struggling to figure out why his car
count wasn’t improving. He had ten five star google reviews.
When I “google searched” all of the primary automotive search terms for his
area, I found him on the first page and in the top spot.
His website was so strong that I would send the link to my
other clients as an example of what to do. “Steve”, his service advisor had been with him for seven years and had
forgotten more about the automotive business than the average person knew.
“So how is Steve performing?” I asked. “Eric, Steve isn’t
the problem. He’s my most dependable employee!” In an effort to trust but
verify, I decided to have one of my fellow coaches call the shop
posing as a customer in need of brake service.
To my surprise, Steve made no attempt to get the caller’s
name and phone number, or to invite him to the shop. I personally reviewed the
results of the mystery call with Steve and he confirmed that he understood and
committed to do better.
In the following weeks, I had two different coaches
conduct two additional phone shops, and the results were the same. No
attempts were made to invite the caller to the location.
Business declined to the point where Greg had to lay Steve
off and take over the service writer duties himself. It took eight weeks
to find a qualified replacement. During this time span, the sales and car
count trends took an interesting turn.
For the better!! When Steve was writing service the
shop averaged $14,000 per week in sales with 35 cars. Greg
averaged $19,000 per week with 40 cars. The only change to the
business was Greg taking over at the counter.
Here’s what I learned from this experience: Consistently
bad phone shops are symptoms of a service advisor problem. You may be
thinking: “But Eric, it’s the holiday season and you’re being too hard on
Steve. Failing multiple phone shops isn’t a big problem.”
Well, consider the following math: Let’s assume that
by focusing more on the phones you only acquired two additional customers per
day that normally wouldn’t have come in.
Over five days that’s ten customers. If you have a
$400 average repair order, that’s an additional $4,000 per week in revenue. (10
X $400=$4,000)
By not answering the phones correctly, your writer would
be costing you $208,000 in potential sales over fifty two weeks! ($4,000 X
52=$208,000) This is why I live by the following motto: If
car count drops, do a phone shop.
Failing multiple shops isn’t the only symptom. Keep
reading to learn about two more symptoms of a bad service advisor
Common Complaints
During the eight weeks that Greg covered the counter, he had
a total of thirteen customer’s mention how they were glad to see Steve
gone! Several of these patrons commented that if Steve was still
employed, they wouldn’t have come back.
Greg was surprised because he only heard three customer
complaints about Steve in the past six months. All three mentioned that
Steve was very short with them and came across as being rude. Greg didn’t
realize that these common complaints were just the tip of the iceberg.
A 2014
retail industry study concluded that 96% of unhappy customers will never
complain. The study also found that 91% of these patrons will never
return.
To make matters worse, they will tell up to fifteen of their friends
about their experience. If you have three customers voicing the same
concern, you have a much bigger problem brewing beneath the surface.
Pay close attention to those common complaints you
receive about your writer. If three people who don’t know each other
share the same opinion, it’s just tip if the iceberg, and the second symptom of
a service advisor problem.
Blaming “They”
A few weeks ago, I was speaking with a service advisor who was in town attending class.
He told me that his shop was struggling to stay afloat. When
I asked him about using the parts matrix, he said “They think we’re too
expensive.”
When I suggested offering every customer an exit
appointment, he responded:” “they don’t like to schedule in advance.” I
asked him about making follow-up calls to which he replied: “They think it’s
too pushy” The Twiggs translation for the word “they” is “I.”
“They” is the signal of a limiting belief and a symptom of a service advisor problem.
He was really saying “I think we’re too expensive”; “I
don’t like to schedule in advance”; and “I think making follow up calls is being pushy.”
I’ve discovered that 80% of a struggling shop leaders
issues are due to mindset, with only 20% resulting from skill set. In
other words, how you think drives what you do.
Simply addressing skill set doesn’t solve the problem.
The key is to address their mindset by asking them to explain how your request
is good for the car, the customer, and the company.
This level of
dialogue will give you the opportunity to address any limiting beliefs that are
causing problems below the surface.
Conclusion
So there you have it. Consistently bad phone shops,
common complaints, and blaming “they” are the three symptoms of a service
advisor problem.
If you address these issues head-on, making the top shop
list will only be the tip of your success iceberg. You will have more
profit and happy customers beneath the surface!
Eric M.
Twiggs
The Accountability Coach
PS.
Email etwiggs@autotraining.net to receive a service advisor
assessment checklist to help you overcome basic challenges before they become a bigger problem.
