This one actually comes in by suggestion. I wish I could remember from where, but I thought it was a great idea. We all have things that bug us about the jobs we …
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This one actually comes in by suggestion. I wish I could remember from where, but I thought it was a great idea. We all have things that bug us about the jobs we …
Comments are closed.
I drive a 1992 gmc 1500 with no ac no power steering no radio or any other identity that is no needed to go down the road straight because it’s my daily work vehicle at my farm and I got to the point now I drive it even to town
Actually, the technician should know better. He should know what types of tools are at his disposal. And one of those tools is a universal wheel lock kit from the Snap-on tool company. It should be a staple in every technicians tool box. Because every good technician should be prepared. So what if it cost money. Fighting with customer and service writers over something as miniscule as a wheel lock, will cost you your reputation. Putting the customer in the car and asking them which noise they are describing or hearing. Or, take car for a ride. Pay attention at startup to any irregularities. You have the right to test drive a vehicle for Diagnostic purposes. Regardless of what your boss says. You are the technician in charge. If your boss has a policy against driving the vehicles, then he also has a policy against fixing them correctly. The customers priority, is not our priority. First We address the customers priority. And then the customer brings the car back so we can address the other issues. This is sometimes a test from the customer. And this test revolves around testing your integrity, knowledge, and ability to listen. It is not about us, and what we want to do to the car. It is about the customer's car and what they want to do with it. I, will start to prioritize the things on my list, when I'm making the car payment. I don't make the payment on my customers car. But they are willing to pay me to address their issues. And that gives us a start, To build a rapport with that customer. Einstein, once said, time is a man-made concept used to measure success. When it comes to repairing vehicles, our books give us an estimate based on the tenth of an hour. The customer doesn't understand that. To them it's just an oil change period and advertising and marketing has told them for the last three decades that it should only take 10 minutes. Our biggest task as technicians is removing the myth, and replacing it with reality. And we don't do that while the customer is standing there waiting. We plan ahead. Yes I understand that it's just a transmission that needs to be replaced. It could take 5 hours, it could take 10. We're only going to build them for 8, or whatever the book says. But we let the customer know up front how long it could possibly take. So the customer can take the appropriate action to plan ahead as well. As a waiter, they are under the impression that their car is the only one you're focusing on. And since they are paying you, their car should be the one you're focusing on. Bruce Lee once said, flexibility is the key. One must be like a blade of grass rather than an oak tree. Now to refer to the customer as a muggle, is to dismiss them as being ignorant. They don't live in the same world as technicians do. They have other things to concern themselves with. We, are the implied authorities on their vehicles. They bring them to us because they trust us to provide good service to them. And their car. I've been on all three sides of the repair industry. I started out as a customer. Then move to a technician. Then moved to a shop owner. All three sides have different challenges. But one thing I have learned, is that, without our customers, good or bad, they are the ones paying our bills. Not the warranty company not the insurance company. But the person who drove the car in to the lot. And the best way to deal with customers, good or bad, is to listen with the intent to understand versus the intent to reply. First we listen to the testimony. Then we investigate the claims. Then we determine a repair plan. It is so easy, anyone can do it. Yet, we are the ones entrusted to perform these tasks. Taking any one of those tasks out of order, is a plan for failure. By doing those four things, I built a rapport with customers that has lasted for more than 20 years. Several of my customers, I have worked on every vehicle they owned in the last two decades. Some of them I can't even call customers anymore period because over that amount of time, they became my friends. And those friends referred more customers. Who also became friends. After 25 years of standing on that concrete and sacrificing my mind body and spirit for the cause. I have since retired from the shop. I now work from home, when I want to. Or should I say, when my friends want me to. Because they are still driving. They are still buying cars. Those cars are still having problems. And I am still their technician in charge. In our industry, it is not how we feel about our customer. It is how our customer feels about us.
as an IT pro the worst customers are the ones SO paranoid about what might be on their computer, they wont let me at their computer. they sit in the computer chair and hold the mouse and expect me to tell them what to do. At first i put up with it but now I just politely say something like "ok i'll fly the plane from here" or "i came to fix your computer, but i cant do that from standing next to it"
Even worse are the ones that "just want to check a few emails" before i get started. Also the ones that want to chat me up for 45 minutes. I used to be a flat fee but now i charge for the time so i don't mind as much. This is mind boggling – the chatters don't even mind paying me to chat with them. Customers can be very frustrating. The last thing that bothers me is the line "well it was working fine yesterday when i turned it off" I put things into perspective for them. I say well, everything works fine until it stops working fine. have you ever turned off your car, with it working fine only to find that it wont run the next day?
Customer on the phone: My car is making a sound like "blinky-blinky-bloo", do you know what that might be?
Me: Bring it in, I'll give it a test drive.
Customer: Can't you just tell me what it is?
Me: Facepalm…
Also: Why did the office schedule 2 service customers at the same exact time, when there is only one open lift? WTF?