Fixed Ops Journal - April 2022 - F14

FIXED OPS JOURNAL
"
JACK FERRY
foj@autonews.com
A
customer at a southwest Michigan
dealership demanded a loaner
while her vehicle was being serviced.
When told no because she
didn't have auto insurance, the customer
locked herself in her vehicle in the service
lane. She only left after police showed up.
Th e owner of a new Mitsubishi Eclipse
brought the vehicle to the South Carolina dealership
service department citing several mechanical
issues. When technicians couldn't
replicate any of the problems, the customer
wanted the dealership to buy the vehicle back.
When the customer was refused, he returned
with a sign declaring the dealership a rip-off .
Police were called, and the man left.
A customer at a New England dealership
didn't like the pricing for parts and labor. He
brought used components from salvage yards
to the dealership and demanded techs there
give him their tools so he could do the repairs
himself. Police were called to escort the customer
off the premises.
Th e past few years have seen an uptick in
angry customers in grocery stores, fast-food
restaurants - even public parks. And, as evidenced
by the stories above, dealership service
departments have not been immune .
No one can quite pinpoint the source of the
anger. Two years of lockdowns and COVID-19
PAGE 14 APRIL 2022
Disarming display
Here are 4 steps a service adviser can
take when encountering an angry
customer.
1. Stay calm. This will help the adviser
understand the situation and focus on
a solution.
2. Listen to the customer. This gives
the customer time to calm down and
may reveal other issues that need
attention.
3. Sympathize and apologize - in
that order.
4. Offer a solution. This can lead to a
resolution.
Source: Vanguard Dealer Services
rules? A lack of parts causing longer repair
times? Rising prices for maintenance and repair
work?
A service director at the multi brand dealership
in southwest Michigan who requested
anonymity says the root cause of the surging
number of surly customers is a growing sense
of entitlement.
" People are demanding more than you can
provide and get upset when you can't meet
their needs, " he says. " It seems like they believe
that if they're mean enough to the employee,
they'll get what they want. Th ey seem
" People are demanding
more than you can
provide and get upset
when you can't meet
their needs. "
A service director in southwest Michigan
ANGER MANAGEMENT
Clear communication, training can head off misbehaving customers
fed up with everything, and they're taking it
out on the next person. "
If he senses a customer getting frustrated
with what a service adviser is telling them,
he'll invite both into his offi ce to remove the
tension from front-line staff and other guests
and to let the customer vent.
But he says a result of service advisers being
on the dealership front lines and sometimes
the bearer of bad news is they are leaving for
other jobs rather than enduring
more abuse.
Set expectations
Corey Smith, a former
service adviser who is now
a fi xed ops training manager
for National Auto
Care based in Westerville,
Ohio, says service customers
have anxiety when
they drop their cars off at
dealerships. Th ey have certain expectations of
the results.
" We have to tell them what to expect, talk to
Smith: Speak in
layman's terms.
them in layman's terms and not use acronyms, "
he says.
Th e disconnect with the customer can occur
when the service department and the customer
are both negatively impacted by things
such as manufacturing and supply chain issues
that take a toll on the normal production
"
Fixed Ops Journal - April 2022

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