Fixed Ops Journal - April 2022 - F15

Service departments are having to let customers go
JACK FERRY
foj@autonews.com
F
iring a customer is clearly the last
resort for any dealership service department.
But
it seems to be happening with
more regularity as customers go nose-to-nose
with service advisers and fi xed ops directors
over everything from out-of-stock parts to the
price of diagnostics to the unavailability of
loaner cars.
One service manager told Fixed Ops Journal
he would typically " fi re " a customer once every
four to fi ve years. He did it three times in
the fi rst 45 days of 2022.
Service department staff try to combat chaotic
customers with information, empathy
and solutions. But when that doesn't work,
dealerships are more often telling customers
to take their business elsewhere.
" When a customer starts using foul language
and threatening to use social media, it's
best to suggest that you take a day to cool off
and talk tomorrow, " says Corey Smith, national
fi xed ops training manager at National Auto
Care. " If their attitude is the same when you
meet them the next day, then you've got to tell
them, 'We're not the dealership for you, and
it's best we part ways.' "
One Chicago-area dealership recently had
to terminate two angry customers in one day.
One was angry because his new phone wasn't
compatible with his older vehicle's technology.
Th e other was upset because the cost of
and delivery of the replacement parts needed ,
Smith says.
When service advisers discover the parts are
not in the dealership's inventory and the estimated
time of arrival is days or weeks away,
they must deliver the bad news to the customer
with the empathy and care of an attending
physician.
" Advisers don't like confrontation, and they
try to understand how the customer feels
when they get this negative information, "
Smith says. " It's important at that point that
the adviser lets the customer know they are
here to help and will make every eff ort to resolve
the issue of securing the replacement
part. "
Joe Chambers, co-host of the weekly Zoom
show " Service Drive Live, " discussed the angry
customer issue on a recent show. Participants
shared their own stories of dealing with
mean customers and how they handled the
situation.
Chambers says he feels customer anger stems
from a societal " instant gratifi cation " mindset
the part exceeded the value of his vehicle.
" Normally, we can save them, " says Erick
Jauregui, co-host of the Zoom show " Service
Drive Live " and service manager at the Chicago-area
International Autos Group. " We try to
get to the root cause, and you discover it's not
the car, it's something else in their lives. If you
just listen, you can withstand the storm of the
customer and get to the root cause of what's
bothering them. "
He says when angry customers continue to
abuse employees with foul language and
in the information age
combined with a lack of
training for advisers. He
says he convenes a weekly
Tuesday morning meeting
of service advisers from the
Chicago-area International
Autos Group stores, where
he is the fi xed ops director.
" It's not sales training, it's
people training, " Chambers
says. " We're training our
advisers how to fi x customers. "
Chambers
says his serthreats,
the dealership management has no
other recourse but to terminate the relationship
with the customer.
" You have to let your employees know that
their management has a backbone, " Jauregui
says.
" You have to tell the customer, 'In your and
our best interests, it's best that we terminate
this relationship, and we would like to suggest
other dealerships.'
" When the dealer terminates the customer,
it's the absolute last straw. " 
says. " People are frustrated with the sheer
number of recalls in a 12-month period. "
Listen
Larry Hourcle, an NADA Academy instructor,
Chambers:
" Fix customers. "
agrees service advisers need to be prepared for
the customer's arrival. Th is includes reason for
the visit, the vehicle's service history, availability
of needed parts, and vehicles the customer
has purchased from the dealership.
Plus, the adviser needs to give the customer
an explanation of the procedure and how long
it will take.
Dan Beakey, service manager at Colonial
vice advisers are trained to
interview customers and
have information on why
the customers are there.
" Th is gives them a leg up
on why the customer is at
the dealership and preps
the service adviser on the customer's situation,
especially if they are there for a recall, " he
Hourcle: Prep
for the visit.
South Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram in Dartmouth,
Mass., believes empathy, listening and communication
are the best traits an adviser can have
when encountering an angry customer.
" We need to listen intently and identify one
or two things we can agree on to understand
their frustration, " he says. " Most people are
good at heart. It's best to look at the situation
from their shoes and empathize with the customer. "

APRIL 2022 PAGE 15
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