In the past, the automotive service industry has somewhat of a negative reputation. From windscreen repairs to clutch repairs, many car owners are wary of being overcharged or ripped off when it comes to finding a trusted provider.
While regulations and standards (plus, those omnipresent online reviews) go a long way to ensuring that work is up to standard, suppliers that adopt certain practices will be far more likely to build and maintain great client relationships.
Whatever the area of the motor service industry, the following 5 points are key to nurturing and growing a business and brand.
1: Transparent Pricing
One of the greatest bugbears customers have is not knowing or understanding the costs involved. Sure, a part may cost X number of dollars. But only communicating this – and not any applicable taxes and, crucially, labour charges – doesn’t provide the whole story.
What your customer wants to know is how much they’ll be charged in total. Yes, the breakdown matters, but it’s the number that’s finally punched into the card machine that really counts.
A clearly defined list of the most common part costs, labour charges and GST helps communicate this. While it might not be possible to display exact part costs (a clutch for a BMW or windscreen for a Tesla will differ dramatically to, say, a part for an older VW Polo) but it only takes a moment to find this out to tell the customer.
2: Communication, Communication, Communication…
This is a biggie. Keep your customers updated. Today’s tech means there’s no excuse for not letting them know if there’s going to be a delay or if extra issues have been discovered. Whether this is with a quick phone call, email, text, WhatsApp or whatever, good comms is one of the pivotal methods of building trust and maintaining great client relationships.
3: After Service Support
Your job doesn’t finish when the customer leaves. Making it clear that you’re available for after service support is a vital way of further strengthening the supplier-client bond. In turn, this increases the likelihood of repeat custom and, crucially, recommendations to others.
4: Follow Up on Promises
One of the biggest ways to ensure that a customer doesn’t come back (or use your service in the first place) is to say that you’ll get back to them on something and then don’t. This is something many providers are guilty of. After all, the day is busy and it’s so easy for such a promise to slip your mind.
Find a way of noting down these tasks. Whether it’s an old-fashioned notebook or a digital version that pings a reminder, spend a few minutes at the end of each working day checking that you’ve got back to the customer. Again, digital comms makes this easy – you don’t need to waste precious minutes making loads of phone calls. A text or message can often be all that’s needed.
5: Be Honest…
…and don’t blag. If a job is over-running, let them know. If your fellow tradie calls in sick and this has a knock-on effect on the running order, tell your customers. If a repair has the potential to be more expensive than the first estimate, it’s far better to tell the client up-front than wait until you’ve stripped the car down and then drop a bombshell.
For those who visit customers at their premises, if you’re running late then let them know. In all honesty, they don’t really care about the reason why (although it’s courteous to tell them), they just want to know what time to expect you.
One of the best ways to build customer trust and relationships is to give everybody the service that you’d wish your mum to receive. If you do that, then you won’t be going far wrong.
At Autoscreens, we treat all our clients in this way. As a family-run firm, we combine expertise with good old-fashioned customer service. We’ve worked our socks off over more than three decades to build our incredible industry reputation, working with insurance companies, accident repair centres, dealerships and individuals to provide the ultimate windscreen and glass repair and replacement service.
Contact our team today for more information or use our get a quote form and we’ll get back to you ASAP.
Jason Squire started Autoscreens in 2010. With over 35 years of experience gained in both the UK and Australia, the company is well established as a leading provider of windscreen replacement and autoglass repairs in Perth.
His journey to becoming a certified repairer license holder status with DMIRS (and business repair license MRB3703) began many years ago. He was born and brought up in the UK – the country where his long career in the automotive industry began. In common with many of the world’s best tradespeople it all started with an apprenticeship. For Jason, this was in vehicle bodybuilding and a specialisation in vehicle conversions.
He followed that up with several additional professional qualifications, including a Grade A Vehicle Body Building Certificate from the Road Transport Industry, a GQA level 2 in NVQ Automotive Glazing and a Level 2 qualification in Joining Materials by Welding from the UK Engineer Training Authority.
During his studies, Jason was also a part-time volunteer in the Royals signals with the Reserve Territorial Army. Between 1991 and 1995, Jason completed his Phase One Signallers Course with the Royal Armoured Corps and was awarded a Certificate of Trade Proficiency as a Territorial Army Driver Electrician Class 3. Training exercises took him all over Europe. He also represented the Signals in Rugby.
From there, he joined the armed forces on a full-time basis with the Queens Royal Lancers and continued to impress with his leadership skills and willingness to broaden his skillset, during which he lived in Germany. In 1996, he graduated from the Queens Royal Lancer Leadership Academy where he was named best recruit. His time with the Queens Royal Lancers he qualified as Tank Driver, Crew Medic and Gunner.
In 1999, Jason left the armed forces to join RAC Auto Windscreens. His skillset enabled him to fast-track his career to base supervisor and lead technician working with premiere dealerships in Crewe, Cheshire.
He also continued to volunteer in a number of different areas, including as a first responder with the West Midlands Ambulance Service and a scout leader with the Scout Association.
He relocated to Australia in 2008 with his young family and spent his first two years down under as a head technician for a national windscreen company.
However, with all his experience, extensive qualifications and his abiding passion for the automotive industry, it was inevitable that he would start his own company and make his mark as an industry leader.
He started Autoscreens in 2010 and has grown the business into the leading windscreen repair and replacement company in Perth, servicing both domestic and commercial customers. Autoscreens has a certified Motor Vehicle Repairers Licence MRB3703 issued by the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety.
