One of the worst things a customer can experience is not having their needs met. It is important to communicate clearly and effectively so that there are no misunderstandings and the customer receives what they were expecting. This is true in virtually any industry, but there are a few simple things you can do to ensure a quality service. The following paragraphs will discuss how to go about implementing a customer interview in order to help you understand their needs.
Customer Interview
The primary goal of the customer interview is to gather enough information to allow the technician to duplicate the customer’s complaint so that the customer knows you are offering great customer service. Asking open-ended questions is an effective method to accomplish this. As you ask questions, it can be helpful to write down key points of information so that you can review the info later. Following the outline below will usually result in gathering the necessary information:
- What is the customers primary complaint?
- Is the problem occurring now? If no, find out when the issue happened.
- How long has this problem been happening?
- Is the issue getting worse over time?
- Try to think of situation specific questions.
- As the customer speaks, be attentive. Write down any important information.
Once interview is complete customer should be informed of what is going to take place. Make sure to include the following information:
- Relay the information the customer told you back to them. By doing so, you help make sure that there is no misunderstanding.
- The vehicle will be taken for a test drive.
- We will do a thorough inspection.
- How long it will be before you can look at the vehicle
- How long the inspection process will take.
More tips
Whenever possible, have the customer drop off the vehicle. This takes the pressure off of everyone involved. If not possible, make sure to add a “cushion” to the times given the customer. If you think it will be 10 minutes before you look at the vehicle, tell the customer 15. This gives you a little breathing room and will allow you to exceed the customer’s expectations more often than not. It is what sales people call “Under promise and over deliver” and most customers appreciate this. The opposite is to “over promise and under deliver” and this generally results in upset customers.
If for any reason there is a delay in either getting the vehicle in or during the inspection, make sure to notify the customer as soon as possible to prevent any problems. Apologize to the customer, explain what has happened, and give them the adjusted times. Always remember to perform a thorough customer interview and to under promise and over deliver.
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