This post was written by NCM 20 Group Moderator, Wayne George and was originally published on the Up to Speed blog.

Every recall comes with a certain amount of pain and customer discontent. Some of the current recalls that have been announced are extremely volatile. So what, if anything, can you do to keep your entire store’s mindset positive and in a position to continue to thrive and grow?

Some of the ideas worth sharing are just a repeat and reinforcement of basic fundamentals when dealing with customers. During times of stress we will want our people executing fundamentals as opposed to showing frustrations with a challenging situation.

So where should we start?

Well, why not call a team (store) meeting and openly discuss what the most current recall is going to challenge everyone with? If we can clearly communicate the problem and provide everyone in the store with a common goal or two when dealing with these issues, we stand a better chance of retaining, or even recapturing an upset customer. Let the staff offer some of their own suggestions for ways to address the current recall. Some of the front-line folks might have better suggestions or solutions than we can provide them with. Insure the staff that the goal will be to come through the situation with a stronger, more loyal owner base. Keep them engaged and modify any plans quickly if unforeseen problems occur.

We will have a chance to “WOW” many customers during these events. So identify the most likely issues with the recall and make a plan to be sure that your people are empowered to turn a customer into a raving fan when the issues arise. You will also have the opportunity to re-engage with customers that, for whatever reason, have abandoned your store as their place for service. Everything possible should be done to recapture these defectors. New customers that have never been to your store will show up. If they are within a 5 to 10 mile radius of the store, be sure you have a plan to blow them away with customer service.

Make sure your people resist the urge to sell anything that is not safety related. Absolutely do your multi-point inspections, but turn down the sales pitch a notch or two. There can easily be a follow up on non-sold repair recommendations handled by your staff a few days later. Safety items, however, always need to be addressed.

Be sure your staff is taking the opportunity to verify, capture or update all contact information in your system regarding email, cell phone and physical address of every recall customer. Offer these folks some sort of “return visit” incentive. For example:

• $15 off scheduled maintenance within the next 60 days
• Free alignment checks
• Discounted oil change packages

You get the idea. Have your people help with this promotion. And lastly, be sure you contact the customer after the visit and check on how everything went while they were in.

These are all basics, but in looking at the near future, we are in for many weeks and months of this — so let’s be sure the entire dealership staff is looking at this as a positive situation for the long term health of the store.