In every dealership that I visit that is struggling with increasing Sales per Repair Order, performing a walkaround  is the area that the Advisors do not do well, if at all.

Recently, I was observing a service drive when a customer pulled up in a car and the advisor looked up from the desk and and said "Oh, look...she is just sitting there." And for the next 3-5 minutes, the advisor sat at her workstation and waited...until the customer got out of the car and made her way into the service reception area. The advisor did not get up and go outside to greet the customer, make them feel welcome or offer any assistance. Is there any wonder why this store is struggling with increasing service sales and declining RO count?

We have all been customers in dealerships, repair centers, restaurants, cleaners, hotels... you name it...and there is nothing like a customer service person who gets it...from the initial greeting all the way through the final payment. And like many of you...I spend more money when I am taken care of.

Treat me like a number...give me grunts in response to questions...don't use common courtesy...be in a hurry to get rid of me...don't explain the process and expect me to guess what is happening next...and make me feel like an interruption to your day...is there any wonder why some Advisors (and Dealerships) struggle? I wouldn't spend any money there and neither would you.

A walkaround is the very first tool in every Advisors toolbox to start building the relationship and introducing the customer to the maintenance and repair process. Without it, the customer might as well be at the DMV or the TSA line at the airport or the checkout line in the supermarket. It's all the same until the person delivering the service decides to do the right thing.

And that is the fundamental difference between the checkout line and the service drive... one caring professional human.

by Leonard Buchholz