THE KINDNESS DISRUPTION

Customer service in the current conundrum

Column by CHELSEA STEBNER

How’s the supply chain shortage hitting you these days? Let me guess— running into some snags? Holding onto vehicles that are unsafe to be driven? Getting unscheduled tow ins without a spot to put it in? Are your customers wondering why you’re booking out so far in advance? Have you noticed that people have lost their sense of kindness in the last couple of years? Impatience is at an all time high and the challenges we face in our businesses are stretching that even more. Our businesses are adapting on so many levels.

Today, businesses are dealing with ripple effect from the supply chain, reduced profit margins, lengthened delivery times and negative impacts on customer satisfaction. I don’t know about you, but our customer care process has been adapted and continues to be—sometimes daily.

Now more than ever it’s important to make sure that our customers have the best and most up to date information available with respect to their vehicle repair. With the administrative burden continuing to be downloaded from insurance companies to collision repair shops, we are also becoming the go between and trusted point of contact for our customers.

Customer care today is highly evolved and a lot more in-depth. The questions and concerns from our customers are many. A visit to a collision repair shop is no one’s idea of fun. It’s not like a visit to the stylist or the golf shop or an evening out for drinks and dinner. It’s a grudge visit. It’s often a customer’s first accident—or the first one in a long time—and the changes in both our industry and the insurance industry are fast-paced. A customer’s knowledge about their insurance is often minimal.

Following a collision, your customer is often angry with themselves, or with the party that caused damage. Sometimes they even throw their partner or spouse under the bus! They also want to know what they’re going to drive while their car is being fixed; cue the “You mean I don’t get a free car to drive?” cries and the cost questions—“It’s just a little scratch! YOU’RE CHARGING HOW MUCH?” And finally, the biggest question: “WHEN WILL MY CAR BE READY? Last time it was in a bodyshop it only took a day.

There are eight hours on the claim—what do you mean it’ll be in the shop for more than one day?” Okay, don’t get offended; I’m not making fun, I’m just telling it like it is. It’s our job to take care—to instill trust, and to educate as respectfully as possible. All while navigating our vendors and the outrageous but real supply chain shortages, the delivery of said parts which is a mess as well, our insurance companies and their many arms, sublet repairs required, car rental companies and the circle that winds back to customer care.

Not only are we ensuring a customer has signed and understood their Repair Authorization, along with repair timelines, rental cars, sublets, calibrations, and test drives but we’re also explaining and encouraging purchase of Loss of Use and Replacement Cost on future vehicle policies and helping them understand and navigate potential total loss situations; many times without the insurance companies sharing the information first. In addition to that, we are breaking hearts with parts delays daily. We are rescheduling vehicles, doing temporary repairs, managing I.O.U.s, and doing follow ups with our vendors.

Our customer care is transparent; we tell it like it is, and sometimes we don’t know what the answer is. “Hey Mrs. Jones, our supplier told us the door we need to begin your repairs is in a container on a ship…somewhere…on its way to us.” We commiserate with them and tell them we will do everything we can to get them safely back on the road as quickly as possible. Then we think outside the box and figure out if, or how we can expedite it. It is honest and kind and respectful. We also document with emails and notes in files. We CC insurance adjustors. We share the process vehicles follow while in our care. We let them know when we make a mistake. And we celebrate when the parts trickle in for the repair.

Of course, there will always be that customer that gets under our skin; where, no matter what we do, no matter how we strive to satisfy them, it won’t ever happen! At that point, our job is to kill ’em with kindness. Trust me—you always want to look back and know that you and your team have acted with integrity and respect throughout a trying time.

I’ve only hit the tip of the iceberg on customer care and how we’re adapting— but remember, most importantly, kindness matters, in everything we do. Now more than ever.