What would you consider good service to bodyshops

[Toyotaguy]

I have been looking into what service the outside bodyshops are looking for. What are you guys going out there that keep your customers happy and loyal. I am an agressive wholesale dealer. I give good discounts and I feel pretty good service. I want to increase my customers loyality by providing even better service. Any ideas can help.

[Mike Cummings]

Dear Toyota Guy,

You may think you're giving good service but you won't know until you go out into the field and ask your body shops. We created a survey of our own and went out and asked the shops how we rate. Boy were we surprised. We thought we were giving good service and in reality we were losing business. We've made some changes and starting to get the business back.

[This message has been edited by Mike Cummings (edited 04-10-2002).]

[fburrows]

Toyotaguy:

I worked for 29 years as a parts and service director. Two years ago my partner and I started a new business. We have been selling and installing bar code systems in dealerships. I have learned so much more in the last two year because I am outside and get to see all kinds of operations. I would urge you to make a commitment to spend a day a month actually visiting your customers. You take vacations, go to meetings and your department survives. It will survive the day you spend with your wholesale customers and you will learn a lot. You can ask your customers, face to face, what they like and what they dislike about your service and your competitors. You can ask what you can do to improve. They will be incredible impressed that you are concerned and you will learn a lot of invaluable information. You could even take an hour or so and visit one of your competitors. The one thing I would have changed about the time I spent in a dealership is that I should have gotten out more and I would have been a much better manager.

Frank Burrows
Automotive Business Solutions LLC
frank@autobusiness.org

[This message has been edited by fburrows (edited 04-10-2002).]

[John P.]

I am one of two full time outside sales reps for a large multi-line wholesaler in the Chicago area.

The biggest thing you can do to keep your customers happy is to spend so much time talking with them that you *always* know what they want. Build a personal relationship with them... not on the phone, in person. Being there, you know what they want and can better understand what they're doing (because you see them doing it)... but, also, when you're not there and something goes wrong, they are more likely to call you rather than just dumping you for someone else.

If you can't afford at least one full time rep on the road, go out yourself at least one day a week and visit as many shops as you can. You just can't know if you're not there.