NEW IDEAS FOR CSI

[ROBBIE HENWOOD]

I'VE BEEN DIRECTED TO SEEK OUT NEW IDEA'S FOR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.....CSI.....ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE SOME THOUGHT TOWARDS THIS?
THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR IDEAS!!!!
ROBBIE

[jazdale]

Sure...

1. Ask your customers with a short post-sale survey
2. Phone shop your employees to monitor their phone handling skills
3. Track UPs and the follow-up process

Most likely, this will confirm your existing hunches.

..now comes the hard part - implementing the change

[fburrows]

Robbie:

I ran fixed ops in a big GM store for almost 30 years. We were always #1 in the region year after year. It is really very simple. Cookies and popcorn dont help. Excessive surveys dont help. None of the gimmicks will make any difference.

You have to perform!! It is that simple. If the car breaks you have to fix it. You have to keep the customer posted on what is happening. You have to treat the customer the way you want to be treated. You cant slam a customer into a car they dont want or cant afford and expect that person to be happy. You cant return a car to a customer after they have left it all day with a NPF and expect them to be happy. If you have an employee that treats customers poorly get rid of them.

Always fight for the customer on warranty issues and always give the customer the benefit of the doubt.

Work on the basics. Identify problems with a short Was everything OK? and fix the problems you identify. It is simple but it is not easy.

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Frank Burrows
fburrows@absdata.com

[LIFESENTENCE]

Frank, doesn't also ESI (Employee satisfaction) factor in to CSI? By that, I mean isn't an employee that is satisfied with his job more likely to do his job correctly. And I don't mean just eliminating mistakes, but going the extra distance and doing the little extras that really make for satisfied customers.

[fburrows]

Rob:
I think happy employees are a very important factor. A committed owner or dealer principal is also a big factor. I realize that I only covered a few points in my rant. The point I was trying to make is that gimmicks marketed to increase CSI are not the answer. Everybody in the dealership has to be focused keeping customers happy. Everybody has to realize that the dealership's and their personal success depend on this.

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Frank Burrows
fburrows@absdata.com

[LIFESENTENCE]

Thank you Frank. I was just starting to wonder if I was the only one that had that opinion. It seems like many GM's or DP's seem to miss that point. That's why I thought it might be considered a 'new idea' for CSI, to which the post asked for.

And, I agree that gimmicks are only band-aids that don't solve the real issues.

[mbrandon]

I was in a seminar last week in Atlanta. We had a guest speaker, Glen, who was the Director of Fixed Operations for a monster Ford store in Texas.

Glen felt that as an industry we have spent a lot of years preaching for service advisors to speed up.

Glen feels his CSI is high because he teaches his guys to slow down and spend a little quality time with the customer. He feels this helps becuase it makes the visit more personal.

Although the idea may be hard to implement, it made sense to me.



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Mark Brandon
DealerLOGIX
The cheese has moved. Time to go find new cheese.

[Sethna]

I agree with Frank. At Dale Jarrett Ford in Indian Trail, NC these guys are down to a science with CSI. The sales manager HAS to do a "send off" with every customer, inspecting the vehicle and taking care of ANY issues they may have. As well they have the survey and sit them down and discuss how important this is. These guys will do whatever it takes to keep the customer happy. If you need any help from these guys you can email one of the sales managers (tsethna@dalejarrettford.com).

[JustBob]

Great points.

Unfortunately the manufacturers focus on the "I" of CSI and miss the first two words. Rewards (and punishment) to the dealer are based upon the index. Sure there has to be a measurement of some kind, but the true indicator is the success that dealers such as the above have. They are focused on Customer Satisfaction, and while they may take precautions to receive high ratings that is not their primary goal.


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Have a tremendous day
Bob Britting

[Lhansen]

Hi Bob:
I was pleased to see your comment about CSI being a measurement tool, not the end all and be all of true customer satisfaction. I approach the CSI and SSI reports as indicators of a trend that might be occuring at the store. If you survey your customers, talk to them, and trend the results of the feedback, you'll already know where your concerns are and can take action long before the actual CSI report hits your dealership.
Good forum, all!

Linda

Linda Graham Hansen www.autodealerfocus.com