October 13/20, 2014; Volume 28/Number 9
By Lisbeth Calandrino
It’s not hard to get waited on when you’re spending over $200,000 on a used 46-foot RV. All it takes is a salesperson to help you fall in love and then obtain the financing. With six months to wait for the makeover and new tires, it’s all pretty simple.
And then the day comes, and you get to drive your wedding present off the lot. The part you don’t count on is the tire blowout on the New York State Thruway at 65 mph. The only thing that saves you from death is the mud above the tires that eventually stopped your house on wheels.
Now starts the frantic calls to the salesperson with no answers and finding out the dealership doesn’t have a tow truck on the Thruway. (By the way, you can see the Thruway from their showroom.)
The next series of calls are no longer frantic; they have become screamers. There doesn’t seem to be much sympathy or help.
“Don’t worry; we’ll send someone to fix the tire,” the dealer said.
“Worry, my butt,” the driver said. “We were almost killed.” Another series of screaming calls and emails to the dealership that’s getting ready to close. He is told not to worry and there will be somebody at the dealership when he gets there. The RV gets towed in and what does he find? A dark showroom and no ride home.
The whole event took six hours; a trip to the emergency room is extra and never a phone call.
“They set me up every step of the way. I’ve been getting warm and fuzzy emails and post cards every month with tips on how to take care of the RV, but when it comes down to it, nobody cares. I hate them.”
This disgruntled customer tells at least eight people about his experience.
Is your business like many others in that sales and customer service are separate? Once the customer is sold the salesperson disappears, and you now deal with people you’ve never heard of. This is worse than shooting-yourself-in-the-foot customer service; it’s like selling yourself out of business.
What do you authorize your salespeople to do? Do you sell the customer and never let the staff talk to her again? Do you know how stupid that is?
Eighty-five percent of your business comes from referrals; your salespeople should be playing golf and having lunch with their good customers. Why turn them over to someone who has never met them?
Here’s how I would handle it if it were my dealership:
I would have used the Loews hotel theory of customer service. Empower everyone, and give them a budget to take care of the customer. I would think that wrecking your RV on its maiden voyage is pretty traumatic.
- Salesperson is authorized to get the tow truck out there and, if necessary, drives out to be with the customer. At this point, do whatever the customer needs. Maybe you should pick up some coffee and snacks on the way.
- If the customer needs to stay overnight, pay for the hotel and meals.
- Have a loaner car available for such problems or take the customer home. Really, how much will this cost?
- Call the customer the next day and don’t forget to send the flowers, fruit basket or a gift card to a restaurant. Of course you know the name of her favorite restaurant.
- By the way, ask if you need to walk the dog, feed the cat or pick up the kids from school.
Maybe you don’t like my version, but which one will get you more sales?