Customer Service 101: A Look Beyond The Numbers -

Customer Service 101: A Look Beyond The Numbers

The unspoken mantra of every business is something akin to, "See opportunity, profit off of opportunity." But succeeding as an independent repair shop is more complicated than that. You have to earn your customers' trust through transparency and a focus on individual needs if you want to become a staple within a community.

The purpose of every Maintenance Chronicle is to help spotlight preventive maintenance services shops might be missing in order to improve their service procedures and increase their profits.

But, as this month’s featured shop goes to show, improving how your business functions is about more than just a sporadic assessment — it’s about the principles your shop champions every day.

Family-owned Seyfer Automotive in Wheat Ridge, CO, has been serving area residents since 1961. Led by father/son co-owners Don and Donny Seyfer, Seyfer Automotive has established a mentality that puts an emphasis on pinpointing the customers’ needs over holding on to longstanding, yet outdated, industry protocols.

Why Do You Do What You Do?

The unspoken mantra of every business is something akin to, “See opportunity, profit off of opportunity.” But succeeding as an independent repair shop is more complicated than that. You have to earn your customers’ trust through transparency and a focus on individual needs if you want to become a staple within a community. In other words, are you selling what needs to be sold, or are you just selling what can be sold?

“When we’re speaking with a customer, it’s about the relationship. You should be asking the right questions of the customer about how they use their car, and then catering your services to that,” Donny Seyfer said.

More than 90% of the cars that find their way to Seyfer Automotive are from repeat customers. When a new customer does come into the shop, they have been successful in converting these opportunities by preaching the merits of their scheduled maintenance services.

“We run such a busy schedule, it is hard to accommodate walk-ins,” Donny said. “The way most customers get to know us is when they have a problem with their car, we get a chance to ask for all of their maintenance work.”

By getting to know their customers, and establishing scheduled preventive maintenance and repair work based off of clients’ driving habits, Seyfer Automotive has been able to develop a reliable service schedule that promotes efficiency and all but eliminates the uncertainty that comes from not having enough business scheduled.

“At the counter, we recommend at least annual maintenance inspections,” Donny said. “Customers have access to a complete history of repairs and maintenance we have performed through [our shop management software]. They can see things we have done, when they were performed, and when they are next needed. They can also see what is coming up or what has never been done based on mileage and time recommendations. We also send reminders on items that were recommended and have not been performed.”

By keeping detailed service records, Donny knows that the average R.O. takes roughly 3.2 hours in their shop, and the average full inspection service they offer is approximately 40-45 minutes. So, they coordinate up to nine cars in their garage (the shop has eight bays and room for one additional vehicle) before the work day starts based on how long they project the job to take according to their internal statistics.

This careful planning has allowed Seyfer’s techs to streamline some of their preventive maintenance inspections. For instance, the techs at Seyfer Automotive need to inspect the air filter during oil changes only for first-time customers since their detailed customer reports will tell a tech if this needs to be changed even before they look under the hood. According to Seyfer, they “very rarely” come across an air filter in a customer’s vehicle that has gone beyond the regularly scheduled mileage replacement recommendation. They also don’t routinely test the battery unless the job pertains to electrical repair, driveability diagnosis or inspection since most of the time they know what to expect.

By doing things right on the front end — even before the car rolls into their shop — Seyfer Automotive is able to save time on the back end by avoiding going over unnecessary services. And as the saying goes, time is money.

Providing Value Versus Padding the Bottom Line

The cornerstone of Seyfer Automotive is trust. Because Seyfer’s customers trust in the service schedule that’s laid out for them, they are rewarded with repeat business throughout the year.

But it isn’t just the quality services and fluid communication they insist upon at Seyfer Automotive that builds that trust, it’s also the preventive maintenance work they turn down that shows the customer their commitment to honest service.

Seyfer Automotive said they “almost never” recommend customers come back for an oil change after 3,000 miles. With today’s advancements in motor oil, Donny said that scheduling their customers any sooner than 5,000 miles is unnecessary for the most part. A big contributing factor to this 5,000-mile-plus interval is the fact that Seyfer Automotive sells only synthetic oil that meets or exceeds manufacturers’ specs.

They also don’t try to sell wiper blades by the changing of the seasons. Since Colorado’s dry weather and the presence of a variety of different blade types on the market make blanket wiper replacement inexact, they replace blades only when they start to streak.

Vehicles are one of the biggest investments people make, and naturally, they want to protect that investment. Therefore, automotive technicians are in a unique position of authority when they suggest maintenance is needed in order to keep their customers’ cars running smoothly. However, Donny said you don’t need to abuse this authority or pull out every last trick in the book just to make a buck.

“There is plenty to do as it is. I don’t think I’ve ever brought in a car that didn’t need any service,” Seyfer said.

But That Being Said …

Just because Seyfer Automotive doesn’t push their customers for every last dime doesn’t mean they’re running a charity. Don and Donny Seyfer believe that hard work comes at a price, and that their customers’ vehicles deserve the best maintenance they can offer. That’s why instead of offering free inspections, Seyfer Automotive charges $50 for a complete inspection.

“When I wear my customer hat, it feels like when someone offers me something for free, they want to sell me something,” Donny explained. “I think that when a customer pays for the inspection, they expect you to do a very thorough job, and if there is work to be done, they do not feel like they are trapped because you did a free inspection. We use a no-pressure, advisory approach to recommended services. We have done it this way for 30 years.”

No matter what your policies are in terms of vehicle inspections, how you communicate to your customers about what needs to be repaired versus what can wait is critical. There are a lot of options available today to illustrate your findings. You should work to find what method to which your customers are most receptive.

“While I have a great appreciation for the technology-based approaches to inspections, and we find that customers like to see the pictures we text and email them from our inspection, they are more interested in walking out of our shop with something in their hand,” Seyfer said. “We make sure it is an inspection sheet and an estimate of what the completed repairs would cost. Most of the time, our customers end up buying everything on the estimate by the end of the year. I think if you put customers in charge and give them good information, they make informed instead of intimidated decisions.”

Navigating customer service can be a balancing act, and there is a fine line between taking care of your customers and leaving money on the table. As Seyfer Automotive can attest, it’s the shops that know the difference that stand to profit the most.

You May Also Like

Customer Service – How Brakes Affect Fuel Economy

Reducing brake drag on late-model vehicles is not accomplished by a single component; it takes a system.

Drivers and technicians rarely make the connection between fuel economy and brakes. Moving the pads back from the rotor by only 1mm can increase fuel economy by as much as three to five percent. For engineers, it is a huge gain that does not involve exotic materials or adding expensive components.

BMW Infotainment System Service Tips

Even the most sophisticated systems can encounter issues.

Ride Control Diagnostics From Tire Wear Patterns

Learning how to read the tire and communicate your findings is the key to safe and effective ride control service.

Explaining Why A Customer’s Car Leaks Oil

Service advisors, explain that there are a few common causes for the majority of oil leaks on the road.

What’s The Difference Between H/T And A/T Tires?

Your guide to deciding if highway tires or all-terrain tires best suit your customers’ needs.

Other Posts

Roger’s Tire Service Focuses On Customers And Community

Central Ohio Ag Tire Dealer grows business by serving farm customers from a barn.

AI Hallucinations

What does artificial intelligence think your team and your services look like?

Shop Profile – D’s Auto & Truck Repair, Holland, Michigan

“I’m not sure why anybody ever came to work for me. We were a disorganized mess.”

Timeless Quotes To Teach & Inspire

We hear plenty of opinions in the aftermarket – some of them are worth listening to.