Taking a vehicle in for service is often an unpleasant task for customers. The annoyance of taking your car into the shop and being without it for the day to the stale, cold coffee waiting for you while you wait can make the errand unpleasant. For many people, the hassle of maintaining a vehicle is too much, and over time, they let routine maintenance fall off their radar, skipping crucial appointments… until their vehicle’s maintenance declines to the point that it’s impossible to ignore getting it checked.
As we have faced a global pandemic and rising inflation, many people have chosen to forgo routine vehicle maintenance in the last few years. They’ve waited until the sound their vehicle engine makes can’t be ignored or that pesky engine light has been burning brightly on their dashboard for too long. Even then, with their vehicles in dire need of service, many people would still rather go to the dentist than book their car for service. Why is that? As an auto repair shop, you must understand this issue and why customers wait so long to get their vehicles serviced. So here are a few reasons customers avoid taking their car in for service that shops should be aware of.
- Rising costs: Vehicle maintenance is getting more and more expensive. A 2023 AAA survey recently found that the average cost of standard repair maintenance can range from $500 to $600. That’s a lot of money, so it’s no surprise that the same survey found that 1 in 3 drivers could not pay for unexpected vehicle repairs without going into debt. For many Americans, the cost of taking a vehicle to the shop is too high, so they wait until it is absolutely necessary.
- It takes too long. Another huge inconvenience for drivers is how long the average maintenance appointment takes, with some estimates being between 3 and 5 hours for routine service. That’s a big chunk of time, especially if a driver only has one vehicle and must arrange rides to and from the service shop. Making time for maintenance can be a huge inconvenience that drivers would rather avoid.
- It’s too complicated. The previous generation may have been able to keep up with routine vehicle maintenance like oil changes and tire rotations, but that’s not the case anymore. There is a lot more technology in vehicles now, such as backup cameras, GPS units, and even self-driving or self-parking mode, which can make vehicles more challenging to fix, parts more difficult to source, and appointment times longer.
These are a few reasons why drivers may avoid bringing their vehicles into the shop. There are likely some more minor reasons that we could add to the list, but these three highlight some of the main issues drivers face before they even make an appointment to get their vehicle fixed. Service shops should take these reasons into consideration if they want to improve the customer experience in the service shop and customer waiting room.
An article from Chevron highlighted a few things service shops can do to improve the customer experience. They outlined three significant issues shops can tackle on their own, including:
- Improving the exterior of their business. Curb appeal is essential, even for a service shop. A clean, neat exterior makes your business appear presentable and more trustworthy to customers. Some service shops may struggle with this if they are more focused on the work they are doing inside. But your exterior matters, so target problematic landscaping issues, improve your parking lot, repair broken fences and lights, and invest in new signage if yours is old or weathered.
- Improve the interior of your business. Many shops are not overly concerned with making their waiting areas appealing for customers. It may seem like an unnecessary expense, but it does matter. If a customer chooses to wait for their vehicle, it could be a couple of hours, and uncomfortable chairs, stale coffee, and old magazines just wouldn’t cut it. A comfortable waiting room may be why a driver chooses a dealership over a service shop. A New York Times article from 2019 outlined how some luxury dealerships seek to improve the waiting room experience. One Lexus dealership in San Antonio has a complimentary coffee bar with snacks, a manicurist, and an on-site masseuse for waiting customers. A Toyota dealership in Chesapeake, VA, has a play area for kids, a movie theater, a hair salon, and even a shoe shine! While your service shop may not be able to compete with these dealership waiting rooms, adding nicer chairs, furniture, better coffee, snacks, and other amenities can still improve customer experience!
- Employees need to make their customers feel welcome. The last point in the article from Chevron is how essential employee interactions are with customers. It needs to be more than just a simple hello. Service technicians should review the customer’s maintenance history before the appointment and get to know their regular customers. More importantly, technicians need to be willing to listen and explain. As we outlined earlier, one of the most significant drawbacks of bringing a vehicle in for service is that it’s too complicated. Customers may not understand what needs to be done or why. Service technicians who can listen to a customer’s concerns, explain the necessary repairs politely, and offer helpful suggestions will help your shop earn your customer’s loyalty and trust.
Small independent service shops are under a lot of pressure. Margins are thin, and these shops often compete against large dealerships and corporations. But the good news is that reliable, honest service technicians who focus on improving the customer experience can win a customer’s lifelong loyalty. A 2015 consumer reports survey found that even with all the perks, independent service shops beat out dealerships for overall customer satisfaction, price, quality, staff friendliness, and work being completed as promised. This shows that when it comes to getting a vehicle fixed, what consumers want most is an honest and reliable service station.
As a fuel and lubricant supplier, we work with many independent service stations and know how much they care about their customers. These tips can help improve the customer experience so that more people see how outstanding these small businesses are. If we want people to take better care of their vehicles, promoting independent service shops that care about the customer experience is the way to go! For more questions about quick lube branding, please a Greg’s Petroleum Service rep today.