THE DRIVER’S SEAT Customer Service

did not return a call or an email, and be proactive, because a small complaint can become larger if it is seen to be ignored.

While good customer service is as important as it ever was, and while it is becoming less and less easy to find, the consequences of not delivering on that promise are more serious than ever. Witness the thrashing Airlines took over the 2022/23 holiday season, on review sites, Twitter, Facebook and countless other social media touchpoints.

1. Your online approach, website, advertising

2. The customer experience in the dealership

3. Interaction with salespeople

4. Feature description, test drive

5. Negotiation and purchase

6. Vehicle delivery

7. Service and the after-sale relationship

By James Hamilton, Interim Manager and Legal Services Director, UCDA

It’s hardly revolutionary to say to any consumer-facing business that customer service is important. That’s not going to come as a surprise to any business. Good customer service is usually the hallmark of any truly successful retail operation, but my sense is good service has become both harder to find and even more important these days than ever before.

When I say harder to find, I speak of my own experience dealing with companies in charge of our phones, cable, health, entertainment, travel, insurance and on and on. Ever try to quickly resolve a question, waiting on the phone for an hour or more, while the recording periodically reminds you how important your call is? They are right, your call is important, but they lose the thread on the execution.

Motor vehicle dealers have always understood the need to be responsive. You don’t want to lose a sale because you

Even more important to our industry is the simple fact that surveys show consumer brand loyalty pales in comparison to the decisions consumers make based on good customer service. The customer will buy the vehicle because they have been treated with the correct professionalism, care and attention, and less because it’s the same kind of vehicle they bought last time.

What that means is good customer service will bring you more business. This carries through, of course, to the after-sale experience. If, as with any used product, there are problems with a vehicle after the sale, and the dealer is responsive, open and helpful, the customer will remember that, and tell their friends and family about it. If you are lucky, they will tell the whole world on social media! But if you drop that ball, they will almost certainly do all the same things in a negative way instead (my impression is they are in fact more likely to do that).

Think about all the points along the way where your dealership has the chance to establish, in the mind of the customer, good service:

Each stage along the way presents challenges, but also offers the opportunity to create a comeback customer. Dealers need to remember, for most people, buying a car, whether new or used, is a stressful and time-consuming process. Dealers can bring very important valueadds to that fact, by making the process smooth, friendly, informative and pleasant for the consumer.

Who knows, if your efforts hit the mark, you may have a customer for life!

In addition to our regular articles in this issue of The Ontario Dealer, such as The Law Matters, Tech Talk, The Common Lawyer and The Old Car Detective, our theme is Customer Service so please enjoy the following articles:

• Content Ideas to Engage Your Customers

• What is Transparency and how to be better at it

• Selling to Businesses

• The Trust Economy and Reviews

• Warranties

You can reach me anytime at j.hamilton@ ucda.org with any comments or suggestions for the magazine! ■