How to Turn First-Time Auto Repair Customers Into Repeat Customers
Getting a new customer through the door takes a lot of work. They might find your auto repair shop on Google, hear about you from a friend, see your location while driving by, or finally decide to give you a try after getting frustrated with the shop they used before. Once they walk in, you have a very short window to make them feel comfortable with their decision and give them a reason to keep coming back.
During a recent training, we spent a lot of time on this. Because the customer experience has to continue after you get somebody off the phone and into the shop. Your advisors need to know how to welcome a new customer, introduce the business, learn what matters to that person, walk them through the repair, and set up the next interaction before they leave.
When you have a process for all of that, your team has an easier time communicating with customers, the customer knows what to expect, and you have a much better opportunity to build a long-term relationship.
Give Every New Customer an Introduction to Your Auto Repair Shop
One of the exercises we did during the training was what I call the new customer introduction. I had everybody write a short story about their business that they could use when somebody came in for the first time.
Every shop has something worth talking about. With Midas, for example, you can talk about the fact that the company has been around for 70 years. Then each owner can add the part of the story that is specific to their location or their business.
We had one owner in the room who was third generation. His grandfather started the business, his father ran it for years, and now he has taken over. I told him that was something his entire team should know how to talk about with customers. When somebody brings a vehicle into that shop, the team can explain that this is a family business that has already made it through three generations and plans to be there for the next one.
Think about what your shop has that helps a new customer understand who they are dealing with. It could include things like:
How long your shop has been in business
How long you have served your local community
Whether the business has been passed through generations
The experience or certifications of your technicians
Your warranty
Your financing options
The number of locations you operate
The days and hours you are available
Services you provide that make things easier for the customer
A lot of owners hear those things every day, so they stop thinking they are interesting. A first-time customer may have no idea about any of them.
Give Your Service Advisors a Simple Way to Start the Conversation
Your team does not need to stand there and read a paragraph to somebody. I want them to understand the story well enough that they can talk about it naturally.
A new customer introduction could start with something as simple as, “Hey Anna, nice to meet you. I spoke to you on the phone. Thanks for coming in. Is this your first time here?”
If the customer says yes, your advisor can ask how they found the shop. Maybe they say they searched on Google. Now you have a very natural opening to say, “Perfect. Let me tell you a little bit about us that you probably didn’t find online.”
From there, you can tell them a little about the history of the business, explain what makes the shop unique, and show them around. If it makes sense, introduce them to one of the technicians. Let them see the shop where their vehicle is going to be worked on.
This is also why I talk so much about having a clean and organized shop. When you bring a customer into the service area, everything they see becomes part of their impression of the business.
I also like having an inspection area that is easy to access from the office. If there is something on the vehicle that the customer needs to see, your advisor should be able to walk them over and show them without making the entire process complicated.
Ask New Customers Where They Used to Take Their Car
One of the most useful things you can learn from a new customer is where they were taking their vehicle before they came to you.
If somebody is standing in your shop for the first time, there is a good chance they had another place they used before. I want to know what changed.
I might ask, “Where did you used to fix your car?”
Maybe they say the dealership.
Then I ask, “What happened?”
Now listen.
They might tell you it became too difficult to get an appointment. They might say communication was terrible. Maybe they felt the prices were getting too high. Maybe somebody left grease inside the car. Maybe they got tired of waiting around without knowing what was happening with their vehicle.
Whatever they tell you gives you valuable information about how to take care of that customer.
If they were frustrated that nobody gave them updates, your advisor knows communication is going to matter a lot to them. If they hated waiting three weeks for an appointment, show them how easy you make scheduling. If their last shop left the inside of the car dirty, make sure your team pays attention to how the vehicle is returned.
They are telling you what caused them to start looking for another shop. Pay attention to it.
Walk the Customer Through the Entire Repair Process
The system we use is called Key to Key to Callbacks.
It starts when the customer hands us the key. From there, we take them through the repair process, communicate with them along the way, and eventually hand the key back. After that, our call center continues the relationship with follow-up calls and service reminders.
I like thinking about the customer experience this way because every part of the process connects to the next one. The original phone call leads into the visit. The visit leads into the repair. The repair leads into the invoice review. The invoice review prepares them for the follow-up call.
Your advisors always know what happens next, and your customers do too.
Review the Invoice Before the Customer Leaves
When the customer comes back to pick up the vehicle, take the time to go through the invoice with them.
We review every item that was fixed on the car and give the customer another opportunity to ask questions. Maybe something was explained over the phone earlier in the day and they did not completely understand it. This is your chance to go through it again.
We also explain the warranty and tell them what they should expect after they leave.
For us, that includes telling them that somebody from our call center is going to contact them. We explain that the team will make sure everything is working properly and make sure they were happy with their service.
Now the customer knows who is calling and why.
Use Follow-Up Calls to Keep Customers Coming Back
Our outbound call center has been part of our process for about three years, and it gives us a way to stay connected with customers after the repair is completed.
The follow-up can start with making sure the repair went well and the customer had a good experience. Then the team can stay in contact when future maintenance comes up.
People forget things all the time. They forget oil changes. They forget state inspections. They get busy with work, kids, appointments, and everything else they have going on.
If your shop can help take some of that off their plate, that has real value.
For example, I might ask a customer, “Have you ever had your state inspection expire because you forgot about it?”
A lot of people are going to say yes.
Then I can explain that our team can remind them at the beginning of the month when their inspection is due. Now that customer has one less thing they have to remember.
The same idea works with regular maintenance. When it is time for an oil change or another service, you already have a system for staying in touch.
Make It Easy for Customers to Choose Your Shop Again
A lot goes into getting somebody to try your auto repair shop for the first time. Once they are there, you have an opportunity to show them what doing business with you is going to feel like.
Teach your advisors how to welcome them. Give your team a story about the business that they can actually tell. Ask where the customer used to go and what made them start looking for another option. Walk them through the repair. Review the invoice. Explain the warranty. Tell them who will be following up. Then stay in touch when they need you again.
When you create a process your team can follow every time, customers have a clear experience from the first phone call all the way through their next service.
And when their car needs something again, you want your shop to be the place they already know to call.