auto shop customer

So you’ve finally decided on how to fund your auto body shop, you are now open for customers. You have marketing strategies in place and have started with a few customers. What you need to figure out next is to thrive in the industry and not just survive. With lots of great auto body shops offering the same services you offer, how do you stand out? Furthermore, how do you keep your customers and then gain some more?

Impressing your customers means giving them a good experience with the services that you offer. Sometimes, no matter how good your results are, if you’re difficult to work with, they’d still prefer to have the job done somewhere. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do a stellar job at the services you have to offer. 

So what should you do? Here are some ways you can impress your customers.

A Warm Welcome

Many customers will love it if you make them feel special. To start off, you should be welcoming and inviting. When they contact you through phone, email, social media, or physically in your shop, you should be able to make them feel welcomed. 

Greet them politely. If they are repeat customers, it is also good if you remember what the previous service was. It will help boost the mood because you remembered customers and will help them feel more welcomed.

Be A Comfort Zone

Those who go to auto body shops aren’t always those who just wish to have them customized. Sometimes, they need to go to the body shop because their car has to be repaired. It is already stressful for them that their car needs repairs so don’t stress them out further, especially if they just had the accident. 

After making them feel welcome, make them feel comfortable. A chair and some refreshments can help. When they are relaxed they can better tell you what they want their vehicle to be. Of course, you could assess it for them, but their opinions matter most. 

Send Regular Updates

Customizing or repairing a vehicle may not be done in a single day. For detailed and bigger jobs, it could take months for them to be completed. Don’t expect your customers to simply wait for you to finish. Eventually, they’ll need updates.

Instead of giving them updates only when they call up, you can inform them that you could provide status updates regularly. You can send these updates as emails or text messages.

Discuss The Timeline

One of the first things that customers would want to know is when they could take home their vehicle. It is best to give accurate estimates according to the extent of work that needs to be done. 

Tell them that you’d still need time to fully assess the vehicle before you can give a more precise timeline. Once you do, then you have to meet that timeline. It would be best to finish earlier than later so be careful with your estimates.