It is essential that your service advisors are working for your business, as they are the dealership’s brand in the eyes of your customers. Considering their varied role, and the multiple demands on their time, in addition to shrinking margins, and growing competitive forces throughout the market, it can be a challenge to keep them at the top of the service game.
Here, we will look at the reasons Service Advisors don’t always offer a SafeTstop test – even though it may be in the customer’s best interest. We’ll look at some solutions to the problem, that your Service Advisors will find comfortable and easy. The happy customer who has a SafeTstop test on their vehicle will come back to your dealership, and tell their friends, too.
The SafeTstop test is a clear, accurate test on a vehicle that gives us a picture of all the contact it has with the road – essential for safety – and it’s a great help in diagnosing problems. It includes a printed report, with photo proof of the test being done on THAT customer’s vehicle, with date and time. It backs up the need for work on their brakes or the need for a wheel alignment. So why not offer the test to the customer? It’s valuable, there is a fair price on the test, and you give the customer the report to keep. So, what’s the problem?
Let’s look at the challenges in offering the test….. do your Service Advisors feel they need to be pushy? They don’t have to! By simply offering the test, they give the customer a choice. Why not give them the information they need to make a good decision? Shouldn’t we give them the choice to have a safer car? Simply asking a couple of questions, such as, “We can perform a safety check on your car today which will tell us if your brakes are all working. Is there any reason you would not want that test?”, or “We can test your brakes, tyre drag and suspension today, to make sure your car will stop in an emergency. It costs $___ and we will be able to give you a printed report of the results. Shall I go ahead and arrange that?” can reassure your customer that they are being offered a complete safety service. There is nothing pushy about asking a question. As we all know, a happy customer is one who feels they are involved in the process and decisions – happy customers are those who feel heard.
Customers love to be informed, and they want to trust you and your business. A SafeTstop test includes a printed report – a perfect opportunity for the Service Advisor to involve the customer in a discussion about their car. Questions can be answered about braking, about tyre wear and about wheel alignment, as well as suspension. The test report has easy-to-understand graphics showing brake performance, tyre drag and suspension performance. Such an easy way to build trust with a customer – even for a brand-new Service Advisor! The test report is always a conversation-starter when a customer collects their car, and because the customer keeps the report, it helps build trust.
When a customer’s vehicle needs extra work, it is incredibly helpful to be able to show them the before and after SafeTstop test. The problem becomes very clear when a Service Advisor can show a customer the FAIL and then the PASS on the SafeTstop printouts, and helps them explain what the problem was and why it needed repair. We all like to deal with an honest business, and it’s very handy to be able to give customers the “before and after” test reports to take home.
You know exactly how important the results of the SafeTstop test can be – a vehicle can pass an RMS road brake/roadworthy test, and still have a wheel that is completely without brake function. To protect your business, it makes sense to put every vehicle you service over the SafeTstop, because the test results are stored, and can be recalled if ever you need proof the vehicle was safe when it left your workshop. This is reason enough to be certain your Service Advisors are offering a SafeTstop test to every customer. Protect your business!
Against a backdrop of skill shortages, a competitive Australian labour market and the work ethic of Generations X and Y, dealership management faces the challenging task of attracting talent, maximising the team’s performance and retention of that talent. SafeTstop can help you with many of these issues. Work with your Service Advisors to give them the words and the understanding to use SafeTstop – it will build trust and provide a better service to customers. Recruitment and staff development is time-consuming but essential if strong performance is to be maintained and an engaged and sustainable dealership culture built. Your staff are the key to long-term results.