Skip navigation

Take the Customer Test

Along with quality products, customers expect quality service from the parts department. Do customers know you and your staff as professionals who will do what you said and when you said you'd do it? Do customers trust you and your staff's judgment? If the customer doesn't know what he or she needs, can they count on you and your staff to help them make the correct choice? When something goes wrong,

Along with quality products, customers expect quality service from the parts department. Do customers know you and your staff as professionals who will do what you said and when you said you'd do it?

Do customers trust you and your staff's judgment? If the customer doesn't know what he or she needs, can they count on you and your staff to help them make the correct choice?

When something goes wrong, do you and your staff treat the customer with understanding while quickly becoming solution based?

Does your appearance, your staff's and the overall look of your parts department reflect professionalism to existing and first-time customers? Who you are and how customers perceive you is as important as the quality of what you sell and how much you sell it for.

Where can you begin in your quest to provide superior customer service?

The first step is a good honest self-evaluation about you and your staff's commitment to quality customer service and willingness to help the customer make the correct buying decision.

One potent and simple way to gauge your effectiveness for delivering top customer service is ask yourself, “If I were a customer, would I do business with me?”

Take this test I developed based on customer service research. As you complete the questions, keep in mind that “service” is the level of customer service provided to customers, not their vehicles. Be honest with your answers.

Gary Naples is a parts consultant to dealers and manufacturers. He's authored two books on parts management. He's at 570-824-1528/[email protected].

YES NO DON'T KNOW
1. Based on your experience with customers, taking a buyer's point of view, would you say you are reliable, doing what you say you will do for the customer when you said you would do it? ____ ____ ____
2. Do you consistently deliver on service promises you made to customers? ____ ____ ____
3. Have your customers increased their effectiveness and profit performance by doing business with you? ____ ____ ____
4. Aside from your business dealings, could you say that most of your customers think of you as a friend? ____ ____ ____
5. Are you responsive; do you do things in a timely fashion with the needs of the customer in mind, not your own? ____ ____ ____
6. Are you effective in helping to solve customer problems? ____ ____ ____
7. Do your actions assure customers that they are doing business with a well-trained, skillful service professional? ____ ____ ____
8. Would you describe your image as one of honesty, and straightforward sincerity? ____ ____ ____
9. Is integrity a most important word in your vocabulary? ____ ____ ____
10. Are you empathetic Do you recognize your customers' emotional state in order to help you determine the best way to effectively and professionally provide service to them? ____ ____ ____
11. As often as possible, would you say you handled customer complaints to their complete satisfaction? ____ ____ ____
12. Does your physical appearance (grooming, dress, personal hygiene) and appearance of work area convey professionalism and organization? ____ ____ ____
13. Would most of your customers continue dealing with you even if a competitor approached them with slightly lower prices? ____ ____ ____
14. Do you view serving customers as the most important function of your job? ____ ____ ____
15. Could you honestly say that your customers receive special benefits from dealing with you that they would not otherwise receive from others? ____ ____ ____
You should have been able to answer the first two questions with a definite, indisputable and irrefutable YES. Otherwise, here's the scoring: Multiply the total YES answers by 10. NO, and DON'T KNOW answers receive no score. If you score 130 or higher, it's your customer's pleasure to do business with you. Scoring 110-120 is commendable, with room for improvement. A score of 100 or less requires immediate attention.
Hide comments

Comments

  • Allowed HTML tags: <em> <strong> <blockquote> <br> <p>

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
Publish