Mazda Training manual — part 123

Service Communication Advanced – Handout 1

Customer Expectations and Your Duty of Care

3. Active customer contact

Customer Expectations

Your Duty of Care – and Consequences
of Getting It Wrong

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A follow-up call to make sure that they
are completely satisfied with the vehicle
– and immediate resolution of any
problems

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Any problems must be resolved fully

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Reminders for service

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Word these carefully – you can only
estimate when a customer will need a
service, depending on mileage

–

Information on special offers that would
be of benefit to them, based on
knowledge of them

–

Again, give correct technical advice that
does not oversell the need

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Curriculum Training

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Service Communication Advanced – Handout 1

Customer Expectations and Your Duty of Care

4. Appointment scheduling service

Customer Expectations

Your Duty of Care – and Consequences
of Getting It Wrong

–

Immediate and welcoming response on
the phone (including return call if the
department is busy)

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Flexible appointments (morning or
afternoon, for example)

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Good advice over the phone (the likely
extent of the work correctly identified)

–

Do not state the cause of a symptom,
or the work needed to correct it, until
the vehicle has been tested by a
qualified person in the dealership (the
customer may at the very least refuse
to pay for additional work)

–

No surprises (sensible warning of
possible further work after inspection of
problems)

–

Only warn that work is possible, not
definite, until the vehicle has been
tested and inspected by a qualified
person

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Correct information on Courtesy
Services (promises that will be kept)

–

Do not promise services that may not
be available – a customer might, in
extreme cases, claim for such things as
a missed business meeting

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Curriculum Training

Service Communication Advanced – Handout 1

Customer Expectations and Your Duty of Care

5. Personalised reception

Customer Expectations

Your Duty of Care – and Consequences
of Getting It Wrong

–

Professional welcome at the vehicle

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Sufficient time spent by an expert
person, to deal with all needs, using a
professional checklist

–

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Correct and advice on the initial work
required, the inspection needed and the
process to get any extra work done

–

Do not give advice on work needed
unless you are qualified to do so, and
do not give advice until the necessary
tests and inspections have been carried
out by a qualified person

–

No selling of unnecessary work

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Do not suggest that a service or
product is essential when it is merely
beneficial

–

No missing of work essential to meet
safety and legal requirements

–

You must check to approved checklists,
and advise correctly on legal
requirements (for example tyre wear or
damage, failures during annual test,
unsafe mountings for safety harnesses)
– if in doubt, consult your manager

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Curriculum Training

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Service Communication Advanced – Handout 1

Customer Expectations and Your Duty of Care

6. Complete repair order

Customer Expectations

Your Duty of Care – and Consequences
of Getting It Wrong

–

Full explanation of all the work

–

This must be explained clearly and in
writing on the repair order

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Correct and fair identification of what is
under warranty

–

This must be correctly identified – or
the customer may refuse to pay for an
item that you originally said was
covered by warranty

–

Clear and correct explanation of a fixed
price, including parts, labour and taxes,
and agreement before going ahead

–

You must explain the total price – or the
customer may refuse to pay any hidden
extras

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A promise of further contact (and when)
if extra work is found, with agreement
of extra fixed price and timescales
before that work is done

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Never go ahead with work that has not
been authorised by the customer – and
record that agreement – even if they
can only sign for it when they collect
the vehicle

–

Work that goes ahead only if the repair
order is signed by the customer

– As

above

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Curriculum Training