Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/730410
SOLUTIONS 64 • October 3, 2016 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com The customer's perce… the cus- tomer's perce… the customer's perception is your business' reality, reality, reality. Imagine your powers- ports dealership like a band. The parts, sales, service, and finance departments are its members. Their performance, how well they play, dictates if your fans keep coming to see your shows, buying the merchandise you want to sell and telling others what a great band you are. Your customer service index (CSI) scores can be an indicator of what kind of band you've got playing in your dealership, as can your profitability. And one thing that's for sure, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" is a great song coming out of a radio but not a great song coming from your customers. And just satisfy- ing your customers is probably not enough to turn them into loyal fans — fans who wouldn't listen to anyone else. A lot of businesses put considerable credence in CSI scores. They are important in what they convey about how your fans feel your band is playing. Who better to rate your performance than your custom- ers? They can give you a glimpse of what you're doing well and not so well. And in today's retail world, you've got to rock your customer service and wow your customers continually to turn them into loyal fans that keep coming back. And fan loyalty is the ultimate expression of real satisfaction. Your customer service satisfaction mea- surements provide an indication of just how successful your band is in providing products and services at a given time. It's a snapshot. What happens once may or may not happen again, just like opportunities may or may not ever present themselves again. With that in mind, you want to maximize every customer service interaction. Each department in your dealership, whether you like it or not, can influence the sales in another department. Every department can affect every other department's growth, profitability and cus- tomer retention. It's a song that's being played in your dealership right now. Satisfaction can change, just like every- thing else. If you've got a band member that's not playing well, it can make the rest of the band sound poor. When that starts to happen, fans stop listening, and the loyalty goes away, along with the satisfaction. One lackluster performance can get folks thinking, "What happened? They used to be so good." Folks don't like surprises when it comes to expecta- tions or satisfactions. I had the pleasure recently of address- ing a group of dealers about CSI scores and their correlation to their businesses' profit- ability. Not everyone listening agreed on the importance of those scores, or on what type of weight should be placed on what those scores said about their businesses. But here's something I found interesting: When I asked the dealers if they had ever read the questions being asked of their customers by the OEMs, the majority indicated no. Here are a smattering of the questions that your customers are being asked about your dealership. How well is your band playing? Are you ready? Hold on to those air guitars; here we go! Would you return and do business with this dealership again? Has anyone from the dealership reached out to you and thanked you for your business since your last visit? How satisfied were you with your overall service experience? Would you recommend this dealership to a friend? Would you pur- chase another vehicle from this dealership? Why did you decide to do business with this dealership? Did you encounter honest, friendly dealership personnel? Were acces- sories offered at time of purchase? Were all commitments fulfilled? Did you feel welcome at the dealership? Were expecta- tions met? Concerns addressed? Problems resolved? Things done right the first time? Or perhaps this was the last time you'll ever walk through the doors of that dealership because they just don't get it? Perhaps they just don't appreciate your business? Earn your trust? Perhaps what you needed done wasn't done because they just don't listen? Perhaps there are never enough folks to take care of you properly? Truthfully, I would think all of this would have some type of effect on profitability. If your CSI scores can assist in your band playing better, aren't they worth listening to? The song, and the way you play the song, does not always remain the same, nor does it need to. Bands can change members and can change how they play together. Look at the questions your fans are being asked and ask yourself, how would you answer them? PSB Mark Mooney is the principal of Mark Mooney Powersports Consulting, a Santa Cruz, Calif.-based company that works with OEMs and powersports dealers to strengthen dealership performance. A former dealer principal, Mooney has 35 years of industry experience. Contact him at mooneypowersportsconsulting@gmail.com. Is your house band rocking the CSI tune? THINK ABOUT THIS… MARK MOONEY