Management Lessons from a Car Wash Guy
Management Lessons from a Car Wash Guy
This guy was amazing. I was speaking at a convention in Washington, D.C. My wife and I decided to rent a car to drive to the Civil War battle site at Gettysburg. Here’s what happened as we entered the car-rental location to pick up the vehicle…
Nothing. We stood waiting in front of the counter for at least three full minutes while the half dozen or so employees behind the counter talked on the phone and ignored us. Then another customer entered and, because we’re standing at a long counter, he doesn’t line up behind us, but beside us. So, now I wasn’t only annoyed, I was worried. Maybe we won’t even get served next. I tried desperately to make eye contact with the employees engrossed in telephone conversation. I was painfully aware that they didn’t know how to juggle a phone caller and a visitor. (By the way, you’ll find the secret in an article I wrote called, “Test Your Telephone Effectiveness.” Download it for free at www.jeffmowatt.com.)
Finally! One employee noticed us, smiled in blissful ignorance of my frustration, and asked with a tone that’s irritatingly perky, “Who was here first?” Turned out the customer standing next to us was a gentleman. He motions toward us and volunteered, “These folks were here first.” I could have kissed him (not on the lips)! We rented their car despite the service.
The next day I returned to the agency’s underground car-rental return area. Remembering the slow counter service the day before, I reminded myself that next time I’d rent from one of their competitors. As I parked the car, the guy who was washing the rental cars walked over and offered to take care of the paperwork. We entered his kiosk. He grabbed a clipboard and casually asked, “How was the rental?” I paused. He’s the car wash guy—if I complain about yesterday’s slow service what’s he going to do about it? I just wanted to get out of there without any hassles. “Fine.” I lied.
That’s where the vast majority of front-line employees would leave it. But he then asked a question that took me by surprise, “Is there anything you think we could do to improve our service?” I paused again. The guy seems to be sincerely interested. Oh, what the heck. So I told him about the experience at the front counter and suggested a way they could improve without hiring more people or working faster. His response was surprising.
He said he loved the idea, apologized for the delay, assured me that he’ll bring it up in their next meeting, and then offered, “If I take ten per cent off the price of this rental, would that be OK with you?” This was the CAR WASH GUY! Him, I kissed on the lips! Not only was that alright with me, but I decided that the next time I had to rent a car, I’d give them another chance.
That was the best example of how to conduct practical customer research I’ve seen. The magic question is not, “How is everything?” That’s just a prelude to the much more useful question, which is, “What do you think we could do to improve our service?” It’s a simple survey that I encourage you to start having your front-line employees conduct on an ongoing basis.
How to ask the magic question
Once you begin asking customers for improvement suggestions at the front line, you need a system for collecting the information. That means creating simple customer-feedback forms—not for the customers to complete, but for the employees who are conducting the surveys to fill in. You’ll also need to create a procedure so that the surveys are completed on an ongoing basis. Of course, I don’t advise asking this question of your regular customers on every visit because it could become annoying. You need to adjust the system to make the question appear to the customer to be a natural, logical part of the conversation.
Fixing problems on the spot
When soliciting customer feedback, employees need to be empowered to handle complaints immediately. The beauty of the car rental example is not merely that the car wash attendant asked a great question; it’s that he had the authority to address the issue on the spot without calling a manager and taking more of my time. One of the goals of the survey is to nip problems in the bud before the customer ends their relationship with the company. That’s why it’s so important that this survey method be tied into training for both managers and front-line employees.
You can use this as a morale booster. When employees start asking customers the question, “What can we do to improve our service?” employees learn that one of their key roles is to become the eyes and ears of the company. That helps them to understand that the company views them as more than just workers. Instead, front-line employees are, in a very real sense, a source of intelligence. Not a bad management lesson from a car wash guy.
Management Lessons from a Car Wash Guy - To learn more about this author, visit Jeff Mowatt's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
If you’re serious about strengthening customer loyalty, consider this management lesson I learned from an odd source - a car wash attendant. It’s an easy customer service concept that may change the course of your business.
This guy was amazing. I was speaking at a convention in Washington, D.C. My wife and I decided to rent a car to drive to the Civil War battle site at Gettysburg. Here’s what happened as we entered the car-rental location to pick up the vehicle…
Nothing. We stood waiting in front of the counter for at least three full minutes while the half dozen or so employees behind the counter talked on the phone and ignored us. Then another customer entered and, because we’re standing at a long counter, he doesn’t line up behind us, but beside us. So, now I wasn’t only annoyed, I was worried. Maybe we won’t even get served next. I tried desperately to make eye contact with the employees engrossed in telephone conversation. I was painfully aware that they didn’t know how to juggle a phone caller and a visitor. (By the way, you’ll find the secret in an article I wrote called, “Test Your Telephone Effectiveness.” Download it for free at www.jeffmowatt.com.)
Finally! One employee noticed us, smiled in blissful ignorance of my frustration, and asked with a tone that’s irritatingly perky, “Who was here first?” Turned out the customer standing next to us was a gentleman. He motions toward us and volunteered, “These folks were here first.” I could have kissed him (not on the lips)! We rented their car despite the service.
The next day I returned to the agency’s underground car-rental return area. Remembering the slow counter service the day before, I reminded myself that next time I’d rent from one of their competitors. As I parked the car, the guy who was washing the rental cars walked over and offered to take care of the paperwork. We entered his kiosk. He grabbed a clipboard and casually asked, “How was the rental?” I paused. He’s the car wash guy—if I complain about yesterday’s slow service what’s he going to do about it? I just wanted to get out of there without any hassles. “Fine.” I lied.
That’s where the vast majority of front-line employees would leave it. But he then asked a question that took me by surprise, “Is there anything you think we could do to improve our service?” I paused again. The guy seems to be sincerely interested. Oh, what the heck. So I told him about the experience at the front counter and suggested a way they could improve without hiring more people or working faster. His response was surprising.
He said he loved the idea, apologized for the delay, assured me that he’ll bring it up in their next meeting, and then offered, “If I take ten per cent off the price of this rental, would that be OK with you?” This was the CAR WASH GUY! Him, I kissed on the lips! Not only was that alright with me, but I decided that the next time I had to rent a car, I’d give them another chance.
That was the best example of how to conduct practical customer research I’ve seen. The magic question is not, “How is everything?” That’s just a prelude to the much more useful question, which is, “What do you think we could do to improve our service?” It’s a simple survey that I encourage you to start having your front-line employees conduct on an ongoing basis.
How to ask the magic question
Once you begin asking customers for improvement suggestions at the front line, you need a system for collecting the information. That means creating simple customer-feedback forms—not for the customers to complete, but for the employees who are conducting the surveys to fill in. You’ll also need to create a procedure so that the surveys are completed on an ongoing basis. Of course, I don’t advise asking this question of your regular customers on every visit because it could become annoying. You need to adjust the system to make the question appear to the customer to be a natural, logical part of the conversation.
Fixing problems on the spot
When soliciting customer feedback, employees need to be empowered to handle complaints immediately. The beauty of the car rental example is not merely that the car wash attendant asked a great question; it’s that he had the authority to address the issue on the spot without calling a manager and taking more of my time. One of the goals of the survey is to nip problems in the bud before the customer ends their relationship with the company. That’s why it’s so important that this survey method be tied into training for both managers and front-line employees.
You can use this as a morale booster. When employees start asking customers the question, “What can we do to improve our service?” employees learn that one of their key roles is to become the eyes and ears of the company. That helps them to understand that the company views them as more than just workers. Instead, front-line employees are, in a very real sense, a source of intelligence. Not a bad management lesson from a car wash guy.
Management Lessons from a Car Wash Guy - To learn more about this author, visit Jeff Mowatt's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
| |||
 |
No article feedback found. | ||
|
Leave Your Feedback | ||
|
|||
 How Long Does it Take for Salespeople to Get it?
| |||
| How to get salespeople to enjoy overnight success! |
|||
|
Its 6 AM and I Cant Stop Reading
| |||
| Psst...did you know there is a secret to writing great copy? Imagine grabbing the interest of potential clients and customers simply by telling a story! Story telling is the key to having readers connect and look ... |
|||
|
Important "Lessons Learned” For Leaders, According To Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach
| |||
| One strategic action that I encourage all my clients to take is to look at any undesired or unplanned outcome of their efforts with a keen eye and a mindset toward identifying the “lessons learned” from the experien... |
|||
|
Homebased and Mobile Franchise Keeps StartUp Costs Low
| |||
| The home-based and mobile franchise opportunities have various facilities. Since they are home-based, the starting as well as running cost is low. Being a mobile van-based business, the franchisee is not required to... |
|||
|
Lessons to Learn From the First Dot Com Boom
| |||
| There are a number of people today making their living from the internet; whether doing it through making $50,000 a year or alternatively through making $5 million a year they are still generating the income that th... |
|||
| |||
Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
|||
Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
|||
Dr. John OdaJohn Oda Ph.D NLP is a business peak performance expert, an author, and speaker frequently called upon to provide corporate training, workshops and seminars for many companies in the United States. He is an expert in coaching sales and business professionals in overcoming the behaviors and obstacles that may impede their sales results and affect their bottom line. Since 1995, John has created a speaking bureau such topics, which include: time management, sales training, human diversity, leadership programs and etc. He provides companies with a strategic plan to increase their bottom line by over 25 percent yearly. - Visit Dr. John Oda's Website |
|||
Bernard ReberBack in late 1992, MS Access hit the streets. About that time the company I managed needed new software to handle their growing client base and I decided to try this new product. I had little difficulty writing and adapting a database to suit us and discovered a hidden talent for programming. A business was born. With business studies and 25 years of management experience in three different countries under my belt, I could offer a unique combination of skills and my customers agreed. From these humble beginnings my software 'invoiceit' emerged in 1999 and has since been taken to 49 states (hello Wyoming, won't you join us?), all across Canada and more than 70 other countries. From the very beginning the program included cashbook accounting, the simplest form of keeping financial business records. The Dictionary.com defines 'cashbook' as "A 'book' in which to record money received and paid out". For 'book' substitute 'simple software' and that's what I'm about. Now I have published Simple Accounting, an inexpensive spreadsheet solution which even you can master. For just $14.95 it costs less than a takeout meal! More at http://www.scrambled-card.com/simple_accounting_main.htm - Visit Bernard Reber's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
 Jeff Mowatt (Visit Jeff's Website) Jeff Mowatt, B.Comm., CSP is an award-winning professional speaker, customer service strategist, and bestselling author of, Becoming a Service Icon in 90 Minutes a Month. His Influence with Ease® column has been syndicated and featured in over 200 business publications including Canadian Manager, HR Reporter, and Commerce and Industry. He has worked with thousands of leaders, professionals, and front-line employees on enhancing the service and sales culture and boosting results with customers. Jeff heads his own training company and his clients include some of the most admired corporations in North America including: Home Depot, Shell Canada, CIBC, and WestJet. The Influence with Ease® approach that Jeff shares with audiences is effortlessly professional. Spiced with humour and dramatic examples, audiences discover how to engender more trust, feel more motivated, and enhance influence with just about anyone. It's powerful, and it's profitable. To obtain your own copy of his book or to inquire about engaging Jeff for your team, visit www.jeffmowatt. com or call 1-800-JMowatt (566-9288).
|  |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
 |
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| ||
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 |
 Personal Leadership Fortune Small Business Performance Emotional Intelligence Eneterprise Readiness Why Business Owners Quit |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Franchising Blogs
Top 50 Franchising Blogs | |
 |
Choose A PR Topic
Press Release Builder | |
| ||
 |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
||||||||||||
