Dale Carnegie, the author of “How to Make Friends and Influence People,” said, “90 percent of all management problems are caused by miscommunication.” Everyone reading this article can think of at least one time (or maybe one time a day) when miscommunication created a problem at the dealership or at home. The following are best practices to reduce issues that arise because someone didn’t know what you meant.
Communicate With Co-Workers
Think before you speak, and speak with the desired action in mind.
If you haven’t clearly defined what you want to say, wait until you can be concise before you speak. If you are rambling or adding unnecessary words, you are confusing the situation, and the listener may not hear the intent of your words.
An example of unclear intent: “When you get a chance, can you see how many titles we’re waiting for from trade-ins?” Well, who knows when he’ll “get a chance” and who knows what he’ll do with the information? For the desired results: “Tom, before lunch could you give me a list of how many titles we are waiting for and how long it’s been since they were paid off?” Clear instructions along with a deadline will ensure you won’t want to strangle Tom at the end of the day when you realize you never got the requested information.
Just because we know what we want to say doesn’t mean the listener understands. We can be the most succinct speaker, but if the other person (or people) isn’t listening, we are just wasting time. For complex conversations and instructions, ask the listener to repeat back to you what needs to be done and then clarify any misunderstandings.
Educate the Customers
For your customers’ sake, every dealership employee should know that the customers don’t deal with the same things they do, so the customers have no way to know how long it usually takes to get a license plate. Keep in constant touch with customers to encourage them to ask you questions instead of broadcasting their concerns over the internet.
You help your customers when you eliminate dealership acronyms and jargon. Our “secret language” could end up confusing and alienating customers. Think about a Body Shop Estimator reviewing an estimate with a customer. We have a DRP agreement with your insurance company, we’ll R & R this and here we’ll R & I, we’ll use aftermarket parts, etc. We have an agreement with your insurance company so you’ll have no worries. For the fender, we will replace it with a new one and we’ll remove the bumper when we paint the vehicle and reinstall it. Your insurance company wants us to use generic parts, not ones produced by your vehicle’s manufacturer. When we drop the jargon, we provide the customer with a more comprehensive explanation.
Communicate with Customers
You can learn a lot from the internet; you can really learn a lot from Google Reviews. I saw that most of the dealership complaints came from miscommunication or no communication between the customers and the employees.
When you practice concise communication skills and hone your listening skills you will experience fewer mistakes, and have happier employees and customers.
“I bought a used car a week ago and still don’t have the license plates I paid for.”
This comment shouldn’t have even been a complaint; nevertheless, it was. Even if the salesperson had told the customer how long it could take to get the permanent license plate, it doesn’t mean the customer remembers. According to Google “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” is the most widely read pregnancy guide in America. It provides the reader with answers to questions they may not know they have. Think about a Q & A Guide for your customers: “What to Expect When You Buy a Vehicle”. Based on the most common questions, common issues could be explained in an easy-to-read (Q & A) format. The sequels could be “What to Expect When Bring Your Vehicle In for Service”, or “What to Do In Case of an Accident”.
“Poor customer service. I tried calling them like 20 times. Left message, no one called back.”
When I call dealerships to speak with the department managers I’m in the same situation as the customers, after four rings I get frustrated and I hang up. It doesn’t take a genius to see if dealerships want more customers – Answer the Phones. If I hang up, imagine someone who is calling you – to BUY from you – who gets put on hold, whose call is transferred from person to person, and/or has to leave an unanswered voicemail message. The only solution to this communication problem is to Answer the Phones and at the very least follow the Parts Department’s response, “Parts, could you hold please?”
Sometimes you just need a 2×4 to fix a problem (just kidding – sort of) such as these two Google Reviews revealed:
“I was looking for a used truck and found one here. The salesman that waited on me was too concerned about his phone to help me…”
“My salesman was very laid back and seemed to have no motivation in selling me the vehicle, and he couldn’t have cared less if it was me or the next person in line.”
All the communication in the world can’t fix the lazy or the unmotivated but it can put people on notice that you “expect better” or, just to be clear, at “Paradise Motors the policy is that when an employee is with a Guest/customer the employee does not look at his or her phone. All of our customers are to be shown the same courtesy we would like to be shown in the same situation—understand?”
When you practice concise communication skills and hone your listening skills you will experience fewer mistakes, and have happier employees and customers.