Keep in touch!

Congratulations! You’ve provided a customer with top-notch service and achieved your goal of nurturing the “wow” experience, laying the foundation for a lasting business relationship. Good job!

Now it’s time to evaluate the after-sale service you offer to your clients. Does it build upon the positive experience that they have enjoyed so far? Or will a lack of interest on your part or the part of your employees reverse the initial gains you’ve made with the customer?

This is an important aspect of your business to evaluate, because providing high-quality after-sale service is crucial to developing a long-term relationship with your customers.

How you can deliver strong after-sale service

Let’s say a client leaves your shop very satisfied after a repair job has been completed successfully. Perfect – you have surpassed their expectations and the customer has developed a positive impression of your business. Your next job is to make sure that you reinforce this positive impression when they call again with a different problem, or simply need your advice.

“You should always respond in a timely way to customer inquiries,” says Chantal Lamarre, Director General of Carrus. “To keep their experience positive and satisfying, aim to master the services that you offer and make sure that your technicians have the skills necessary to meet all the needs of your clients.”

Lamarre also says that it is very important that you take charge of a customer’s situation in a professional manner. “Reassure the client by explaining to them all the procedures that will be necessary in order to fix their problem, such as booking an appointment, ordering parts, and contacting the customer’s insurance company. After-sale service should never be a discouraging experience for the client - everything should happen in a fluid, efficient way.”

Follow up – it’s essential

The golden rule of after-sale service is to always follow up with the client personally after their problem has been resolved.

“Make sure that the customer is happy. Take notes about the experience and save them in your files. You can do a quick review of their last experience before your next appointment with them and they will be impressed when you remember the details of your last encounter! A company that cares about their customers will always have a much easier time convincing them to remain loyal,” says Lamarre.