Customer Service in a Crisis - Engine Builder Magazine

Customer Service in a Crisis

The world is collectively trying to manage a health crisis, and families and businesses are suffering. Quality customer service has never been more important to your business. Your customers need to feel taken care of, now more than ever.  

Unlike events that affect a single customer, a crisis affects many, if not all of your customers, and requires public communication wherein your team speaks in a single voice. Creating a well-documented and efficient crisis management process means accounting for all scenarios, gathering input from all relevant stakeholders, and defining how and when to communicate with customers as a cohesive unit. Just as important as the plan, is a team that’s trained to implement it and hold themselves accountable. 

We all know customer service is often the first line of defense when it comes to a company’s reputation. In times of crisis, your customer-facing staff can also be the most important.  

Communicate With Customers 

One of the best ways to build confidence and trust during difficult times is to proactively communicate what’s happening and how you are reacting to it. This lets your customers know that you’re on top of the situation. Provide updates to any process changes and respond to any inquiries in a timely fashion. Alternatively, poor communication can destroy trust you may have previously earned. No news is generally not considered good news if a customer is awaiting an answer to their question, claim or issue.

Prepare and Care 

In the initial stages of a crisis, it can be a scramble for your front-line staff to understand what’s happening and how to respond. As soon as possible, one or more people need to step out of the queue to focus on enabling the rest of the team. 

Prepare clear, concise messaging and share it promptly with all customer-facing employees. Detail the current impact of the crisis on your business, if any, outline any process changes and set expectations for when information will be updated. 

Whatever shared inbox or help desk system you use, it likely offers features to allow for faster, more consistent service, and that extra help is critical in a crisis. Take those prepared messages and move them into your customer service software. Saved replies should generally be broken down into logical pieces so that your customer-facing employees can combine only the relevant sections into a personalized answer for the customer. Be sure to give your template messages a useful name, something like “COVID-claim,” that helps you quickly find them when you need them. 

Avoid Public Tongue Lashings 

In the past, frustrated consumers may have groused about their situation to family and friends, maybe even vowed never to use the offending shop/business again, but it very rarely went any further than that. Now that we have the internet, one disgruntled customer has the ability to magnify their voice hundreds of times over.  

Shops must take all steps necessary to maintain their reputation. An open ear and a sympathetic tone may be all it takes to resolve the vast majority of consumer-related issues. Above the doorway to every shop should hang a sign that reads simply, “Remember the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you would like to be treated.” Keep that in mind, and your chances of minimizing a customer’s stress, rather than adding to it, will improve greatly – and so will your reputation. 

Service Remotely 

Now is the time we are all testing our IT infrastructure. Entire companies are now working offsite. 

Obviously, this is a different scenario for engine and machine shops, as they need a certain amount of folks in the physical shop to perform work. However, maybe there are scenarios for having those customer facing employees working remotely and keeping customers out of the shop unless they’re there for drop off and pick up of goods.  

Having this kind of plan in place is another way you can put customers at ease about any uncertainty regarding your shop’s business or processes during a crisis. 

Imagine being able to tell your customers that you were ready for a potential crisis and there will be no reduction in your ability to get their job finished. 

I recommend being productive during this downtime and not only stabilizing but improving your infrastructure and processes so that if you weren’t prepared this time around, you will be next time. EB

You May Also Like

Utilizing Instagram

“When we started, we had no business at all… that’s when I started using Instagram,” Yaghoubian says. “Back then I didn’t know a lot about social media, but it works for business really well, and especially the automotive industry on Instagram.”

The Industry has changed, so should you.

“One picture I posted got 7,600 likes, it reached 112,000 people, I got 982 profile visits from that post, 758 people saved it, and 208 people sent it to other people,” says Aaron Yaghoubian, owner of Arlington Machine in Riverside, CA, talking about an Instagram photo he shared in August of an Evo 8 short block project. “You can’t beat it. Some engine builders are over here crying, but they don’t want to use something that’s free. They have the device in their hand, now download the app and do it.”

Higher Revving Education

We’ve all seen the ads in magazines and online for schools, classes and seminars on tuning an ever-increasing number of engines and even transmissions in today’s cars and trucks. The better ones will include the use of a chassis dyno to show real-time results of the step-by-step methods they teach.

Chassis vs Engine Dyno

We spoke with a couple shops that utilize both dyno types to get their take on the advantages, disadvantages and reasons to have one over the other or both.

Tradeshow Season

While the rest of the world tends to slow down in the fourth quarter, our industry is starting to rev up. That’s because it’s tradeshow season, and the excitement for next year is always palpable!

OE Parts vs. the Aftermarket

Many of your customers believe that OEM parts are better than aftermarket parts. We wanted to dispel some of the myths once and for all. Without getting into the mud about which brands are better. It is important to note that not all parts are created equal, and this includes both aftermarket and OE replacement parts.

Other Posts

SEMA Announces Health & Safety Requirements For 2021 Show

Based on current COVID-19 indicators and trends in Clark County, Nevada, attendees at the 2021 SEMA Show can expect that face masks will be required while indoors during the event taking place November 2-5, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada. SEMA Show organizers will adhere to the safety measures that are required by state and local health

AAPEX and SEMA Announce Health & Safety Measures

AAPEX and the SEMA Show, the two events that make up the automotive aftermarket industry’s premier trade gathering during the first week in November, have released information regarding health and safety measures for their respective events in Las Vegas, Nevada. Related Articles – Mazak Joins Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute – Holley Announces 2024 Flagship Events

Mazak’s New MPower Customer Support Program

With the launch of its new MPower customer support program, Mazak customers gain fast and accurate replacement parts ordering and service scheduling along with direct, real-time access to Mazak for a multitude of support benefits. Those include technical service through the company’s Remote Assist Services and on-demand training with its Learning Management System in addition

Craig Morrison of AME Has Passed Away

The hot rodding world lost one of its rising stars as Craig Morrison, 46, passed away unexpectedly on June 13 due to complications from COVID-19. Related Articles – Dayco Begins Full-Scale Belt Production in Mexico – Cummins Announces Next Gen X15 Diesel Engine – Hendrick Motorsports Partners with GROB Systems Born in Tacoma, WA, Craig