Congratulations, you did it! You successfully marketed your auto shop’s services to your key audiences, and a valued customer has chosen to come to you with their repair needs. Nice work!
Unfortunately, the hard work doesn’t end there. After someone purchases a service from your shop, it’s important to create an open line of communication and establish a healthy relationship in order to keep them coming back for all of their auto needs. In fact, the point of first purchase is arguably the easiest step in your customer’s journey--now that they’ve worked with you, you need to make sure that their experience was pleasant and keep them coming back.
Customer satisfaction is an important step in this process. By asking your customers what they thought about their experience, you can manage and optimize your service, encourage repeat business, and establish your business as a place that cares about the people who do business with you.
How do you create this line of communication? And how do you make sure that it is an opportunity, and not an annoyance, for both you and your consumers?
The answer: creating a customer survey that makes your customers feel heard and provides you with valuable information. With more than 71% of marketing managers reporting that they rely on customer satisfaction surveys to monitor their efforts, it’s not enough to put out a generic survey -- you’ve got to ask the right questions.
Here are a few we questions we recommend that you ask in your auto business’s survey:
7 Questions You Need to Ask in Your Customer Satisfaction Survey (And Why)
1. Did you find what you were looking for today?
Why: When creating a customer satisfaction survey, it’s crucial that you determine whether or not your customers understood the services and products that your business provides. If not, you may have a messaging problem on your hands that needs to be fixed right away.
2. Did our services meet your expectations?
Why: Auto service can be stressful for many people. Use your customer survey as an opportunity to gauge whether or not your team did a satisfactory job of providing the services that your customers came in for.
3. Was our staff friendly and prompt?
Why: In the car industry, your staff is the face of the company. They interact one-on-one with customers much more than in many other industries. Customer service should always be a top priority for every employee.
4. Did our staff do a satisfactory job of explaining the services rendered?
Why: The sad truth is that most American drivers are wary of auto repair shops. It’s an unfair stereotype that auto shops are out to swindle customers out of hard-earned money, and you should be on the defensive (that is, actively trying to disprove this) at all times. Make sure you’re doing so by using your survey to understand whether or not your staff is prioritizing customer service over “making the sale”.
5. Did you use any coupons, discounts, or rewards when paying for your service today?
Why: You’re putting a lot of time and energy into marketing your business--make sure that it’s paying off by asking customers to report their savings in your survey.
6. Would you like to be added to our email/mail/call list to receive information about upcoming specials, deals, or other savings opportunities?
Why: After a purchase, it’s important that you prioritize the continuation of the relationship. Always use your customer satisfaction survey as an opportunity to enroll customers in loyalty programs, add them to email lists, or otherwise capture their information. That way, you can market future opportunities to them and keep them in the loop.
7. Will you be returning to us for your next auto service?
Why: Let’s cut to the chase: after the first experience with your company, a customer likely knows whether or not they want to repeat the experience. Now is your time to find out whether or not they want to return--and asking directly in your survey will give you the opportunity to either offer a sincere thank you or follow up about a poor experience.
Do you need help managing your marketing efforts, capturing leads, and keeping your customers loyal? Our marketing communication platform, rewards program, customer portal and review management system can help you increase satisfaction at your autoshop and keep your customers coming back to you for all of their service and repair needs. Learn more about what we can do for you by clicking here or schedule a demo by clicking below.
