Car Dealership Customer Service Tips
Maybe you’re dissatisfied with your new car, or maybe with the dealership that sold it to you. Whatever it is, you’re left unhappy with your recent experience buying a car, and feel like the customer service you received was below par. Yet despite your efforts, you can’t seem to make your voice heard and get your problems resolved. Here’s how to get the best service possible from your local car dealership.
The first place to start looking for a solution is at your local car dealership. They’re the ones in the best position to take care of your problem, and the ones most motivated to do so. Local dealerships know that providing good service and creating trust is the best way to create a lifelong customer. Statistics have shown what car dealers and manufacturers know from experience, which is that providing excellent service and solving customer problems achieves what advertising only tries for, which is to create a satisfied and faithful customer.
But before your local new car dealer will help you, they need to believe that you’re going to be a good future customer. It’s much easier for a dealership to justify helping you (especially if it costs money) if they believe they will earn that money back in the future. The best way to convince a dealership you’re going to be a good customer in the future is to show them you’re a good customer now.
You can show the dealership you’re a good customer by being nice to the dealer’s employees. While it might make you feel better to yell or be rude, nothing will hurt your cause more than a group of employees at the dealership that hate you. If you want to get what you want, give them a reason to like you and want to help you. “Kill em’ with kindness” and you will prove you’re a customer worth saving.
While being pleasant will help you get what you want from your local dealer, working with the dealership’s General Manager (GM) will help you just as much. GM’s have the full backing of the manufacturer and they have the power to do just about anything to solve a customer service complaint. Keep in mind that many dealership general managers are powerful enough to get senior manufacturer sales executives on the phone at any time - they’re absolutely capable of getting the manufacturer to do something for you. They are also usually experienced professionals that know how to help. Make sure you ask to speak with the GM when you have a customer service problem.
If for some reason your GM is unable to help, try the manufacturer’s customer service hotline, the number for which can be found in the owner’s manual. You may also want to call the manufacturer’s regional office. They will probably simply refer you to the service hotline, but there is a chance you could speak with a regional executive. Keep coming back to the manufacturer and dealership, and you’ll get your problem solved.
To recap, your search for a solution to your customer service problem begins at your local new car dealership. Remember to speak with the general manager! If neither dealership nor GM can help you, call the national customer service hotline and the regional office. Always be nice and polite to everyone you speak to along the way. In the end, your persistence will pay off, and you’ll end up with a solution to your problem, and the best customer service possible.
