It does not matter what profession you are in, customer service matters. A simple smile can go a long way. The customer doesn’t know how busy or awful your day has been. They don’t know what hardships and pain you are going through. They have come to you for the service you provide and, at the very least, expect a courteous and quick transaction.
As a paramedic, customer service isn’t about giving a discount or a couple extra goodies at checkout. It’s about compassion and kindness in difficult times. It’s about a smile to comfort the unease of the situation. It’s about being the calm in the storm. Sometimes customer service is just about being present.
I have been fortune enough in my career to maintain the compassion needed to have customer service as a paramedic. Tonight, however, I was so appalled by the complete and utter LACK of even a hint of the desire to assist me and my husband at a local car dealership, I won’t return.
Tonight after my husband got home from work we drove to test drive a car at the dealership closest to our house. We slowly drove around the lot looking for a particular car that was showing as available on their website. We parked and went inside. We looked at all the cars in their showroom while clearly showing interest in one car. We opened the doors. We sat in the back seat. We sat in the driver’s seat. We discussed many different things about it within earshot of all the available sales reps. No one so much as smiled at us. Not even the receptionist.
The dealership closed at 8pm. We arrived around 5:30. Maybe that isn’t enough time to do an entire trade in and sell a car but you can get the ball rolling. You can certainly go for a test drive. As we left I anticipated maybe the manager would send someone our way. Nope. Not a soul acknowledged we were even there.
We left. We immediately drove to another dealership about 20 minutes away. In all honesty we weren’t looking to buy their brand new car. We found the same car used, one model year older (2019 instead of 2020), with less than 5,000 miles on it for 20% less but it is a two hour drive away. I wanted to test drive the local car to see if the two hour drive was even worth it.
We pulled into the second dealership and drove around the lot. We found the car we wanted. We parked. Before we even had the doors closed on our current car one of the sales reps, who just happened to be moving cars around the lot and was parked in the spot next to where we parked, asked if we needed help or are just looking. She was kind, approachable without being pushy and overbearing, and she was smiling while she talked. Y’all, she was kind and smiling. I cannot express how important that last part is.
We pointed to the car we were looking at. We talked about our current car and the previous cars we owned. We talked about different models and packages. We talked about what we liked about previous performance cars we’ve owned and why we don’t have them anymore. (Yes, I’m a girl and I know a LITTLE bit about cars and enjoy driving manual transmissions). She gave us the keys to look inside and let us start the car (it sounded so good!). Because the model we were looking at is considered a performance car, she said her manager doesn’t want people taking it for a test drive. As disappointed as I was, I understood. Not everyone can drive a stick shift and not everyone knows how to handle a performance car. Mileage matters to the people who want to buy this car. While we discussed coming back at a later date, she said “I’ll be right back”. Y’all, she came back with a dealer plate and let us take the car on a test drive!
Can I tell you, I want that car. Not the one that’s two hours away and the colour I want. Not the one that costs a lot less. I want the car I drove. She took a chance on me and allowed me to add highway and city mileage to a brand new car. She let me drive the stick shift with a “short clutch” (her words) off the lot. She put herself out there for the potential that I might buy the car. Most of all, she was kind. She smiled. She listened. She even offered to complete the appraisal of our current car and complete the sale right then. By the time we got back after the test drive, it was close to 7:30. They closed at 8. It would probably mean she would be home late. She didn’t make it seem like we were a burden. She made us feel like we mattered. I understand sales reps work for commission but we can schedule a time tomorrow or the next day to come back. She has all our contact information. She knows where we live. She remained kind, personable, and smiling the entire evening. Even on hour 10+ of her day.
I will go back to that dealership. I will go back to see that sales rep. I will spend thousands of dollars on a car that is almost what I want (not the right colour but I will settle). Why? Customer service.
Whatever it is you do for a living, don’t forget the people you serve have no idea what is going on in your life. Just offer excellent customer service and be kind. Smile. Customer service matters.
Oily Minded Medic 