In some organizations, customer service seems to have become something of a lost art. Customer service is becoming a key metric that automakers, OEMs and auto dealership parts personnel are using to evaluate the quality of a remanufacturing service center. When remanufacturing centers take proactive measures to provide the best holistic experience for customers, they are truly embodying the idea of heroic customer service. So, what does heroic customer service look like when it’s practiced authentically in automotive electronics remanufacturing?
Customer Service is About More Than Just Service
For an automotive electronics service center, customer service is about more than just service, it is about the customer. Working with someone who can help to holistically solve a problem is much different than interacting with an order-taker, even if the technical solution ends up the same. In some cases, technical knowledge and familiarity with part numbers ends up helping the right part get into the right hands.
In automotive electronics remanufacturing, there are several layers to each parts order, starting with how how it is ordered and billed. “Customers call in with the dealer code and part number. We ask what’s wrong with the item to see if it’s a warranty, customer pay exchange or outright purchase,” explains Daniel Murillo, Customer Service Team Lead at AER. In this process, customer service personnel sometimes end up finding out that the person is ordering the wrong part.
“It doesn’t happen often, but about 10% of the time, the dealers will look things up in catalogs, and the description is wrong, or they are one line off in the part number they’re looking at,” Murillo shares. For example, a parts professional might describe a problem that indicates they need a satellite module, but they may provide a part number from the the description in their catalog relating to a radio receiver. A good remanufacturing customer service team knows how to identify that discrepancy and correct the order
Daniel Murillo provides a good example, “I remember an order when the customer was ordering a radio, but said the speedometer lights weren’t working.” Rather than just taking the order and sending the radio the customer said he needed, Daniel asked AER’s production manager about the issue. “He said try need to check the wiring and the pins for the cluster, rather than anything to do with the radio.” So, the part the customer thought he wanted was incorrect. Working with a customer service team that cares meant the dealer service department, and the driver, ended up with the right part and a faster fix. Each call is different. Training and teamwork is essential for providing the best service.
How to Cultivate Heroic Customer Service in Remanufacturing
In order to cultivate heroic customer service in remanufacturing, third party service providers must be willing to take the time to develop defined skill sets for higher level managers and CSRs. Here are a few qualities of top customer service personnel in automotive electronics remanufacturing.
- Go Beyond Order Taking. While CSRs receive a basic one-and-a-half to three week training with other seasoned representatives, remanufacturing centers that truly embody the idea of “heroic customer service” go beyond bare bones order taking for their customers. Top customer service personnel, including both CSRs and higher level managers, will make consistent efforts to cultivate meaningful relationships with clients by understanding them both professionally and personally. One way to do this could be by matching customers with one specific CSR or higher level manager who exclusively handles their needs, allowing the CSR or higher level manager to develop a genuine and meticulous understanding of the customer as well as his/her distinct needs, which reduces order time and makes the client feel like more than just a dollar sign.
- Interconnect CSRs with Sales. In order to deliver great customer service to customers, having CSRs interconnected with Sales is essential. The more familiar customer service personnel are with the Sales portion of order processing, the more comfortable and educated they can be providing quick, accurate quotes and other order-related financial information to clients. Top remanufacturing centers that exhibit heroic customer service will facilitate this process for clients because they know the quicker customers can get all facets of their order handled, the quicker they can get back to excelling at their brand’s own core competencies.
AER’s Commitment to Heroic Customer Service
Here at AER, we value honoring our word, which is why we practice what we preach. AER goes beyond order taking by not only knowing what a customer’s distinct professional needs are, but also understanding who the person on the other end of the line is. We also interconnect our customer service personnel with other core business functions to ensure clients have their orders processed expertly and instantly, allowing customers to get back to what they do best as quickly as possible.
