Whilst your staffing levels are reduced managing your customer’s expectations is vital. Maximising the best opportunities at this time will be the difference between dealers that survive and dealers that flourish.
There are some basic principles every business should currently be adhering to and your customers should not have to guess the following:
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO TALK TO SOMEONE?
Let your customers know if response times are taking longer than usual, customers are likely to be understanding if you give them an indication of how long they are likely to wait before hearing back, don’t just ignore them.
ARE THERE ALTERNATIVE CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION?
Can your customers get their info via email or instant messaging? Perhaps you have a digital process you can now take the customer through so they can complete their request without having to wait to hear from someone.
WHAT REQUESTS CAN BE ACCOMMODATED?
Letting your customers know what services will and won’t be catered for right now will re-align a customers expectation of what they can expect to receive from you
IS THERE ANY DOCUMENTATION THEY CAN REFERENCE FIRST?
Make sure customers are aware of options and what the likely outcome will be for them. Many customers ask similar questions, ensure they have as much info via communication channels to save them looking for an answer to a question they have.
The age-old saying of knowledge is power has never been so true. Keep everyone in the loop about what you can or can’t do and manage their expectations so that the customer experience remains positive despite having fewer people to look after them.
