My wife and I just celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary with a weekend getaway that included a stay aboard the Queen Mary Hotel in the port of Long Beach. We had a wonderful time, and yet there were enough small annoyances that we filled in the paragraph sections of “CSI Survey” and sent it in. Of the items we encountered, each one was related to poor communication on the part of the staff and/or literature to us.

In the dealership, failure to communicate properly can result in negative SSI and CSI. Good communication starts at the top and filters down to the customer. Here are just a few of the examples we encountered:

- All the brochures on-line and throughout the hotel pictured refurbished staterooms. Though a nice room, ours was not yet refurbished and looked nothing like the pictures so we were disappointed.

- Our voucher for the ferry to Catalina Island said nothing of an arrival or boarding time and we were not told by the staff to be there 30 minutes early (it was only a 5 minute walk from our hotel). So we were not allowed to board and had to take a later ferry.

Example from Finance

Customers are often surprised and unprepared for the little things that happen after they leave the dealership with their new car. For example:

- Decline letters arrive from lenders who didn’t approve the deal, even though at least one lender did approve it.

- In some states, a 10 day letter or other form of “protection” is sent out by the dealer to explain the dealer’s right of rescission.

- The payment book from the lender doesn’t arrive before the first payment is due.

Communication break down can occur directly with the customer or from department to department. A lack of communication processes and skills can cost you in lost business (we will not stay at the Queen Mary Hotel again) or in negative publicity.

We can provide you with training and resources to improve your customer communications. Contact us today about providing customer communication skills training to your dealership team.