Trust is the number one thing customers look for when deciding whether or not they will return to a dealership after a service experience. Virtually everything you and your service team members say and do influences the formation of trust with new or fairly new customers. Some things have a greater impact than others. So here's a quiz. From the list below, can you guess which of the following are the top "Trust Busters" that influence your customer?

• Being placed on hold for more than one minute when calling for an appointment
• Lack of a convenient appointment time
• Poor signage directing them to the service department
• Lack of adequate parking
• An obviously dirty and disorganized shop
• Waiting in the service drive without being acknowledged
• Failure of the service advisor to understand the customer's problem
• Parts for repair were not available
• No alternate transportation
• Feelings that the service advisor is trying to sell something customer doesn't need
• No status report on the vehicle while it is in the shop
• No call to advise when the service is complete
• Paperwork not ready when customer arrives to pick up the vehicle
• Price more than the original estimate
• Vehicle is dirty when returned to customer
• Original reason for coming in was not addressed

Did you guess which of the above "Trust Busters" have the greatest impact on the customer?

While each and every one have some impact, the most significant factors involve time spent waiting, failure of the service advisor to understand the problem, and fixing the vehicle right the first time. But the single most important element to lowering trust has to do with how honest the customer feels the service advisor is.

Keep in mind that "honesty" to a customer is a perception. You can be completely honest and yet your body language, tone of voice, and choice of words could make it appear as if you're not being honest.

Addressing the above challenges requires a change in attitude or culture, new and improved people skills, customer focused processes, and in dealership training by experienced and capable service consultants. Sound like a sales pitch? It is!

Call us today so we can help your team become Trust Builders instead of Trust Busters.