BYS 12/30/23 ๐จ Fixing The Right Problem
You're an expert and adept at identifying a myriad of issues that your abilities are able to repair for your clients.
But don't get so wrapped up in solving all the issues you identify that you forget to fix the original problem your brought your customer to you in the first place.
Focus in on the right problem today's Big Yellow Sticky...
Did you fix the customer's problem?
Did you solve every problem except the one your customer brought to you?
I just got back from picking up my vehicle from a local repair center and I'm not happy. Overall I trust this auto repair group and have been taking my vehicles to them for years, but today I am more than a little upset.
It's starting to turn to winter weather where I live in Ohio and on the day I needed heat in my car, it wasn't working. It just blows cold air out of the vents and that is going to become a issue as the temperature continue to drop -- so I dropped the vehicle off to my friends at [name removed to protect the innocent] auto repair and explained the issue.
The next day I received a call from the manager listing several issues they found that need addressed, one that I understood would resolve the heating issue and two others that sounded like they would prevent bigger issues from occurring in the future. This service provider has earned my trust in the past, so I agreed to move forward with all the repairs and let them keep the vehicle any extra day to complete the work.
They replaced the radiator (which was supposed to fix the heating issue), along with providing a new battery because they spotted issues that told them it was on it's last legs, and did an oil change because it was past due. Today I paid them a princely sum for their work and picked up the vehicle to drive it home.
You know what didn't work?
The fricking vents were still blowing cold air!!
Are you solving the problems your customers bring you to repair?
I certainly appreciate the fact my repair guys spotted other items that need addressing in advance of them becoming serious issues that require attention in the future, but when they don't fix the original problem that brought me to their shop in the first place it upsets me and makes me doubt their skills and abilities. You're not a genius because you told me I needed a new car battery -- you're a valuable resource because you solve the priority problem I brought to you AND you saved me a second trip because you told me I needed a new battery.
Fix the problem your customer brings to you first and then make suggestions for other things you can help them with. Prioritize your customer's needs first and save everything else for later.
I have to go now because I need to schedule a second appointment to fix my first priority.
See you tomorrow with a brand new Big Yellow Sticky...