Would you go to a Doctor who never looked at you and stated “You are now 55 and due for our Heart bypass and Chemo program. Would you like us to perform these today while we have you here? I see in your history we have not done these to you yet.” If you think about your Doctor visits most approach the client having the nurse check your weight and blood pressure then perform a question and answer period with the client before the Doctor even comes into the room. The office would call the day before the appointment and remind you of your commitment to be at the Doctors office at a certain time the next day. Follow up appointments are made before you leave by a staff member and a card given with the appointment information on it. These methods are used to best utilize the Doctors time and provide proper customer care. As the Doctor looks at the patent a list of recommendations is made including tests that are needed and medications that should be taken to correct the medical concern. You then would be given treatment options depending on your particular individual needs for consideration. A good Doctor always makes the patient feel they are important and takes the time to answer all questions. If you have a pet you understand the same practices are performed as the doctor with support staff saving the Doctors time to be with the beloved pet. As you might expect some treatments are declined that the Doctor would recommend yet generally professional care develops trust to proceed with all recommendations. The staff understands the value of the Doctors time and sets out on their mission to utilize it as a precious commodity. A well run Doctors office is a master of scheduling and values the patents time as much as the Doctors. Are the concerns much different then we face everyday in our Service departments? Surly we must look at this comparison and believe changes need to be made in how we provide customer care in Service departments. Would a Doctor’s staff person remain employed stating they did not have the time to check blood pressure or the patient’s weight this time? Would it be acceptable to not place calls to confirm appointments the next day? Would Management deliberately under staff the office believing they are saving money? It is way past time for Dealerships to put into place proper processes and procedures to provide customer care for are clients. In these days when sales departments are challenged with razor then margins and dependant on the latest rebate program Fixed Operations must carry a larger load. Every department must be a strong profit center and focus into customer needs. The measurement of customer satisfaction will be highest in Service departments that stand apart and develop a Doctor’s care attitude for our clients. Make your service department stand apart from your competition and invest in training and staffing to develop professionalism in everything they do. The car Doctor is now in!