Good customer service is about sending people away happy and drawing them back again.  It's about making them feel important and appreciated.   To me, great customer service is about making the customer feel really well taken care of and sending them out the door with a "wow" on their lips, wanting to share their experience with others.

I experienced great customer service last Friday. My car chose that morning to begin doing some peculiar things and while I am very willing to get in and deal with many things, I don't do car issues. As I was on my way to a coffee meeting, I placed a call to my husband and, in a nutshell, suggested he "deal with it..."  He very quickly called me back and told me he had made arrangements for me to stop by the auto repair shop after my meeting.

I sat in the waiting room at the shop for just a few minutes before Dirk, the manager, came in to talk to me about my car. Unfortunately, it was behaving perfectly for him! Together, we went on a short drive (I was hoping that with me in the driver's seat it would choose to show its true colors) but again, there were no signs of the trouble that had started this whole experience. Dirk then checked the electrical signals and fluid levels and pronounced me well. He also told me that if (when) my vehicle started acting up again, I should come right back in for them to take a look at it.

I left, somewhat frustrated that my car had chosen to selectively misbehave, yet feeling like I had just been enveloped in great customer service. I did not have an appointment and although it was a Friday afternoon and the shop appeared to be busy, they still said to come on in. Quick attention was paid to my situation and I feel a thorough check on potential causes was made. And even though I took up Dirk's time, there was no charge for my visit.

My husband has been taking his car into this shop for a number of years as they specialized in the type of vehicles he drove. Now, however, they are a full-service shop and this is the second time I have been in as well.

It is very clear to me that Northwest Import Specialists, Inc., located in Vancouver, WA, are not only knowledgeable and reliable in terms of their repair service but they also offer great customer service at the same time ... the kind of customer service that makes you feel well taken care of, puts a "wow" on your lips, and makes you want to tell other people about.