Customer Experience isn't Everything

In the past 30 days, I've been a part of multiple conversations about Mechanics, their abilities, and their challenges. As well as conversations diving deep into the customer experience vs skillset of staff.

Most recently, the deep dive into customer centricity in a Clubhouse room hosted by Peter Smith , The Lion Partnership . His weekly room is "Automotive Innovators and Disruptors". You can find the link in the image below.

What that specific show did was remind me how important it is to provide the best possible service, and follow instructions, as a Mechanic. The quality of our service affects a lot of people, most importantly, the guests. Being able to disseminate what the work order really says, being able to follow those instructions, and performing the services promptly.

If we perform the service slowly, making guests wait for long periods when they shouldn't, it decreases the customer experience, sometimes to the point that the guest won't return.

Granted, a large portion of the "wait" is also due to other factors, but we as mechanics play an important role in the process.

"Waiters gonna Wait", while funny, should not be something we repeat in the shop. It doesn't help anyone, and it will only foster continued negativity on the shop floor.

Writing about the process that Mechanics go through, and getting super granular doesn't seem to have the effect that I'm looking for these days. It tends to yield Mechanic responses like "I do that already", "I'm the fastest in the shop", "I don't have comebacks" and the like.

So, what I thought of doing, is writing about a customer experience, mine, from recent barber visits I've had, to give a little "outside the box" context.

Why?

Mechanics are a lot like Barbers; let me explain.

• Barbers can go to school but don't have to.
• Barbers have specific technical skill sets they need to learn.
• Barbers can be men or women.
• Barbers provide a service that requires the use of their hands.
• Barbers provide a service that requires the use of tools.
• Barbers need to learn skills that improve with practice, "feel", and feedback.
• Barbers can be business owners, or employed by an indy or franchise.
• Barbers make more money by being efficient, and more masterful.

As you can see, we have a lot in common, so let's jump to the experience; and then the context.

These are only 2 examples of Barbers I've tried in the last 6 months, in an attempt to find "my person" that I can trust. Both are examples of owner/operator barbers. Single chair in a business. Both cost within a dollar of each other after service charge, tax, and tip. Both barbers have additional services to offer to improve their gross, but never attempted to upsell, or rather "sell" as my brother Kieran Stack Service101 would say.

Barber #1 Experience

• Didn't stop talking. Felt the "urgency" in his cuts.
• Harsh cut. Was banging the Wahl off my skull constantly.
• Was never gentle with my head, moving me around really harshly.
• Crisp hair lines, period. The hairline was touched up everywhere.
• The beard line lined up to perfection.
• No back neck shave. Just used the E-Razor.
• Incomplete front neck shave. Made the line nice, but didn't finish.
• Used a past, not a hot shaving cream.
• Tented me up to steam my face without warning or explanation.
• They left shaving gel on my beard and ears, and loose hair.
• Took 25 minutes.

Barber #2 Experience

• Super gentle cut. I felt like care was being taken.
• Soft hands. Felt like I was getting a massage.
• Super quiet space. Fell into a relaxed state in the chair.
• Fade isn’t great. Didn’t listen to instructions.
• Lines aren’t crispy anywhere. Including the mustache line.
• Didn’t touch up the hairline at all.
• Full neck shave with hot shaving cream.
• Had multiple “nicks” and didn’t do anything about it.
• Simple and effective hot toweling.
• Took 45 minutes.

What do you take away from those experiences?

Would you go back to either place? Let me know in the comments.

Me, I'll go back to Barber 1, and I have multiple times.

Why?

I ask for a skin fade to #3 on top, with a beard trim, line-up, and shave.

At Barber # 1, that's what I get, and that's what I pay for. Barber #2 didn't give me the service that I asked for, didn't listen to my instructions, and instead gave me a great experience.

Great customer experience only matters if you provide the guest with the service they ask for, in the manner they ask for it.

From a mechanic perspective, the contextual Barber #2 example would be:

• Receive a work order for a synthetic oil change waiter, full inspection, and free fluid top-up. The customer asks for tire pressures to be set at 38psi.
• Instead of expeditiously getting the work done as asked, took too long.
• Instead of setting the tire pressures as asked, set them to 35psi.
• Instead of getting the work done quickly, cleaning the interior.

Learning how to "follow" is the first step to becoming a High-Value Leader as a Mechanic. If you cannot follow, or follow instructions, perhaps you need to look in the mirror and self-reflect. This is one of the first things I talk about in my coaching with mechanics.

The more technically competent we can be, as well as improving our level and clarity of communication, allows us to be dramatically more successful for ourselves on the shop floor AND provides a foundation in which the rest of the team can build an amazing guest experience.

Competency doesn't mean quality experience but you can't have quality experience without competence.

From a Mechanic Leader standpoint, providing your Mechanics with the tools, environment, resources, and soft/hard training will aid in getting your guests the experience that will have them returning over and over again.

If you're looking for ways to improve your shop team virtually, or in person, please, reach out, I can help with that.

j.

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Disclaimer:

The information provided in this article is intended for general informational purposes only and is based on my personal experiences and insights as a mechanic and automotive industry professional. I am not a therapist, doctor, or highly educated analyst. The content of this article should not be taken as professional medical, psychological, or academic advice.

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Please consult with a qualified professional for specific advice tailored to your situation. My views and opinions are my own and do not represent the views of any entity with which I have been, am now, or will be affiliated.