June 29, 2021—It isn't often that newspapers publish accounts of great customer service at a quick lube, but a recent column did just that.
Writing for The Olathe News/Kansas City Star, columnist Stacy Hutton recounted a day in which she found her vehicle in need of quick maintenance on a crowded Saturday. She had one hour to get it done.
Hutton started at the dealership, where she said techs ignored her arrival. She then went to a first quick lube shop, which was busy. A courtesy tech told her it would be a 40-minute wait, so Hutton went for the next nearest quick lube.
Hutton didn't name the shop she ended up at, but it was clear that the techs there turned a skeptical customer into a potential return customer. They went through a courtesy check, pumped A/C into the vehicle, and showed off a clean air filter—no pressure for an unnecessary replacement.
"It occurred to me that I was actually relaxed and smiling a bit. All I needed was some cucumber water and a mud mask to be transported to a tranquil spa experience," Hutton wrote.
Hopefully the shop employees recognize their job well done in the column (Hutton names only the manager, Dwayne), but the rest of the industry should read and take note. What's remarkable about this column is that this wasn't a tale of shops going above and beyond. By this account, the techs did everything by the book, and the customer had a great experience. It's a testament to the model that operators set up and what can happen when it's executed right.
You never know when someone will write a column about his or her visit!
