Posted on 7/11/2023
Critters and car repair Customers coming to an auto repair shop want varying degrees of information. Some customers may want to have an in-depth discussion of the needed repairs with an explanation of what, where and why. Others want their vehicle to be repaired. No explanation needed. I recently took my granddaughter to the Critter Barn in Zeeland. She loves petting the bunnies and watching them hop around. We were fortunate enough to have one of the staff members show us the newborn bunnies and share some information about rabbit genetics and behavior. It was very interesting to me and I appreciated the staff being willing to educate us. However, my granddaughter who is three, just wanted to pet the bunnies. That is what she did while I chatted with the staff member. We both left the Critter Barn with the experience/information that we valued and were satisfied with our visit. The goal when a customer comes in is to ascertain what their level of needed information is, answer ... read more
Posted on 7/29/2015
It's interesting how many customers come in and say, "I don't know anything about cars, but this is what's happening with my car." Back in the old days, if your phone broke, you purchased a new cord, because that's probably what was worn out. Now, when my iPhone isn't working, I call the Genius Bar and make an appointment. I walk in at my appointed time, hand the wonderful Apple employee my phone and say, "It's broken. It won't open when I drag my finger across the screen.” I don't know why. I don't care why. I just want it to work. It's usually something I did and I'll try not to do it again, but no guarantees. In the past, many people had a lot of knowledge about vehicles. Many people performed oil changes, tune-ups and worked on brakes in the garage with their dad. They had a basic understanding of a vehicle’s mechanical systems. When they did have to bring their vehicle in for repairs, they could tell the technician which system was malfunctioning. In my opinio ... read more