What Do You Think?
05-08-2003, 09:22 PM
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: La Plata, Maryland
Posts: 9,725
BTW where the fock were you????
YTou said we were doing Bennigans at 7:30.
I had the pimp ride
Leslie has had her dads Range Rover for the last five days. I was ready to drive your *** around in style.
Joyce said you and Ray were tunning.
Leslie, Mighty mouth and I went to Unos.
I'm getting ready to kill another 6 of Becks and smoke some funny stuff.
-Dave the Slave.
YTou said we were doing Bennigans at 7:30.
I had the pimp ride
Leslie has had her dads Range Rover for the last five days. I was ready to drive your *** around in style.
Joyce said you and Ray were tunning.
Leslie, Mighty mouth and I went to Unos.
I'm getting ready to kill another 6 of Becks and smoke some funny stuff.
-Dave the Slave.
05-08-2003, 09:36 PM
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,019
05-08-2003, 09:50 PM
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, Ontario
Posts: 2,871
You've probably seen what RP used to have on their website about tech support for something you didn't buy from them. I beleive it was a link to some **** site.
As a manufacturer, we occasionally get someone asking how to make competitors products work, but it is easy to beg off by saying "I've never used one of those, so I can't really help you. Have you called XXXXXXXXX?"
You don't have it that easy. Well, maybe you do. It's not really your responsibility to decide how to handle this. Your name is not above the door. I know it sounds like passing the buck, but your boss has to decide things like this, the image his company presents to the public. If someone is calling you from across the country for help tuning a PFC that you obviously didn't sell him, maybe you need to be able to tell him at the start of the conversation that you have 5 minutes available to help him as much as you can, that's all.
As a manufacturer, we occasionally get someone asking how to make competitors products work, but it is easy to beg off by saying "I've never used one of those, so I can't really help you. Have you called XXXXXXXXX?"
You don't have it that easy. Well, maybe you do. It's not really your responsibility to decide how to handle this. Your name is not above the door. I know it sounds like passing the buck, but your boss has to decide things like this, the image his company presents to the public. If someone is calling you from across the country for help tuning a PFC that you obviously didn't sell him, maybe you need to be able to tell him at the start of the conversation that you have 5 minutes available to help him as much as you can, that's all.
05-08-2003, 09:51 PM
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Wayne, NJ
Posts: 4,837
ok i've done this kind of thing before, and it is something that should be expected by shops.
With the internet nowadays you can get things sometimes like 30+% off of what a standard shop would sell it to you for. When you are able to get a deal like that it is hard to pass up, and you figure since you're willing to pay for the shop to install it then there shouldn't be a problem, you're paying for what you want them to do.
Now the thing most people don't know is most of the profit a shop earns is in the parts themselves. So obviously shops will get peeved when you go "i just bought some samco hoses, can you install them?"
sure the first thing a shop employee or owner might do is go "hell no you didnt buy it from me, i wont install it"
But if you look on the other side of things and lets say you installed those hoses for him and did a ******* killer job, got it back to him earlier then predicted etc. The next time he finds something he MAY just be willing to go straight to you guys order it from you and have it installed by you due to your great service you provided for him previously. Now true some people will continue to buy products and bring them in for you to install, that's when you drop the hint and go like "well ya know we carry/can order that part for you and probably would have had it here for you and installed faster had we ordered it" and hopefully they will catch on.
Either way you're making money so i don't see where the complaint really comes from, if you're worried about how to prioritize the jobs in the shop then let thsoe who come in with their products in hand know that "right now we have an engine being rebuilt so we will have to dedicate most of our time to that since we're only installing your part for you" or something to that effect. Most people expect a negative response when they walk in and simply want a part they have installed so the nicer you let them down or the nicer you tell them the deal the more surprised and better reaction they will give you and your shop.
this business is all about people skills. oh and your shop really should look into get a PR or something to calm the tides a bit lots of people spouting about bad service, with a PR you can come to deals with them that are suitable to both sides and hopefully kill off all the complaints. The one thing you need to realize also when it comes to running a shop is that sometimes it requires that you lose something to be able to ever gain anything (such as money).
that's just form the business side of me, i plan on opening a shop, not in the near future, but sometime close and you have to develop those types of plans and strategies well before the opening day.
kevin.
edity: when it comes to questions about PFC tuning, tell them they can pay $XXX for you to tune and dyno it at the shop but you cant just give away free advice on the product unless it was purchased from you, if it was then give them a few pointers but also let them know dyno tuning is available.
With the internet nowadays you can get things sometimes like 30+% off of what a standard shop would sell it to you for. When you are able to get a deal like that it is hard to pass up, and you figure since you're willing to pay for the shop to install it then there shouldn't be a problem, you're paying for what you want them to do.
Now the thing most people don't know is most of the profit a shop earns is in the parts themselves. So obviously shops will get peeved when you go "i just bought some samco hoses, can you install them?"
sure the first thing a shop employee or owner might do is go "hell no you didnt buy it from me, i wont install it"
But if you look on the other side of things and lets say you installed those hoses for him and did a ******* killer job, got it back to him earlier then predicted etc. The next time he finds something he MAY just be willing to go straight to you guys order it from you and have it installed by you due to your great service you provided for him previously. Now true some people will continue to buy products and bring them in for you to install, that's when you drop the hint and go like "well ya know we carry/can order that part for you and probably would have had it here for you and installed faster had we ordered it" and hopefully they will catch on.
Either way you're making money so i don't see where the complaint really comes from, if you're worried about how to prioritize the jobs in the shop then let thsoe who come in with their products in hand know that "right now we have an engine being rebuilt so we will have to dedicate most of our time to that since we're only installing your part for you" or something to that effect. Most people expect a negative response when they walk in and simply want a part they have installed so the nicer you let them down or the nicer you tell them the deal the more surprised and better reaction they will give you and your shop.
this business is all about people skills. oh and your shop really should look into get a PR or something to calm the tides a bit lots of people spouting about bad service, with a PR you can come to deals with them that are suitable to both sides and hopefully kill off all the complaints. The one thing you need to realize also when it comes to running a shop is that sometimes it requires that you lose something to be able to ever gain anything (such as money).
that's just form the business side of me, i plan on opening a shop, not in the near future, but sometime close and you have to develop those types of plans and strategies well before the opening day.
kevin.
edity: when it comes to questions about PFC tuning, tell them they can pay $XXX for you to tune and dyno it at the shop but you cant just give away free advice on the product unless it was purchased from you, if it was then give them a few pointers but also let them know dyno tuning is available.
05-09-2003, 12:01 AM
#18
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Columbia, MD
Posts: 1,278
I'd say... if you ain't payin' then SCRAM! I get the same **** in my business... (computer ****) tell them that you'd be glad to take a look at it... for a fee... and if they sound cheap point them in the direction of the forums...
it's not called a business for nothing!
it's not called a business for nothing!
05-09-2003, 07:36 AM
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Posts: 421
In my business, we will talk and offer advice to folks that are not patients yet because 9 times out of 10 they will
become patients of my practice because we were so nice to them on the telephone and helped them out.
Greg
become patients of my practice because we were so nice to them on the telephone and helped them out.
Greg
05-09-2003, 08:07 AM
#20
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: My BIG ol TURBO-DIESEL
Posts: 5,181
Another Point:
People are calling for Tech Questions on YOUR PRODUCT, so some guys buys a used PFC/Widget/whatever; and has problems installing it. So IF he calls your shop, looking for advice and you shut him off (Because he didn't purchase the PRODUCT from PFS), then you have alienating a future customer. Plus he goes out on the forums and yacks it up about how YOU (THE PRODUCT DEVELOPER) give LOUSEY customer service. Just something to ponder
People are calling for Tech Questions on YOUR PRODUCT, so some guys buys a used PFC/Widget/whatever; and has problems installing it. So IF he calls your shop, looking for advice and you shut him off (Because he didn't purchase the PRODUCT from PFS), then you have alienating a future customer. Plus he goes out on the forums and yacks it up about how YOU (THE PRODUCT DEVELOPER) give LOUSEY customer service. Just something to ponder