Friends! I have been actively promoting the work of car service centers with clients over 5 years, I conduct training courses, teach how to make customers sign up for T&E, so that "receptionists/consultants" do not work in the mode of "free help desk". All would be good, but after training you need to control the work of receptionists, monitor compliance with the stages of negotiations, scripts, intonation. If there is no control and stimulation of personnel, there will be no long-term result.
The essence of training is to teach how to sell services and record clients for service, i.e. you need to control the conversion of calls into recordings.
How to do it?
The working option is to make the "receiver" after the conversation to perform the classification of the call.
"Targeted" - when the customer was interested in services, parts,
"non-target" - other calls.
Resulting - "signed up"
"missed" - "didn't sign up."
Missed also need to be qualified by types - "P" - "postponement" (call back later, thinks until tomorrow and other postponed decision), "O" - refusal (refused).
Such qualification or "classification" of calls is possible in CRM.
Thanks to the classification of calls, the head of the service station can get the calculation of the conversion of calls into the record for maintenance and repair, which determines the quality of work with incoming calls of a particular specialist of the reception.
Having personalized indicators of conversion of calls into record or even into a visit can financially motivate the "receivers" to work qualitatively with calls on the phone, which is undoubtedly of fundamental importance for the effectiveness of marketing and utilization of service stations.
In addition to the classification of calls is very important issue of evaluation of negotiations in terms of implementation of all stages of the sale, compliance with the scripts in their presence. After all, it is compliance with the stages of sale on the phone is the key to successful negotiations with the client.
Until now, it was done by a separate specialist or the head of the service station selectively.
The percentage of such a sample is usually minimal, and therefore the reliability of the sample leaves much to be desired.
What to do?
I want to rejoice you, to help us came "speech analytics"!!!
Remember "Alice" from Yandex - it recognizes your speech and quite well, as well as voice bots and services.
Speech analytics (voice analytics) is a convenient service for analyzing calls. With its help, speech is recognized, converted into text and evaluated according to important indicators for the company.
You don't need to listen to calls anymore, the program studies dialogs between employees and customers by itself. Connect speech analytics and increase sales and service level in your company.
The dialog is transcribed through two channels: the client's speech and the operator's speech separately. This allows you to determine the occurrence of certain important events during negotiations.

Voice analytics service searches and studies calls with the help of ready-made dictionaries.

Specially selected words and expressions allow to evaluate telephone conversations according to various criteria:
- Customer dissatisfaction
- Repeated calls
- Remarks to the operator
- Bugs, glitches, etc.
- Compliance with the stages of negotiations (greeting, establishing contact, identifying needs, presentation, inducing to record, working with objections, summarizing.
- Existence of the result (record for T&R) or lack thereof
- identification of problem dialogs, complaints and dissatisfactions
- identification of "parasite" words
- whether the seller offered to install spare parts at your service station
- automatically sort all calls by types of customer requests (by types of services they asked for)
- other (in fact, the possibilities are endless, you just need to formulate the task).


Simply put, now you don't need to listen to conversations and analyze them, the speech analytics service will do it.

OPTIONS FOR APPLYING SPEECH ANALYTICS ON THE TABLE
Application #1. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your receptionists, including those in the sales department.
Application #2. Use transcripts of conversations of the best "receivers" for employee training. Newcomers will see what techniques help to close a request for MRO record or a request for spare parts in sales. The transcripts can be printed out and given as a training aid for home training.
Application #3. Evaluate the effectiveness of scripts using speech analytics. There are times when a manager deviates greatly from the script and still exceeds the sales plan. This indicates that the current script is ineffective. Analyze the successful techniques of employees and include them in the script. And delete the phrases that do not promote the client to purchase.
Application #4. Check whether employees tell customers about new promotions. A special dictionary will help: if a manager has spoken the terms of the promotion, the speech recognition center will mark the conversation with a special tag.

Application #5. You will be able to quickly close conflicts. If a manager has a fight with a client, it will be reflected in the tags. The head of the service station or the person responsible for quality will immediately listen to the conversation and call back the dissatisfied customer: apologizing and offering a discount or a gift will prevent a bad impression of the company. Later you can analyze the conflict situation on the basis of the conversation recording.
Application #6. The recordings will reveal the reasons for refusing deals.
Application #7. When sales are down, the service and marketing departments blame each other. The former complain about untargeted leads, while the latter complain about the inability to sell service station services. Resolve the dispute by analyzing the calls.
Application #8. Protect the company from information leaks. If a specialist discloses trade secrets, the program can detect it

OTHER APPLICATIONS
I think that with the development of technology, car services will get a voice service that will not only analyze other people's calls, but also answer the questions "how much is the cost of work or spare part", "make an appointment for maintenance and repair" while the program will not miss the stages of the sale, "remember" the current promotions, bonuses, advantages of the service station, warranty and so on.
Now let's move to the practical plane.
Are there any service stations in Belarus that already use such a service? The answer is "yes".
Is the service available (financially) for small service stations? The answer is "yes, it is available".
How to start using this service?
- For qualitative analysis of negotiations you need stereo (two-channel) recording of negotiations, i.e. you need a virtual or physical PBX with stereo recording of negotiations.
- CRM (not obligatory, but desirable for qualification of calls and leads)
- voice analytics service

Alexander Vizavitin (business coach)
"School of car service "SERVICEMAN".
I offer you to train your staff to sell services of service stations by phone, you will be able to increase the volume of records for maintenance and repair in times.
Learn more about the course "Conversion of calls to record" or "Work with appeals. Sales of car service center services over the phone" read below....

Discouraging amounts of money to invest in an auto repair shop? How is it possible, for what purpose? Has a new concept been found for an old business?
Friends, it's startup time all over the world. We are used to the idea that highly profitable startups are on the level of new technologies and IT. Is this true? Can a car service, for example, become a high-growth startup? It turns out it can! What is the secret?

You and I are used to talking about investments in car service in tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes dealers talk about hundreds of thousands. But we have never talked about 50 million, let alone a billion...
Car service is not a new service, it appeared when the first cars appeared. What new can be invented to show a huge growth of business to attract the investment company Tiger Global with assets of 125 billion dollars (as of 2022)?
Actually - nothing out of the ordinary, it's just that GoMechanic aims to make car ownership simple and convenient for everyone.
And what are the inconveniences and pains of owning a car in today's world?
- Loss of mobility when your car breaks down
- The need to waste time driving to and from service stations
- expensive repairs
- Unstable quality of repairs, low confidence in the service
- Lack of specialized technical knowledge, hence the need for a technical consultant in case of anything.

GoMechanic is the brainchild of Kushal Karva, Amit Bhasin, Rishabh Karva and Nitin Rana - four friends who realized that there had to be a better way to service a car without hassle.

Thus was born GoMechanic, a company that offered easy online booking of car maintenance and repair services backed by quality service and authorized mechanics.
The company is headquartered in Gurugram, India. GoMechanic offers a wide range of services including routine car maintenance, oil changes, tire rotation, engine tune-ups and more.
The idea behind GoMechanic is to provide customers with quality and convenient service from the comfort of their home or office. Customers simply need to book a service on the GoMechanic website or app, and a qualified mechanic will visit them at the location of their choice to perform the work.
GoMechanic, founded in 2016, has two million customers today (2022), its gross annual revenue is about $40 million.
The company was valued at $300 million last year.
Reuters, SoftBank has been in talks with GoMechanic for more than nine months, and it initially requested a $1 billion valuation, which SoftBank refused. The publication notes that Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund Khazanah and investment firm Tiger Global also plan to invest about $100 million in the upcoming round.

currently (October 2022) SoftBank Group is in talks to invest $35 million in Indian auto service and repair firm GoMechanic. The company's valuation could be in the range of $600-700 million, writes Reuters.
How it works
When you order a repair technician on GoMechanic's website, he or she will come to you to pick up and service your car at your convenience.
You can order our services online or through their app, and they'll send a qualified technician to your door. Their transparent pricing system means you know exactly how much you'll pay before they get started, and GoMecanic guarantees all of their workmanship. Whether you need a routine oil change or a more serious repair, GoMechanic is here to help.

The biggest question GoMechanic faced when launching was which model to choose: B2C or B2B. Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages, and ultimately the decision came down to which one better fit the company's strengths.
GoMechanic ultimately chose the B2B model and has successfully partnered with businesses that share their commitment to superior customer service. Utilizing the B2B model has allowed GoMechanic to establish itself as a high-quality automotive service provider.
In April 2017, GoMechanic expanded into B2C (business-to-consumer) operations to launch their website and app. This new development allows consumers to sign up for car service and maintenance directly with GoMechanic. Prior to this expansion, GoMechanic only served B2B (business-to-business) customers.

The rise of GoMechanic is an exciting story of perseverance, determination and ultimately success. Founded in 2016, the company has quickly become a leading automotive repair and maintenance service provider.
Also, GoMechanic Spares is currently the fastest growing auto spares chain in India
There is also free towing, warranty, genuine parts.

That's it friends, all it takes is to understand the customer's pain and offer the world a solution to this problem.
And though these ideas are not new and in some cases are more or less successfully realized, but the problems of a car service client as well as a car owner remain and are actual in our country (RB).
- trust in service station/quality
- time spent on visiting the service station, dirty repair areas, low level of comfort for the client
- prices for services and spare parts*
- loss of mobility and technical support
- how to buy and sell a car easily
- how to buy a used car in a clear technical condition, and preferably with a warranty
All of the above issues can be solved.
Don't lose heart, take action and the world will open up to you!

Good day, ladies and gentlemen!
I decided to write this article because I had to edit an article by a journalist who, like others, in an attempt to catch the "hype" on negativity, writes about the "problems" of car service and uses negative generalizations about the entire industry, thus forming a negative image of the participants in this difficult business.
There are many positive events, many achievements in the car service industry:

Distributors are developing, offering new services to car services and customers.
Specialized private training centers are being created, and many training events are held.
Automation is developing.
Marketing is changing, and new channels are developing.
Professional skill contests are held.
Industry conferences and seminars are conducted.
Of course, as in any business, there are difficulties and problems. But I want to talk not about the internal problems of car service, but about the problem of forming the reputation of Belarusian car services and the problem of the attitude towards car services by both consumers and regulatory authorities in the Republic of Belarus.
I have been working in the industry for some time (since 1997) and have observed many positive phenomena and trends, but some negative phenomena very negatively affect the development of the car service business in Belarus.
I'm talking about waves of negative information driven by some Belarusian media regarding car service.
In essence, it's not just a phenomenon but a position of journalists forming public opinion.
Do you think these are unfounded statements?
Here are just a few examples:
a) On the topic of fraud in car service:
"How They Cheat at Car Service Stations: Mechanics’ Revelations" (Komsomolskaya Pravda/ 2009)
"Ways of Cheating Customers by Car Service Workers" (Rul.by)
"How to Protect Yourself from Fraud in Car Service. Expert Tips" (aif.by)
"How to Avoid Fraud at the Car Service - Help from a Lawyer" (advokatos.by)
"Car Service: How to Avoid Fraud" (ilex.by)
"Deception at All Service Stations. Who Risks Becoming a Victim of Dishonest Car Service Masters? When Car Repair Can Lead to Its Breakdown?" (mop.by)
"Criminal" Car Service - How to Avoid Fraud When Repairing a Car" (024.by)
"Are They Cheating at Car Service Stations? It's Your Own Fault" (auto.tut.by)
and so on
These articles form the image of a criminal car service that wants to cheat its customers, dishonest and aggressive. Readers are encouraged to be ready for deception, to behave warily and prejudicially.
b) On the topic of "problems in car services":
"Car Services Will Have to Undergo Major "Repairs" (tut.by)
"Complaint Against Car Service with "Vehicle History" (abw.by)
"Car Service. Features of National Repair" (minsknews.by)
Here, generalizations form the image of a problematic industry that simply needs to be kept under strict control, subjected to inspections, and put in "order."
c) Articles on the "shadow business" topic that needs to be brought to light and controlled. This is a favorite topic of government officials:
"Garage Business: Shadow Market Champions" (Belarusian Partisan) The first phrase in this article is indicative: "Illegal car service has long been a headache for the state"... No comment needed.
"Shadow Car Service. News" (news.wse.by)
"Illegal Service Stations in Belarus Won't Last Long" (adt.by) (opinion of the Deputy Minister of Trade)
"Gray Car Services Will Come Under Close Attention of the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation of the Republic of Belarus" (autogrodno.by)
"Service Stations Have Reached "Rock Bottom" (delo.by)
"Official Car Repair Shops May Go Underground" (sb.by Belarus Today)
It is obvious that a reputation is being formed for the industry as a "shadow" business that must be fought and brought to light...
d) Articles on outrageous facts:
"Drunk Car Mechanic from Service Station in Baranovichi Stole a Client's Car and Crashed It" (reported by all - belta.by (10.04.2019), aif, belnoviny, onliner, and other media)
"In Mozyr District, a Drunk Car Mechanic Stole a Client's Car" (belta.by/ 10.09.2019 and other media)
"In Minsk, a "car mechanic" Stole a BMW and Crashed It" (tut.by/ 2015 and other media)
"In Stolbtsy, a Drunk Car Mechanic Stole and Crashed a Client's Car" (reform.by/ 05/2019 and many other media)
The theme of the "drunk car mechanic in the client’s car" seems to be a favorite "juicy" topic of our media. But in the pursuit of hype, journalists forget that they are shaping public opinion!
Yes, car service is not a toy store, it's like a hospital - a zone of negativity for us, because visiting a car service involves expenses, loss of mobility, risks.
One could continue listing "black" articles for a long time, but is it necessary?
It is clear that people are arranged in such a way that NEGATIVITY attracts more attention than POSITIVITY. The trend of the time is to "catch the hype" or "hype" so much that sometimes moral principles and professional ethics of journalists take a back seat.
What do I want to convey to you and journalists, what is the MESSAGE of this text?
I propose to respected journalists and media representatives to shift the focus from problems to achievements, to positive manifestations both in the industry and at individual service stations.
Write about satisfied and happy regular customers, write about crystal-clear service people ready to help their clients day and night. Write about new in-demand services, write about how "they didn't cheat," how "they helped," how "they fixed," "solved a complex problem," and so on.
There are many good topics and examples - you can write about how some service stations not only make glossy magazines for clients but also give gifts to clients on their birthdays, provide replacement cars for free, offer taxis, or let clients relax in a lounge area equipped "with the latest trends."
Write about clean repair zones where you can walk barefoot, about workers staying late for a client who needs to travel to another city.
Today, a motorcycle service from Mogilevskaya Street (Minsk) sent me a van, carefully loaded my bike with a winch, and completed the paperwork right at my house. THANK YOU very much, as I saved a lot of time and nerves.
Car service in Belarus is not so much a business as it is a WAY OF LIFE for the owner, it is not boring, often positive, light, pleasant, and very cool!
(In the photo - Olga Zyl, 2013, mechanic at Autoidea (BMW dealer).
Thank you for your attention!
A. Vizavitin (03/12/2020)

It all began in Clermont-Ferrand (a small French town) in 1889. That year, when the Eiffel Tower and the cabaret "Moulin Rouge" opened in Paris, the heirs of the Barbier-Dubreuil business, brothers André and Édouard Michelin, founded the world-renowned tire company, driven by a grand vision for the automotive industry in France.

André became the temporary manager and soon asked his brother to help manage the company. His brother closed his art studio in Paris and became a co-owner of the enterprise, which on May 28, 1889, was named "Michelin and Co."

Two years later, a cyclist came to the factory in Clermont-Ferrand to buy materials to repair a bicycle tire. The repair took 15 hours. This incident inspired one of the Michelin brothers to make a technological breakthrough: Édouard Michelin developed and patented a detachable pneumatic tire. Its repair took no more than 15 minutes. That same year, cyclist Charles Terront, using the Michelin brothers' detachable tires, won the Paris-Brest-Paris race.

Thus, Tire History Was Made!

In 1900, the company published the first Michelin "Red Guide." Its circulation was 35,000 copies.
Originally, the idea was to help motorists plan their trips, thereby increasing the sales of cars and tires.
The small red guide was filled with useful information for travelers. It contained maps, information on how to change a tire, where to refuel, and where to rest.
In 1920, the guide included a list of hotels and restaurants in Paris, categorized accordingly.
The restaurant guide sparked public interest.
The Michelin brothers then hired a team of undercover visitors—or restaurant inspectors, as we know them today—to anonymously visit and review restaurants.
In 1926, the guide began awarding stars to fine dining establishments, initially marking them with just one star. Five years later, a hierarchy of zero, one, two, and three stars was introduced, and in 1936, the star rating criteria were published.
Throughout the remainder of the 20th century, thanks to its serious and unique approach, MICHELIN guides became bestsellers: the guide now rates over 40,000 establishments in more than 24 territories on three continents, and more than 30 million MICHELIN guides have been sold worldwide.
Why did I mention Michelin stars, and what do they have to do with car services?
The point is that customers of both restaurants and car services are people who not only need to "eat" or "repair a car" but also receive quality SERVICE.

The car service has its own "KITCHEN," which includes the building, premises, equipment, and tools. Like a restaurant, a car service can use "RECIPES" (repair technology, approaches, procedures, and service standards) for preparing "dishes," which it develops independently (signature cuisine), as well as those provided by the manufacturer or network management company.

Like a restaurant, a car service can use quality "INGREDIENTS" (parts) or not-so-quality ones...

In recent years, it has been challenging for independent multi-brand car services to compete in terms of equipment, technology, and the quality of parts and materials. Many service stations have similar (Chinese) lifts and equipment, as well as the same choice of parts and materials suppliers. Skilled workers are in great demand nowadays, and their level is generally average, with rare exceptions. Moreover, the recipes have long been sourced from the same places...

So, what does this result in?
Many organizations provide maintenance and repair services using the same "recipes" and the same "ingredients"...
In my understanding, this is akin to a "cafeteria," "canteen." It's cheap and "angry"!
Can such a "canteen" guarantee high quality, serve "exquisite dishes," and ensure that the Client is delighted? I don't think so. A "canteen" earns its profit by offering a standard set of dishes and attracting a flow of customers. Any complex "dishes" pose difficulties, lack qualifications and necessary experience, waste precious time in production, and therefore such orders are either outsourced or simply avoided.

Yes, such a "cafeteria-style car service" does have its clientele, who aren't "gourmets" and are looking for something cheaper, simpler, and close to home. That's true. However, such customers aren't very loyal or discerning in their choice of service providers. The availability of services and parts leads to low business efficiency, low repair quality, and low customer lifetime value (LTV).

We know that a "loyal customer" is a strategic asset for any business! Here are the advantages of having loyal customers:

1. The cost of retaining loyal customers is 2 or more times lower than the cost of acquiring new ones.
2. Time savings on servicing:
- The car and customer are already in the database.
- Service history is available.
- The customer is familiar with the rules.
3. Known customer behavior patterns.
4. A loyal customer is advertisement in themselves.

Even a small increase in the share of loyal customers can lead to a significant increase in company profits. So, how can we compete in the car service market? How can we attract and retain customers for our service station?

Studies of consumer behavior in the car service market have shown that the most important criterion for choosing a service station is the ATTITUDE TOWARD THE CUSTOMER! This is what defines the "LEVEL OF SERVICE"!

It's important to meet or even exceed the customer's EXPECTATIONS to achieve the so-called "WOW effect." European studies show that customers leave auto service centers for the following reasons:
1% due to death
3% due to moving to another location
12% due to poor consultation and lack of information
17% due to missed deadlines
20% due to rude staff
23% due to poor value for money
24% due to unprofessional workmanship
American studies (USA) show why car owners don't trust auto service centers:
76% of car owners have experienced unnecessary services being pushed on them
73% believe they overpaid for service
63% had a negative service experience at the service station
49% are afraid the service station will mess up...
Russian studies show that customers leave auto service centers for the following reasons:
25% - communication culture, behavior of service center staff
20% - violation of agreed service deadlines
15% - work not done in full
15% - difficulty scheduling appointments and reaching the service center by phone
10% - poor quality of work performed
10% - lack of spare parts
The role of the behavior of auto service center staff cannot be overstated; undoubtedly, it is one of the most important criteria for evaluating a service center, often more important than the quality of repairs and cost.
We're not just talking about behavior; we're talking about "CLIENTING," customer-oriented behavior, about SERVICE aimed at meeting the expectations of service center customers.
Clienting is a trendy term, and it's not always clear what it entails.
What specifically does an auto service center need to do to ensure a customer stays forever?
There's no simple answer, no "magic pill," but there's a methodology or strategy developed by me based on at least three pillars:
1) Expectations
2) Trust
3) Emotions

What specifically does an auto service center need to do?

A) WORKING WITH CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS:
• Identify who your Customer is (age, income, interests, cars, brands, types of work).
• Study your Customers' expectations at all service stages. Your reception specialists should know and understand what your service center's Customers expect.
• Establish and implement company standards and instructions to meet the maximum expectations of your Customers.
• Learn to manage Customer expectations at each service stage (specify, discuss work stages, planned deadlines, costs, results, and existing risks). This is essential because inflated expectations lead to disappointment, while underestimated expectations lead to missed opportunities for both the Customer and the auto service center.
• IT IS IMPORTANT TO MAINTAIN A BALANCE in shaping Customer expectations and exceeding them in service.

B) WORKING ON BUILDING TRUST AND CONFIDENTIAL RELATIONSHIPS
(see the image above)
Of course, this includes the company's reputation, the appearance of the building and your employees, cleanliness at the reception and in the workshop, document processing in accordance with legal requirements, discussing your obligations (warranties) to the Customer, transparency of repair and service procedures (customer access to video surveillance), timely informing customers about the progress of work, providing comprehensive information about repairs, returning parts, quality guarantees. Conducting "open house days," introductory tours for new Customers to the production facility. Post-service surveys, responsiveness, and quick response to complaints or issues that arise after service, and much more.

B) MANAGING CUSTOMER EMOTIONS
If necessary, it is important to provide psychological support, reassure the client, defuse aggression, alleviate negative emotions associated with the loss of mobility, uncertainty in the situation, financial expenses, and risks. Providing personal attention, care, positive emotions, and more.
To do this, it is essential for reception specialists to be proficient in communication psychology, to see and understand non-verbal signals from customers, to be able to adapt and guide the Customer (basic NLP skills).
Let's go back to the Michelin stars.
You won't believe it, but I dream that our industry will have an organization or a reputable publication that will evaluate auto service centers in Belarus (and beyond) through the eyes of the Customer based on a variety of criteria.
As a result of such work, there will be a GUIDE for car owners, where there will be ratings of auto service centers of different levels (from dealership service centers to individual entrepreneurs).
One star — a very good auto service center in its category (referring to the category and type of specialization).
Two stars - excellent service! For such service, it makes sense to travel to the other end of the city.
Three stars - The best auto service center in its segment for Customers and cars in the region! There is no need to look for a better level of service.

A.Vizavitin