Situation:

This TrainSMART client is one of the premier auto dealer groups in San Antonio, TX. It has served all of South Texas since 1972. The auto group strives to treat the needs of each customer with paramount concern. It is known that customers have high expectations, and as new and used car dealers they enjoy the challenge of meeting and exceeding those customer service standards every time.

Delivering great customer service in today’s environment is becoming more difficult for Client to deliver:

  • Major supply chain back-ups meant not being able to service vehicles in a timely way
  • Internal turnover was leaving knowledge gaps in some departments
  • Upper management was viewed as very transactional and not relationship-oriented. There was a desire for these senior leaders to mentor and model what great customer service looked like day-to-day
  • Front-line managers – where customer service is delivered – did not feel well supported and were beginning to burn out

In a world where others sell the same vehicles, service is the differentiator. The owners take the brand image of the Auto Group very seriously. It is both part of the brand’s value proposition and a competitive advantage.

Action:

Past internal efforts to bolster customer service levels fell short. While very entertaining and motivating, upper and mid-level managers were left without concrete actions to take back to the sales and service functions to implement.

The auto group’s Executive VP asked TrainSmart to design, develop, and deliver two customer service tracts – one for seasoned managers (N=60) and another for relatively new managers (N=60) – designed to “max out the customer service experience.” Our solution became known as FAST, EASY, and RIGHT. It emphasized that customer service is a team sport. It is a chain of people working in sync to delight the customer.

Here are the key tenants of each customer service element:

FAST – Responding quickly to a customer challenge or opportunity

  • Demonstrating empathy with their situation/challenge
  • Listening to pain points, needs, and fears
  • Building trust

EASY – Communicating effectively

  • Setting clear expectations during the initial touch point (with the customer)
  • Clarifying the chain of service and what messaging is critical at each juncture
  • Reinforcing role clarity – knowing the contribution of each person in the service chain

RIGHT – Satisfying the customer as often as possible

  • Troubleshooting pitfalls in service delivery from both the people and process perspectives
  • Making things right as quickly as possible when something goes wrong
  • Having overall accountability for delivering great customer service

Three half-day modules were custom-designed around each of the three pillars of customer service – FAST, EASY, and RIGHT.

These principles align with TrainSMART’s Customer Service Excellence Training.

Workshop structural elements:

  • All trainings were in person to maximize engagement and learning
  • Each audience of managers was further divided into small table teams with the following composition:
    • A cross-geographic representation
    • Have at least one internal “influencer”
    • Reflect the range of manager buy-in/engagement
  • Each module included:
    • Interactive experiences illustrating the value of customer service elements
    • Responding to real-world scenarios
    • A personalized workbook
    • Tools and templates
    • Time for reflection and journaling
    • Action planning so that managers could 1) Take their new knowledge and tools back to their intact team, and 2)
    • Apply them to all future customer service interactions

Upper and mid-level managers in the same function or specific store were strongly encouraged to huddle within 24 hours of each workshop to compare their learnings and align their actions.

Results:

Stronger relationships

  • Upper-level managers become more accountable for the front lines delivering FAST, EASY, and RIGHT customer service
  • All managers clearly understand the power of demonstrating empathy
  • All levels of managers are now aligned in how they collectively deliver through their specific service value chain

Streamlining FAST, EASY, and RIGHT

  • Managers combined steps, stopped old legacy policies, and made various sales and service value chains easier to execute

Cascading FAST, EASY, and RIGHT throughout the organization

  • All feel responsible for delivering the Company brand promise

What participants are saying:

“Well done. Well, presented with clarity and periods of interactivity. Good takeaways and documentation make it easy to implement.”

“I will work with my team to infuse responsibility and accountability.”

“It helped me realign myself in working with my team.”

“Very thorough, great content, and great participation by all.”

“The best class I’ve ever taken.”

Explore TrainSMART’s Offerings:

By integrating these targeted training solutions, the auto dealer group not only addressed immediate challenges but also established a sustainable model for customer service excellence.​

Ready to Elevate Your Customer Service?

Whether you’re leading a dealership, a service center, or any customer-facing business, delivering FAST, EASY, and RIGHT service is no longer optional—it’s your competitive edge.

Call us today at 800-807-8030 to speak with a TrainSMART advisor, or schedule your free consultation now.

Discover how TrainSMART can customize a customer service training solution that drives results from the front line to the leadership team.