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Worried about Miscommunication? Try Communicating via Text Message Instead

The car sales and repair industry is one that is known for its frequent miscommunications and misunderstandings. “I was told this car would get X miles to the gallon,” or, “This repair was only supposed to cost $50, so why is it triple now?” are commonplace. You can avoid miscommunications like these when you choose to communicate via the TruVideo smart text message platform.

How Miscommunication Affects the Customer

Whether intentional or not, miscommunication absolutely kills the trust between your customer and your dealership. Even if your service team member speaks perfectly clearly and explains everything with 100% accuracy, if your customer does not understand what was said and then walks away, he or she can become be very upset later when it is time to pay for the services rendered. This can be frustrating for dealerships, too, especially when you have gone out of your way to train your service team to be upfront and honest with people about the scope of their repairs. Fortunately, there are a few simple ways to resolve this, and TruVideo is an excellent tool to have in your arsenal.

How Miscommunication Affects Your Business

Now that the customer is upset due to the misunderstanding or miscommunication, he or she has several options. Many people today will take to social media and leave a negative review for your business, which can negatively impact the business you do in the future and your reputation within the community – even if you did nothing wrong. It’s all about the customer’s perception of you, your service team, and your business. Again, there are a couple simple things you can do that will help ensure that these miscommunications and misunderstandings no longer happen.

What SMS Text Messaging Can Do

Verbal communication over the phone is fantastic, and for the most part, customers appreciate being told what’s wrong with their car and what it will take to resolve the issue. However, text messaging is often viewed as more convenient since customers can reply in their own time. The best part, though, is that it serves as a written record of exactly what your service team told the customer. This way, if there’s any kind of misunderstanding, it’s simple to go back to that text message and show the customer where it was explained. This gives your business the ability to protect itself in the wake of unhappy reviews based on misunderstandings.

Pairing SMS Text Messaging with Video

If you want to take things even further, you can attach a video detailing the scope of the issue and the repairs. Between the video explaining to the customer why the repair is needed and the text message explaining the overall scope and cost of the repair, your business and service department can cover all its bases and ensure the customer is aware of all the information before the repair commences. This is by far the best way to build your reputation as a trustworthy dealership and to prevent the negativity associated with misunderstandings.

Text messaging is essentially a written record of conversations between your service department and your customers. With them, your team can make certain that customers understand exactly what sort of repairs they need and how much they will cost, and you can even get permission to commence the repairs based on the terms you set forth. This is by far the best way to protect your reputation for transparency and trust, and TruVideo makes it incredibly simple for both you and your clients.