A follow-up questionnaire response that a customer would not recommend the dealership to a friend is logged as a complaint – even if the same customer has expressed complete satisfaction with the service.

Dingles, a three-site Toyota dealer group in Norfolk which also sells Subaru and Isuzu at its Norwich branch, is constantly looking to raise its customer service levels.

Where once “satisfied” was good enough on a questionnaire, it no longer is: anything below “completely satisfied” is considered a complaint, logged and followed up.

These questionnaires are sent to customers with a prepaid reply envelope addressed to Dingle, ensuring that he gets to see all customer feedback.

As Toyota raises the bar with customer service, Dingles raises it even higher. Toyota dealers have to get more than 76% “completely satisfied” in questionnaire responses to receive the top 3% margin.

Staff are rewarded individually for positive responses from customers they have dealt with. If more than 80% of the relevant questionnaires have completely satisfied customers, staff will get a lump sum per car sold.

For aftersales staff, this is set at 60% as Dingle acknowledges it is harder to get completely satisfied customers in this area. Staff are also motivated by social events, including football matches and tenpin bowling.

Communication

“Just being honest” is the most important factor in customer service, said Dingle.

“People should tell the truth. If you say you’re going to do something, then do it. It’s that simple. Most of the issues anyone has are with communication.”

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