Introduction
Welcome to Ron Keller Tire! This training is designed to help begin mastering the soft skills necessary to be a great customer service provider in any of our shops. You will become familiar with our expectations for interacting with customers and your teammates as you practice rating example scenarios based on how well the employee(s) performed according to the standards below.
Example Scenario Evaluation
Read the scenario and evaluate Trent on how well he performed these standards:
- If you see a customer, you acknowledge them and say something every time.
- No customer, after entering the shop, should stand more than about 30 seconds without being acknowledged.
- When anyone speaks to you, pause and face them. Seek to make eye contact; when eyes meet, words follow.
- Acknowledge customers waiting in vehicles (eye contact, nod, or wave).
- When interacting with people, your face should match your words (light, natural smile).
- A calm start leads to a calm experience. Customers should never feel our stress—stay composed even when busy.
- Say “We’ll be right with you” when you cannot immediately help.
- Let people finish speaking and truly listen.
- Step in and help teammates without being asked (visible teamwork).
- When a customer is done, they hear a “thank you” every time.
Example Scenario
The rain was coming down in sheets, making the shop floor a bit slick and the waiting room a lot more crowded than usual. Trent was at the desk, finishing up with a customer, when he noticed a silver sedan pull slowly into one of the bays.
The driver stepped out of the vehicle. Marcus, the manager, was hunched over a stack of invoices, looking a bit buried, and another customer was already waiting in line.
Trent didn’t let the growing line speed him up into a frenzy. He turned toward the woman who had just pulled in. He met her eyes with a light, easy smile.
“Good morning,” he said clearly. “We’ll be with you in just a moment.”
The woman smiled back, her shoulders dropping an inch as she took a seat.
Trent turned back to the customer he was currently helping—a young guy looking concerned about a vibration in his steering wheel. As the man described the shaking, Trent kept his hands still and his eyes on the customer’s face. He didn’t reach for the keys or start typing mid-sentence. He let the man finish his whole explanation about the highway speeds before speaking.
“That definitely sounds frustrating,” Trent said calmly. “Let’s get it on the rack and see if it’s a simple balance issue. We’ll take care of it.”
Just as he was finishing that intake, he noticed Marcus struggling with a complicated warranty claim on the other computer. Marcus was rubbing his temples, clearly feeling the pressure of the phone ringing and the line forming. Trent stepped over.
“Here, Marcus, I’ll help the next few folks in line.”
The relief on Marcus’s face was instant. Trent turned to the woman waiting, gesturing her forward with that same composed, natural expression.
“Thanks for waiting,” he said. “How can I help you today?”
After a productive conversation about her tread depth, Trent walked her toward the door to point out where her car would be serviced. As she headed toward the waiting area, he made sure to catch her eye one last time.
“Thank you for coming in today, we’ll have an update for you shortly.”
Even with the rain pouring and the phones humming, the shop felt steady. Trent stayed in the pocket, moving at a pace that proved being busy didn’t have to mean being in a rush.
Example Evaluation
Standards:
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. N/A
5. Yes
6. Yes
7. Yes
8. Yes
9. Yes
10. Yes
Explanations:
Standard 8: Trent demonstrated this well when helping the customer with the vibrating steering wheel. Instead of rushing to grab the keys or starting to type while the customer was mid-sentence, he kept his hands still and waited until the man finished his entire explanation about highway speeds before offering a solution. This showed the customer that his specific concerns were truly heard.
Standard 9: Trent excelled here by observing Marcus’s body language. He saw Marcus rubbing his temples and looking pressured by a difficult warranty claim and a growing line. Rather than waiting for Marcus to reach a breaking point or ask for a hand, Trent stepped in and proactively offered to take over the counter so Marcus could focus on the phone call.