In the Auto Detailing Industry, successful businesses are built upon superb craftsmanship, quality products and tools, and top-notch customer service. These businesses are set up to stand the test of time and always carry a positive reputation.

Effective customer service identifies a client’s exact wants or needs and matches that with services of appropriate value and quality which are fully explained to the customer.

For successful detailing businesses, this process heavily relies on client education. Therefore, in order to close a sale, and set the stage for a successful transaction and long-term customer relationship, setting clear customer expectations for specific services is a core component of success. This is vital because some clients will not have realistic knowledge about specific services.

This series of articles will help auto detailers understand how to set customer expectations, for some common services, and demonstrate some ethical and helpful practices that will best serve customers.

The first article will examine Overall Service Philosophy. The second will examine Paint Correction. The third article will explore Ceramic Coatings. And the final article will focus on Paint Protection Film. To view all articles in this series, click here!

Why Set Customer Expectations for Paint Correction?

Since Paint Correction (a.k.a. paint polishing or buffing) has a major effect on the overall results on many other auto detailing services and overall vehicle aesthetics, it’s important to define to clients how much improvement a particular vehicle will receive.

By doing so, customers will understand:

• The preparation steps leading up to paint correction.
• How much labor goes into the correction process, according to the starting point and targeted result.
• How the types of steps affect the overall results and cost.
• How paint correction impacts other services like ceramic coating installations.
• The business’s pricing for an estimated project.

Evaluation Factors of Paint Correction to Consider in Estimates

The following factors are important to evaluate and explain in Paint Correction service estimates in order to set the expectations for final results:

• How many steps the correction process requires.
• The percentage of defects targeted for removal.
• The types of defects present on the vehicle for removal.
• What defects, if any, may not be possible to remove.
• The overall age and condition of the vehicle, before starting services.
• If the vehicle is a viable candidate for paint correction services.

How to Find a Customer’s Expectations for Paint Correction Services

To understand the wants and needs of a client, detailing business must communicate with clients to find the proper service to fit each client.

Speak to clients to understand their vehicle situation. Sometimes important circumstances surrounding customer vehicles aren’t mentioned, unless proper questions are asked.

Therefore, it’s recommended to ask specific questions to customers inquiring about paint correction services. The following questions will allow detailers to deliver the best overall results tailored to customer-specific needs:

• How long do you intend on keeping this vehicle?
• What’s the typical usage of this vehicle?
• What is your overall objective for this paint correction service?
• Do you take your vehicle to any kind of car clubs or shows?
• Is there anything special that you want me to know about your vehicle?

Answers to these questions will guide a business to effectively evaluate the best level of correction needed for a vehicle, which best satisfies the client’s needs.

Setting a Customer’s Expectations for Paint Correction

After clients answer the questions from the previous section, it is critical that a business explains why all of these answers are important to finding the right solution for their vehicle and preferences. Customers want to understand that your business is taking the best care of their vehicle as possible and, as a result, your business is looking out for them as people.

After asking the questions, it is then up to the detailing business to weigh the realistic expectations of their paint correction services vs. the client’s wants, in order to find the best solution for the client and vehicle.

To effectively set customer expectations a business must:

• Offer a customized correction solution for the client’s vehicle.
• Explain why the service fits the customer’s wants and needs, emphasizing their most important concerns.
• Remember to explain the realistic outcomes or longevity based on the evaluation factors of the vehicle and the solution type.
• Uncover the client’s perceived expectations about services. This allows the business to educate customers on any info they are unaware of, or about any false expectations they may hold.
• Include the business’s philosophy to explain the business’s unique approach to the service solution.
• Make sure to ask the client if they have any questions or concerns about the solution after it is presented. Use their questions as an opportunity to build trust with fully explained answers.

All of these steps prove very effective to build the value of the business’s knowledge and skill during the process.

Conclusion

Since Paint Correction is a core service for some auto detailing businesses, or a foundational service which other services are dependent on, it is critical to correctly understand what a client is looking for.

Additionally, because paint correction has the greatest impact on the overall look of a vehicle, it is critical to understand and communicate client expectations vs. realistic outcomes of specific vehicle projects.

The overall result of setting realistic expectations for paint correction will help to:

• Strengthen the client’s confidence and trust in your business’s knowledge and expertise.
• Build value for services and validate your price estimate for the client.
• Give the client exact clarity of what they will get, from your services, for their money.
• Generate customer excitement about the vehicle’s transformation via paint correction.
• Improve the overall experience from a customer perspective.

Ultimately, the entire goal of these steps is to build a sense of helpful trust in confidence in the minds of customers that your business and solution is the best option for them.