@BloggingPainter :: Do We Really Know What Service Looks Like?

aka . . . We all talk about service, we all say we offer the best service, etc, we all think we do it well

One of the last items on my to do list during the recent holiday break was getting the oil changed in my van. I usually make an appointment to leave it there and have a friend or my husband pick me up for lunch or errands.

a BigStock image

Now, I love my mechanic; they have been taking great care of our vehicles for many years, and I trust them implicitly. But from experience, I know that just stopping by for an oil change would mean an hour sitting in a hard plastic chair looking at 5 year old Car and Driver magazines. Well, I was in a hurry to get my chores done and had not planned ahead so I thought I would just pop into Jiffy Lube.

As I pulled close to the entrance, four neat, uniformed employees appeared in the bay, one of them motioning me in, another coming to open the door to greet me warmly.  Hmm, I thought, comparing that to parking my van at the mechanic, waiting at the counter for someone to notice me, only then to take my keys and watch them disappear back to the other vehicles being serviced.

As I stepped out of the van, the attendant asked me how they could help me today.  I told him I just needed an oil change and he said, “OK, let’s go inside, there is fresh popcorn and a water cooler if you like.”  The waiting area was clean and neat, with a large screen TV and semi-comfy chairs.  As he took my basic information, I could already see three guys starting on my van. I was impressed!

They made me aware of things I did not know I needed

I had no sooner settled in to check my email on my phone when he was back. He had a list of minor items that needed attention, nothing to do with the oil change, but just part of the overall once-over they give. I needed new windshield wipers, I knew that and had just bought them, planning on replacing them myself when I got home. He said, “No problem, we’ll put them on for you.” Same with the windshield fluid I had just purchased. I had a bulb out in my brake light; they replaced it for $8.  They showed me my air filter, and said it looked fine.  At first, I thought “classic upsell”, but there was no pressure, just offers to provide additional service.

It was so painless!

Less than 20 minutes later, they had pulled my van around the front, and they held the door open for me. They had also washed all the windows, vacuumed the carpet and left me a litter bag! I spent roughly the same amount I would at my regular mechanic, and he probably would have caught some of those things, but the whole process just left me feeling like I was the most important customer of the day.

So what did I learn?

I thought a lot about it that day, in fact I even texted a friend that Jiffy Lube was like the Certa Pro of the auto world.  But I think I was wrong, sure, it was a franchise, but the systems they had in place could be adapted to any service model.

So how can we can make our service experience look like this to our customers?

• Clean, friendly uniformed employees
• Attentive service, listening to what the customer wants
• Looking for additional needs/opportunities and making suggestions
• Doing more than expected, it is the little things that count
• Meeting the needs and more
• Leaving the “jobsite” cleaner than before

I would encourage you to look at your operation from your customer’s point of view. What do they see when they first encounter your business?

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Note from the hosts:  Annnndddd Holla! @BloggingPainter aka Chris Haught.  And I’ll admit it, other than a few brief encounters here and there … I really hadn’t had the chance to connect with her.  What I do know (I think), and I’m pulling this from memory, Chris is a painting contractor out of Utah that is sometimes known (check me) to dabble in the decorative techniques.

This was a fun little story to get acquainted over.  Obviously for the biz-type folks in the audience.  Let’s hear ya! What do your customers see when they first encounter your business?  What do you want them to see?

Check the “About” tags below for Chris’ info.  She is the editorial voice of the site Blogging Painters.  She can also be found on Facebook as part of, you guessed it, the Blogging Painters.  Thanks again Chris.  Happy day all. ~jb