Turning Customer Confusion Into Clear Solutions

[Counterman]

On the surface, the primary role of a parts professional is to help our customers identify and select the parts, supplies and services needed to complete a multitude of repairs. However, there are many other duties beyond simple cataloging exercises which separate a true parts professional from a key-punching cashier at the grocery checkout lane. Too often, the general public sees us as simple clerks, but when is the last time you asked a cashier at the register how to perfectly sear that ribeye you just paid for? 

Our customer base may vary from store to store, but many of us deal with an eclectic mix of clientele each day. These patrons also come with varying levels of technical knowledge or abilities. For most of our commercial customers, we are already a trusted partner. Technicians have usually diagnosed and estimated the labor for a repair job before requesting our expertise, but still lean on their “go-to” parts specialist to get the correct components quoted correctly and delivered to them quickly. These customers “speak our language,” and we are expected to speak theirs, as well.

When it comes to the “decidedly DIY” segment of our business, many of the conversations we have can feel like more of a struggle. Often through no fault of their own, this portion of our population finds themselves tackling unfamiliar repair situations, or attempting to navigate diagnostic recommendations or repair instructions that seem to be written in a completely different language. Our daily interactions with repair professionals and coworkers, as well as our own life experiences, have helped us all to build a knowledge base which serves as one of the main reasons our individual services are in demand to begin with. 

The average consumer views most auto parts as a commodity, so many of our widgets are “all the same” to them. As “car people,” we already know the differences between our products, which ones to recommend, and what we can reasonably expect from them. Even if we don’t physically install components or repair vehicles, we often have a pretty good sense of what it takes to perform the task required, and what else may need to be removed and replaced along the way to the goal of installing the parts we’re handing across the counter. 

When dealing with a “less-technical” parts buyer, we must be prepared to spend a little more time at the counter or on the telephone. Drawing out all of the relevant information (and filtering out the irrelevant) is often the first step in determining the customer’s needs and intentions. If they already have a sense of direction, a portion of the conversation might be spent explaining (in layman’s terms) why triggering a particular OBD-II code does not automatically mean that they should buy part “X,” or deciphering what a customer means when they request “that round box with four wires, next to the square plastic piece under the left fender.” 

Within the context of a popular subreddit (r/explainlikeimfive), we can convey fairly complex technical ideas without anyone feeling lost or talked down to. By avoiding jargon or acronyms, our language becomes more accessible for the uninitiated. Comparisons to everyday situations allow for us to find common ground in a discussion. The use of photos, diagrams, descriptive words and even sounds can make “the big picture” come into focus more sharply for nearly anyone. Once we discover a common language, our common purpose is suddenly much clearer!

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