Service advisors meet to discuss customer relationships
Four Star Freightliner convened a meeting of service advisors from its seven locations in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida to discuss and evaluate the relationship between the advisor and their customers. It was held at Four Star's Midway, Fla. location. Much of the discussions during the roundtable focused on communication and building on the relationships with our customers. Four Star Freightliner customers, as well as Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) managers met with the service advisors to develop strategies to enhance the customer experience and maintain a successful business relationship.
The roundtable discussion was organized and led by Michael Ellifritz, Four Star Freightliner's Training and Development Manager. He found the team’s dedication to improving the customer experience notable.
“What’s most impressive to me about our Service Advisor Team is their willingness to continuously improve,” Ellifritz said. “They knew it would be difficult to step out of their day-to-day role, but still committed to a short-term challenge to achieve long-term growth. Their resounding willingness to help is what transfers directly to our customers, confirming the Four Star Mission Statement that the customer experience here is truly best in class.”
Four Star customers, who joined the meeting virtually, were given the opportunity to give feedback directly to the service advisors. They discussed their company's decision to choose Four Star and what they look for in a good service advisor. The customers also offered feedback on how and where the Four Star team could make improvements.
Breakout sessions included exercises such as dividing up into groups to discuss the effects of a breakdown on the driver, the company that owns the truck, and the place where the load is being delivered and the people involved there.
Overcoming obstacles and diffusing testy circumstances were other topics of the roundtable discussion. The team read a series of online reviews for each of the seven locations, both favorable and not. This gave the service advisors the opportunity to share their experiences with handling challenging customers and situations.
The roundtable wrapped with a renewed dedication to improving the customer experience and the creation of the Service Advisor Commitment to Excellence:
I am a Four Star Service Advisor. I am honest, empathetic, proactive, friendly, and always professional. I communicate clearly and often. I am your advocate and will work tirelessly to provide solutions that keep you rolling.
"What I observed reinforced our commitment - jointly, DTNA and Four Star, will continue to co-create to elevate our customer focused cultures – and that we start with listening," said Daoud Chaaya, DTNA's Director of Field Service, Southeast region. "The activities were a testament to that commitment with focus on partnership, empathy and advocating for the customer."
Other DTNA attendees included Calette Fedewa, Customer Experience Operations Manager and Dale Elder, Regional Service Manager within the Southeast.
