Scott Shulman Knows How to Make Customers Happy
When you turn into the Best dealerships, owners of Best Chevrolet in Hingham and now Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep Ram in Plymouth, you may think you are going in to have your car serviced. But you are actually entering the Magic Kingdom. Yes, that’s Disney’s Magic Kingdom, but in this case there are no mermaids or princesses to be seen. Rather, Scott Shulman, Best’s owner, has made it a point to study the Disney philosophy of service.
Shulman, who has been running this 50-year-old family business for the last two decades, knew he needed something to spur a change in his business’s corporate culture. “We were selling a lot of cars, but the employees and the customers were not happy,’’ Shulman explains. Making customers happy when they arrived for sales or service, and also when they left, became his goal.
In 1994, an automotive conference in Orlando, Fla., led Shulman to the Disney Institute, which runs programs on business leadership based on their own best practices. His time there completely changed how Shulman looked at his business. The owner had been searching for a way to make Best’s customers happy. Disney provided the tools he needed.
At Best, the employees, most of whom have been to the Disney Institute, now consider themselves a cast and the dealership a stage. In fact, there are on-stage sections customers see, and also off-stage parts where the employees do business behind the scenes. Turn any corner and the Disney philosophy appears in a cheerful and upbeat way. On a mirror, someone has written with a whiteboard pen, “A smile can say 1,000 words. If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.’’
Customer service, rather than sales, is where Shulman chose to focus his reforms. Best uses a drive-up area that is open, yet heated. Why? That is how the Ritz-Carlton does it, he explains, and arriving customers like it. Customers are greeted by a well-dressed, cheerful employee. The greeter asks that they leave the car running, and he welcomes them inside to chat with a service manager, not a service advisor.
At Best, the service personnel are empowered to make important decisions. Small gifts also are part of the welcome. The day of my visit, customers received a Christmas tree lollypop. On most days, it is a Chevy hat. Inside, the service greeter is Chrissy, who has an infectious smile that makes you think your problem is her problem. Chevrolet has, in fact, videotaped Chrissy at work and used her as an example for internal training.
Beyond the service area lies Chrissy’s café, which offers free Starbucks coffee, free snacks, and a fancy latte machine. The employees at Best try to head off customers who want to serve themselves. They like to serve. Instead of one huge, loud room in which service customers are held captive, Best offers choices and a private work area. If a loaner car is warranted, one is provided. The commuter rail is nearby and Best runs two shuttles for those who use it to go to work. If a customer opts to stay for minor service, like an oil change, they are told how long the wait will be. Shulman explains that the service team tries hard to under-promise and over-deliver. If an oil change takes too long, the service manager is empowered to make it free. The café has high-top stools and tables for reading and sipping coffee. There is a TV room. At the end of every service visit, the customer’s car is washed free of charge.
Best Chevrolet in Hingham has been on Derby Street for 50 years. Seven years earlier, Shulman’s father started the business. Over that half-century a lot has changed in the auto industry, particularly for Chevrolet. It’s been a good ride. Sales are up 26 percent over the past two years. Shulman explains that it is the service department that drives sales. “If we sell you a car, how many times are we going to see you?,’’ he asks. “Just once. But if we service your car and make that a great experience, how many times do we see you? Maybe a couple times a year, and then—forever.’’
Indeed, another Best cast member, Amanda, showed me a printout of the brands Best serviced in November. I was surprised to see that Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, Ford, and pretty much every other brand was on the list. “Eighty-one percent of customers who buy a car from us bring it back to us for service,’’ Shulman says. This is much higher than the industry average. Sixty-four percent of Best’s service visitors are from outside of Best’s designated region and fully one-quarter are other than GM brands.
Given the company philosophy, it’s not surprising that Best Chevrolet is one of 55 TIME Dealer of the Year nominees being honored for their philanthropic work at the upcoming National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention.
Recently, the Best team was asked by Chrysler to open a new Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram dealership and service center in Plymouth. The dealership is now open on 264 Cherry St. routes 3 and 44. When asked about the biggest challenge he faced with this new opportunity, Shulman says, “My main focus is making sure we replicate the special culture we have created here in Hingham.’’
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com