Dealer group leaders and OEMs should do more to guard their frontline staff from unreasonable customers and the fear of backlash from CSI scores and reviews, argues Nigel Ost, a motor retail veteran and former aftersales head at Carco Group.
After 42 years in retail management and at director level including 15 years in aftersales, I need to lift a difficulty that may now not be ignored: the way in which some members of the general public treat dealership staff today is unacceptable.
And as leaders, we now have a responsibility to act.
Abuse has grow to be normal. Frontline staff are shouted at, sworn at, filmed, threatened, and humiliated just because a customer didn’t get their way. This isn’t “frustration.” It’s abuse.
All too often, the industry response is to placate the aggressor with discounts, goodwill, or apologies – not because they’re deserved, but because we fear a poor CSI rating or a social media backlash.
The message this sends is evident: bullying works. And it’s breaking our people to the purpose they’re leaving in huge numbers.
CSI: A system that’s lost its way
Customer surveys were once a useful gizmo. Today, they’ve grow to be a weapon. Manufacturers punish dealerships based on the complaints of a vocal minority, making a culture of fear.
After I speak with aftersales managers about why they might consider leaving the industry, the primary reason isn’t hours or targets. It’s the relentless pressure of CSI combined with customer aggression. Staff now walk on eggshells, not serving customers but appeasing them.
That is just not customer support. That’s survival.
We want a greater way forward. If we would like a real reflection of customer experience, we must always look to other industries.
Platforms like Google Reviews provide a more balanced and transparent picture of service representative of the business, not only the outburst of 1 individual.
CSI, in its current form, is damaging. It’s driving good people away from our industry at a time when we will least afford to lose them.
Respect is a two-way street.
That customers show respect to our employees is non-negotiable. The fact is straightforward:
Nobody deserves to be spoken to with contempt.
Stress is just not an excuse for abuse.
On the high street, no retailer would tolerate staff being threatened or bullied. Why should we accept it in our retailers. The industry needs to attract the road.
We usually are not doormats. We’re professionals. Customers who cannot behave with basic decency must be told politely but firmly to take their business elsewhere.
It’s time for leaders to guard their teams, and for manufacturers to stop wielding CSI as a blunt instrument. If we care more about survey scores than the dignity of our people, we risk losing the very workforce that keeps this industry alive.
I’d welcome the prospect to debate practical changes we could make each in how we measure customer experience and the way we support staff when faced with unacceptable behaviour.
Together, we will protect our people and strengthen the industry for the long run.
Writer: Nigel Ost, a motor retail veteran and former aftersales head at Carco Group.
This Article First Appeared At www.am-online.com
