Doesn't it concern you..?

I worked with a store that was doing some great things to try and improve their profitability.  They examined how well they worked together as a team and began to support each other better.  They redesigned many or their processes to be more streamlined. They checked pricing of their most frequently asked for items in their market and made adjustments. They even changed the facility to make it more comfortable for those who were waiting and shopping.  I was reviewing customer satisfaction survey results with the store owner prior to meeting with the rest of his management team.  It became obvious to me that I missed something important when coaching them.  
We could see some very good things happening.  Overall, the customer experience was good.  There were no complaints about prices, very few about time, only one about quality of work.  But, there were a few items that clearly needed improvement. Two glaring deficiencies for his service department were “Advising of Additional Concerns” and “Review Inspection/Check-up Report”. These are 2 things that differentiate order takers from service providers. Both paint a clear picture of the low level of communication they engage in with their Customers and their level of concern for their customers current and future needs. Were long-lasting relationships with the people who ultimately pay for everything even important?
The only time the store owner got animated was when he was describing how they coached the advisor to present and ask for the survey. His eyes lit up as he viewed his imaginary vision of a perfect plead for excellent!
I attempted to bring him back to the behaviors displayed on the report a few times.
I finally asked this question, “Doesn’t it concern you that your advisors are talking to your Customers about the survey instead of what they need or when they will see them next?”
He was speechless at first, which scared me. 
“Have you made the desire for a perfect score more important than the service needs of the people who pay all your bills and keep your doors open! Shouldn’t you be coaching them on those behaviors instead?”
The point is, you can’t buy anything with a survey.  A great book that illustrates this is ‘Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless’ by Jeffrey Gitomer.  We talked about the impact these behaviors were having on his profitability.  Following is what he concluded.
Any additional items recommended and purchased would increase revenue directly. It would also make the shop more efficient. They would be able to process fewer vehicles to earn the same amount of money. It would increase capacity. They would spend more time working on vehicles and less time moving them. The parts department would realize an immediate windfall without any additional expense.  
Their expenses would decrease significantly. Loyal customers return twice as often and refer others 3 times as often as merely satisfied ones.  Engaging them in a conversation about what is important to them now and what they will need next would fill their shop.  It would also buffer them against market fluctuations and decrease their advertising budget.  
Most importantly, their customers would feel that their wants and needs were more important than a perfectly worthless survey.  
So, here is my suggestion to increase your bottom line without spending a penny to do it. Schedule time to regularly and frequently observe the conversations your people have with your service customers from your customers point of view.  Record and listen to phone calls together.  Rate these conversations on a point scale and post them if you want everyone engaged. If you are not sure how to completely satisfy your customers listen for and make sure you do those things that make them say “Thank you”.  They thank you for listening to them, showing that you care, building rapport, addressing their concerns, keeping your promises and keeping them from having issues in the future.  I would be willing to bet you will never hear a customer thank you for instructing them on how to take a survey.