A recent call to Garmin’s technical support center for help with my Edge cycling computer got me thinking about the overall quality of customer service in our industry, how it defines a company and what consumers should reasonably expect when buying a service or product. Here at the magazine, we define customer service on the shop level as a company doing what it said it would on the schedule it promised, meeting its price estimate and promptly returning calls and queries. That’s why it was no surprise the shops that scored we’ll in our recent paint shop survey consistently excelled at customer service. Comments like “easy to work with, regularly sent photos and reported on progress, and brought the project in on time and on budget,” define a shop that has it going on.
Dealing with a failed product is frustrating, but palatable if the company steps up and tries hard to resolve the issue on the first try. One company that’s vowed to improve its customer service is SiriusXM and in my estimation, its longevity in the aviation market could depend on it.