Despite their busy schedules, auto repair shops find time to step back and develop innovative ideas to evolve their services and build customer loyalty.

It’s not a contest of originality. Some shop managers have the precious ability to put themselves in their customers’ shoes and find the gesture or service that will make all the difference in their relationships.

When Daniel Belisle bought his shop on Papineau Street in Montreal with his father 25 years ago, the business suffered from a poor reputation. To quickly change the neighbourhood’s perception of his garage, he walked the streets and installed new windshield wipers on cars that needed them, slipping in his business card. A small investment that paid off big.

For him, it was a way to mark his entry into the neighbourhood. “The rest is about proximity,” explains Belisle. “My shop is in the neighbourhood where I live, which is a double advantage. On one hand, I know what people drive and can adapt my offerings accordingly. On the other hand, people know me. The grocery store guy sees me every week, and when he needs maintenance for his car, he comes to me, quite naturally.”

Adapting to market realities

In a high-density area where traffic is often difficult, customers rarely ask for a courtesy car. “What they like is to be driven home or to work,” explains the Bumper to Bumper Auto Service banner garage owner. “And my own father takes care of this mission.”

Innovation in the services offered comes directly from observing his customers’ habits. “Many of our customers only use their vehicle on weekends,” he notes. “So it happens that I answer a good customer’s call on a Sunday to repair a flat tire or to go to their car, often on foot since it’s faster, to jump-start their battery with my portable device.”

It’s easy to understand why Belisle’s shop customers are loyal. For our readers’ information, the entrepreneur spent his first six months in business developing his clientele while politely directing “complainers” to other garages.

The mechanic stays alert to the evolving needs of his customers as car-sharing begins to take hold in a neighbourhood where individual car ownership is becoming less appealing.

Planning for electric

“For electric, I admit, I was ready. It’s a strong trend in my market, and I’ve had my own electric car for a long time,” explains Belisle. “I plug it into the charging station in front of the shop—the message is clear for regulars and passersby alike. We’ve even developed a specific menu for this new clientele, reminding our customers of the recommended maintenance on their electric and hybrid vehicles. To grow, we need to specialize. Here, we specialize in the car brands our neighbours drive,” he concludes with humour.

While the Bumper to Bumper shop on Papineau is visible to all motorists heading toward the Jacques-Cartier Bridge, Gilles Perreault’s shop in Longueuil is hidden in the heart of a residential neighbourhood. Since 1988, Perreault has forged close ties between his family, his business, and his clientele.

“Obviously, our shop has a family approach. We’re actually preparing our succession right now with our son and nephew,” says Perreault’s spouse, Johanne Harvey. “We’ve led several initiatives over the years to make ourselves known and build customer loyalty,” explains Harvey. “For example, we collaborate with a school to welcome potential dropouts as interns. It’s to show them our industry and what awaits them if they complete their studies.”

Taking charge of commercial fleets

The services offered have also evolved. The business handles the maintenance of commercial vehicle fleets, even taking care of visits to SAAQ agents for inspections. “We then inform the client of the work to be done and, if necessary, we carry it out.”

Here too, the electric shift has taken place. “By offering maintenance for electric vehicles, we don’t lose customers who have made the transition, and we reassure all others about our technical capabilities,” summarizes Harvey.

The new generation of customers, with their particular needs and expectations, is gradually taking over, but the shop has always been concerned about aging people or those with reduced mobility. “Sometimes my son leaves with the truck to pick up wheels from a retiree to install them at the garage,” explains Harvey.

It also happens that a vacationer in Florida or Mexico makes an emergency call to the shop for remote advice about a warning light that has just appeared on their RV’s dashboard. “Yes, I admit, some of our good customers have our personal cell phone numbers,” admits the manager.

Following new consumer habits also means being flexible about commercial interactions. Here, as in a handful of local shops, customers leave their keys in a box, ask the staff to do the necessary work to get their vehicle in good condition, and come to pick it up at their convenience, late in the evening, after authorizing and paying for the work by text and transfer, without a word being exchanged.

A home run

We were strongly encouraged to talk to Lynda Cayouette, Co-owner of Mécanique Auto D.R., under the AUTOPRO banner in Saint-Étienne-de-Lauzon, to conclude this article on the services and small gestures of appreciation that shops multiply to stand out. Cayouette joined her spouse’s business in 2018 and immediately infused it with an original approach.

Did you know that the shop offers morning courses on the basics of automotive mechanics, training designed for new drivers, often the children of their customers? “It’s a big success,” confirms Cayouette. “We wanted to explain to new drivers how the main systems of their cars work. We emphasize the importance of preventive maintenance and vehicle safety.” Such a success that high schools and women’s groups have asked to benefit from these valuable basics in mechanics. Everything is free, but it’s easy to understand that this is a winning formula for attracting and retaining customers.

Several small gestures support this idea. Holidays are marked with small chocolates. Calcium deposits and seasonal dirt that stain windows are chased away with a good rinse. And the coffee is fresh and free. In the waiting room, small children are given a puzzle with the shop’s colours, which they can take home as business cards.

“I put myself in the customer’s shoes, who rarely arrives at the shop in a good mood, knowing that good maintenance has its price. If we can, everyone in our team, make small gestures that make them smile, our mission is accomplished.”