Worth the Wait Posted on August 27th
The traditional auto-service waiting room is going the way of the drive-in movie.
To be sure, you can still find waiting areas decorated with stacking chairs, a cement floor spiffed with gray epoxy paint, a blaring TV in one corner and the stack of gear-head magazines in another and the scent of rubber completing that special auto-shop ambience.
Increasingly, however, the chairs are comfy couches, plush carpeting cushions customers’ feet, a high-definition TV quietly hangs in its own nook and the aroma of fresh coffee and tea spice the air.
Is the world coming to an end?
Yes and no. “There’s a move overall toward having a cleaner facility,” says Leona Dalavai Scott, editor of AutoInc., the publication for members of the Automotive Service Association, a national trade organization based in Bedford, Texas.
That’s because repair shops today aim to improve their appeal among women. Scott cites surveys indicating that women account for at least half of all collision- and mechanical-service customers. Some industry surveys put the number at more than 80 percent, and those women aren’t going to the shop with maintenance lists written by their husbands, as they did in the drive-in’s heyday. As workers, heads of household, and even as Mom’s Taxi Service, women today tend to take an active interest in car care.
Couple the responsibility shift with economic conditions that encourage car owners to keep and maintain what they have, and a change in waiting-room atmosphere seems like a sound business practice.
“Waiting areas are definitely more female-friendly,” Scott says. “Remodeling isn’t cheap, though. A lot of shops are investing a lot of dollars in comfortable chairs and subscriptions to women’s magazines.”
Scott’s publication, AutoInc., runs monthly contests asking members to enter by submitting photos and descriptions of customer-friendly repair-shop decor. For example, the winner of the best ladies room, The Dealer Alternative in San Antonio, takes the typical narrow lavatory and runs in the opposite direction. Its stone floor, tan walls and baker’s rack holding a potted plant make it different enough, but the trompe l’oeil archway with patio painted on the wall behind the latrine makes the stall feel just a bit like a gateway to Tuscany.
The magazine’s winner for best waiting area, Adams Automotive in Houston, features a 405-gallon saltwater aquarium, a desk with a banker’s lamp, designer chairs with ottomans, and gourmet coffee, biscotti and candy.
A good waiting room figures into a shop’s public relations, says Brian England, owner of British American Auto Care Inc. in Columbia, Md. His shop won AutoInc.’s award for best children’s area. “What’s new is we’re letting people know more about what British American is doing,” he said.
The children’s area includes recycled coloring books, reflecting the company’s green car-care focus. But it’s a pleasant spot on its own, separated from the rest of the waiting area by a half-wall so parents can keep an eye on the proceedings. It’s furnished with a table and chairs for older children who might like to draw and read and a play mat and toys for little ones. “I’ve even had older people go in there and have a picnic,” England says. The key to success, he adds, is impeccable cleanliness.
What else is out there? While rumors of shops offering massages and manicures turned out to be exactly that – rumors – it’s now possible to find waiting rooms where customers don’t have to feel the urge to escape.
You’ll often find work carrels, or tables and chairs, in some shops where customers can set up their laptop computers. It’s a good idea, however, to bring the computer’s batteries, however; one blogger noted her Ford dealer’s excellent service-area facilities for computer-toting customers, but criticized it for a lack of electrical outlets.
Also look for free high-end coffee and tea. A Nissan dealer in metro Los Angeles offers a tea bar; customers can be soothed by Moroccan Mint and Sushi Bar Green while awaiting the trip to the cashier’s window.
Windows looking out on the service bays are further becoming part of the decor. Perhaps it’s not as entertaining as high-definition TV, but industry insiders say making the repair area visible creates a sense of trust.
And best of all, you’ll find an elevated level of cleanliness these days. That means no more scent of rubber, no more epoxy-painted floor, and not a smudge of grease anywhere.
None of these substitutes for clear communication between the service manager and the shop’s customers, the insiders say. That’s the No. 1 priority for any repair shop or service area. However, a well-turned waiting area helps customers want to maintain their cars. It’s good for business.
We should only have it so good at the doctor’s office.