If you read my blog often, you probably know that customer service is really important to me and can make or break an experience for me. So I was particularly pleased this morning as I was compiling editorial for today’s glassBYTEs.com™ that one of our industry’s own recently got a major pat on the back from a local paper and customer. Northwest Auto Glass in Craig, Colo., was featured in yesterday’s Craig Daily-Press for the outstanding customer service it provided to a customer.
“I recently had a windshield replaced,” writes Eva Garrett in her letter to the editor. “I called Northwest Auto Glass, and they got it in that day. I was without a vehicle, but they brought me home and, when it was done, they came and got me.”
She goes on to write, “They had washed all the windows and vacuumed the pickup. If you need a new windshield, I recommend them.”
First, I salute Ms. Garrett for taking the time to compliment a company publicly like this; I think all too often we all tend to only voice our opinions when they’re negative, and I’m guilty of that too.
But, secondly, I salute Northwest Auto Glass for providing such great service that encouraged her to do so. And, though I’ve heard of others offering a similar pick-up program, even car-lending programs, etc., this really goes above and beyond the call of duty.
Have you tried such a program—either picking customers up or lending them vehicles temporarily? What were the benefits? And the fallbacks? Please e-mail me at pstacey@glass.com. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
P.S. On a more serious note, the new NAGS pricing is just more than a week out from taking effect, and the latest price increases already are starting to roll in. How do you combat all of these changes?
I’m not a huge sports fan, but I love baseball, particularly when I get to see it played live. Last year when my husband and I went to see the Baltimore Orioles play the Toronto Blue Jays together, he joked after the game that he’d never seen me pay so much attention to anything for so long. He actually was more interested in getting up on occasion, grabbing some food, etc., while I was glued to my seat in fear of missing the next big play.
So, to be honest, I didn’t really notice the ads around me or whose sign was behind home plate during each inning; I was pretty focused on the game itself. I think the only ads that did catch my eye were the major ones shown on the big screen during various breaks. So when I read a recent article by my fellow editor here at Key Communications, Tara Taffera, who edits our sister publication, Door and Window Manufacturer magazine, I was surprised to learn that sporting events are pretty popular advertising venues for many door and window dealers. I had learned in the past that Giant Glass in Boston has had a pretty large presence at the games of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park over the years, and that JN Phillips is the official auto glass company of the Boston Celtics, but beyond Boston, I hadn’t thought much about this.
Now, I realize advertising at major venues such as Camden Yards, Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium might not be a viable option for a smaller business, but I’m wondering what chains out there have tried this, and what success they’ve had.
I also come across stories all the time about small, independent shops sponsoring a local Little League team or something of that sort; these companies are always coming up in my online searches for auto glass, and I’m sure their customers—and potential customers—take note of this as well as a way to support the community.
I’d love to hear from readers who’ve tried either method as to what works, what’s been successful, etc. Please e-mail me at pstacey@glass.com.
And, next time I go see the Orioles play, I’ll try to take a glance around myself to see who’s advertising.
I’ve often heard industry representatives express wonder and amazement that hair stylists need to be certified and licensed to do work, whereas, if you’ve got the basic tools, pretty much anyone can enter the auto glass industry. We all know that this might not be a good thing, but this week, as I was scanning the CNN headlines on my lunch break, I came across one that caught my eye—Woman: Trip to Braiding Shop Ends with Trip to ER.
The woman in the story had gone to a North Carolina beauty shop to have her hair braided, but soon after, she started having all kinds of pains in the area of the braids, and, soon the braids started to actually fall out. It turns out, they think the person who braided her hair actually stabbed her with a finger nail accidentally, leading to infection.
I thought the story was pretty gruesome and, for that reason, apologize for sharing it with you here. Though now state legislators in North Carolina have stepped in, and, as of July 1, all “hair braiders” in the state are required to pass a test and become licensed.
Many in the auto glass industry have been very adamant that licensing should be required, but we all know safe procedures should be followed—and that comes in the form of following the Auto Glass Replacement Safety Standard (AGRSS). Auto glass installations are much harder to track than hair braiding, of course, as it was pretty obvious to this woman what the source of her pain was. I thought this article was a good lesson as to what can happen when something goes wrong—and what state legislators might do to an overall upstanding industry.
I’m sure if you’re reading this, you do care about safe installations, but what about the others? Have you taken the time to promote the importance of the AGRSS Standard in your area? Have you encouraged your competitors to become involved? Maybe now is the time to think about it.
As I was getting ready for work this morning, I heard a news report on one of our local stations about the economy. The report looked at two very different companies—a large one, who said things are definitely looking up in the market, and a small one that said it is still struggling to get by.
So which is it? Is the economy bouncing back as many say it is, or are many still struggling? Unfortunately, I don’t have the answers, and neither did this report, but I do seem to be seeing a similar trend.
On one hand, we’ve had so much bad weather this year—from the dreadful snow storms at the beginning of the year to a rampant storm season this summer, that it seems in many areas, business is booming. This past February and March, I know businesses in Virginia, where we are located, could hardly keep up with all the work they were seeing. And, as you’ll see on today’s glassBYTEs.com™, one major hail storm in Oklahoma City in early May left glass shops there with a backlog that still continues.
In fact, in some ways, demand seems to be up so much that many have reported a glass shortage. Yet, it seems almost every week we hear of yet another supplier raising their prices to combat the economic conditions.
So, which is it? Are things bouncing back, and are these simply growing pains? Or are you still seeing an economic slump in your area? If it’s the latter, what are you doing to endure it?
I’d love to hear from you—and I’m sure others would appreciate your tips as well. Please e-mail me at pstacey@glass.com.
We hear it all the time—on television, in our conversation, in ads. But last week I finally started understanding the importance of the question, as I finally joined the world of people using smartphones. In light of the announcement that the new iPhone 4 was coming out, one of my coworkers actually pointed out that Apple was slashing the prices of the older iPhones—and suddenly I found myself ordering my own.
I’ve only had it a couple weeks and still haven’t convinced myself it’s worth the data plan that accompanies it, etc., but I have become a bit obsessed with apps, and have discovered there really are apps for everything, and the majority of these are free—or at least seem to have a free version. In just two short weeks, I’ve downloaded free apps for everything from cooking, to ordering Outback-to-go online, to tracking exercise, to getting the latest news headlines to following the World Cup. (By the way, as I write this I believe it’s getting underway. Who’s watching and who are you routing for?)
But as I search for all these handy apps, I know many of you have been using smartphones, including the BlackBerry®, iPhone and more in your businesses daily, and that many of the industry’s software suppliers have adapted their products so they can integrate easily with these systems. But I’m sure even aside from that there are other available apps that you find are handy—things like Google™ maps, etc. (I actually just discovered this one by accident.)
I’d love to compile a list of handy available apps for readers, so I’m hoping you’ll send me your suggestions. Please e-mail me at pstacey@glass.com with your thoughts, and please be sure to include what type of phone you are using—so I can include this as well.
And, I’m curious, what apps would be handy to you as auto glass businesses that aren’t currently available?
I look forward to hearing from you.
