Understanding the auto transport process can keep customers happy!
We learned quickly that the best way to keep our customers happy and coming back year after year was just to educate them on the process. Being completely honest about any business is difficult for any salesperson, business owner or marketing rep to do. The honest truth is there is always a down side to any industry and if there wasn’t we would all want that job! For most people they will never in their lifetime transport a vehicle but for the ones that do here are some of the things we tell them to help the auto transport go smooth:
- Timeframes– timeframes are always estimates which means they probably happen 95% of the time but they are estimates and you must be careful not to overpromise or guaranty. Making sure the equipment was newer used to help avoid most breakdowns but with the new EPA and exhaust system requirements, new trucks are more likely to have issue so just be cautious when using any type of guaranty. Always remind the customer that there are other vehicles on the transporter and a few days should be allotted for pick up and delivery to be arranged.
- To go open or enclosed? This can be a difficult question to answer because really unless the car is worth 250k and up we have transported it on an open (customers request of course) and everything has been fine. We ship thousands of luxury vehicles monthly on open transports but these are usually for dealerships who do volume transports and can easily buff out small nicks and scratches. If this is your special car, your pride and joy that you wash and garage keep and have dreamed about owning please send it enclosed. Enclosed transport usually ranges around $400-$500 more than open and will keep your auto safe from road hazards, hail storms and other bad weather.
- Insurance is included but understand the details. There are 2 types of insurance that carriers are required to have by the Federal Government. The first is Liability which at minimum for carrying combustible engines is 1 million dollars. The second is cargo insurance which the minimum requirement is $5000. Obvisously, $5000 would not cover the car hauler (trailer) much less the cars on it! The carrier will have from 50k to 2 million dollars in cargo insurance which is intended to cover the entire load. If a customer is concerned we ask them to call their own insurance because they are usually covered by them also during the transport. If they have alot of questions we can provide them with the Insurance certificate and they can discuss it directly with the agent. Making sure you write any damage issues on the inspection report is key for claims to be paid.
- Updates and availability – okay this is the secret sauce of High End Transport Inc. Updates are provided by our dispatch department via email to the customers automatically. If the customer needs additional updates they can call or email and it will be done. The customer is more than welcome to the drivers cell phone number to be in communistion during the transport (with respect to laws regarding driving and using cell phones). Our reps understand how important it is to answer the phone and return phone calls even when the news is not happy. Sometimes if the route is difficult or the transport is delayed the customer just wants to hear your voice and know that you are on it! If customers have a good understanding of the auto transport industry they can make plans around the process and everything will go smooth. Our drivers and our carriers love hauling High End Transport cars because they know we have done our job to make your auto transport a success!
