Please Leave Keys in Car! (Help Your Customers Win the Day)
Please Leave Keys in the Car!
Typically, we hear the opposite advice here.
Usually it’s “Please DON’T leave keys in the car”.
So where does this unorthodox advice come in handy?
At a car rental agency drop off.
Recently while returning a rental car, I took note of all of the signs declaring “Please leave your keys in car”.
As I was leaving the rental parking lot at the Atlanta airport, I struck up a conversation with an employee there.
He said people run off from dropping off their rental car and take the keys with them ALL THE TIME.
He said it happens literally every day. Multiple times a day.
Just think of the total inconvenience for the employees of the rental agency stuck with a car at the parking lot in a line of multiple other cars…that cannot be moved.
A car rental company flips cars like a busy restaurant flips tables.
Keep the inventory turning is the name of the game, right?
Well, a car without the keys is simply…in the way.
A barrier.
Dead weight.
A total liability.
Then what happens?
The car rental company immediately contacts the customer asking them to return the keys.
What a complete hassle and waste of time for everyone.
Simply due to the fact that customers are busy and distracted.
Their minds are thousands of miles away.
With keys in their pocket, they head out to conquer the next challenge.
Wealth creation tip opportunity: If you are innovative and creative, solve that problem for car rental companies and you will make lots of money. Just saying.
Please Leave Keys in the Car
Let’s have a brutally honest and candid chat about your company as well as your customers.
Yes, those customers.
You know the type.
Those customers that are insanely hectic.
Running 10,000 miles an hour. Barely on fumes.
Throwing on multiple hats all day, every day.
Putting out their own constant flow of fires and crises.
The reality?
They are busy.
Crazy busy.
Too busy to slow down or stop and try to figure out your system, your processes, let alone follow your rules, policies and regulations.
How often do you feel your customers are simply dropping off their rental car, sprinting out of the parking lot while you are trying to chase them down to recover the keys.
You’re mad and frustrated.
The customer is embarrassed and beyond irritated.
They were in a rush to begin with, now they need to go all the way back to the car rental to drop off the keys.
That is the definition of lose-lose.
Do you have any “Please leave the keys in car” challenges at your business?
Where constant lose-lose situations exist.
How can we flip the script?
Let’s focus on helping your customers win.
To avoid customers feeling like a fool with your parking lot jammed with unmovable cars.
Then, needing to overnight the rental key, just like Debra needed to in this pic below.
Keys to Avoid Leaving with the Keys
Tips to help create win-win relationships:
- Offer how-to videos on your website and YouTube channel.
- Step by step nativities on how to use your product and service
- Break down your process in small palatable bits
- Analyze your processes & systems to eliminate the situation that a customer could walk out the door with a key still in their pocket.
- Dedicate yourself to delivery high level solutions.
- Transition your customer service team to the customer success team.
- Visit customers in person
- Listen with the intent to understand as opposed to listening to respond
- Understand their challenges, needs, goals and frustrations
Let’s commit ourselves to our customers success.
No longer blaming customers for being busy, distracted as well as absent-minded.
We have no idea what bumpy roads they might be facing.
Do everything possible to prevent them from running out the door with the keys in their pocket.
Most importantly, help them win the day.
Wave, smile, and wish them safe travels.
