“Customer states” may be the two most important words in the shop. The phrase shows up in plenty of memes, but in the shop, it’s serious. It marks the starting point for every diagnostic process.
The best service advisors share one trait … they let the customer talk! They don’t jump in or guess what’s wrong. They ask questions and record everything the customer says. That habit turns customer states into the foundation of an accurate diagnosis.
Listen to What the Customer States
Many shops focus on diagnosing fast, especially in flat-rate environments. While speed matters, great advisors and techs slow down to focus on what the customer states, especially the when and where behind the problem.
If advisors or techs jump to conclusions and explain the issue too early, customers may start thinking about costs and comparing shops. Skilled advisors avoid that. They listen, then repeat the concern word for word. When customers hear their own words echoed back, they know they’re being heard and taken seriously.
Technicians Must Value Every Word
Technicians play a key role in turning what the customer says into accurate fixes. They must treat every detail as a clue. After gathering all the details, the next step is verification. If the problem matches what the customer says, great! If it’s intermittent, replicate their driving conditions. Skipping notes and going straight to a scan tool can lead to mistakes.
Guessing doesn’t build value, but confirming what the customer states does.
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