What keeps customers from leaving? What makes the thought of waiting for repairs bearable for customers?  Well, the answer might be quite obvious and that is to provide excellent repair services. But then, you may be already giving services that far exceed other repair shops within your area and you're still not getting the number of customers you've been expecting. If this is your case then you may be missing an important element in having a good shop and that's having a comfortable waiting room for your customers.

Completing an auto repair service may take from a few minutes to several hours. During those times, you would want your customers to have a comfortable place to sit in as they wait for their vehicles. This keeps your clients from becoming impatient and eventually dissatisfied with your garage service. Hence, having a clean and comfortable waiting room for your customers having their vehicles repaired is a must. A properly utilized waiting area can even lead to more sales.

How to Setup a Comfortable Waiting Area for Automotive Service Clients

Setting up a waiting room for customers is not as simple as you might think it is since you have to make sure that it is a place people would want to stay in. Now, the question is how to do it. Here are some things you can do to “Ritz” up the place:

1. Clean it up. A clean place is what everyone would look for in a place they would be staying in even for a few minutes. Hence, you should keep the environmental hygiene in place. Vacuum dusty areas and wipe down the furniture regularly to keep the place clean and comfy.
2. Free Wi-Fi. Everyone has a Wi-Fi device nowadays and you can take advantage of it by providing free WIFI services for your clients. This lets them access their favorite online platforms such as Facebook and news sites so they can keep themselves occupied and entertained while they wait.
3. TV and Magazines. Nothing beats the traditional entertainment mediums like TV and magazines, which is why having them in a waiting area is also a must. If you want people to enjoy the television, simply tune it into a channel that's popular to the general public. And when it comes to compiling a collection of magazines, include materials from a wide variety of topics that include home improvement, sports, automotive, fashion and more.
4. Toys for children. Some clients would bring their children to your auto repair garage and would look for ways to keep them occupied as they wait for your services to be done. To handle this, have a collection of toys in the area.

Pro-Tip: Put it on your calendar once every quarter to have a seat as if you were a client waiting on a repair. Take a few minutes to look around and evaluate the condition of your waiting area. Because you are in your shop every day, you are the frog in the frying pan. You may not notice how dirty or beat up your waiting area has become. You may also never see the view from the seats in your waiting area and therefore never have noticed how dusty it is under the front of your service counter. Sit in every seat and make note of these things.

Having a comfortable waiting area for your clients to stay in can add significant improvements on service feedback and eventually increase profit. But then, this isn't the only thing you should focus on as a shop owner. To learn more tips on how to improve your auto repair business, look through some of the great articles on this shop marketing site, and keep in touch for more tips straight to your inbox.