Getting AAA approval for your auto repair shop is not the end. You will be required to turn in 20 review cards every month and maintain a minimum of 93% customer satisfaction rating. Failure to do this will mean a loss of AAA approval for your auto repair shop.
It is the desire of every auto repair shop to become AAA (pronounced as Triple-A) approved. This article will cover what you need to do and how to become an AAA approved auto repair shop.
- What is AAA?
- Why should you get AAA approval for your auto repair shop?
- How to become AAA approved auto repair shop
- Employ ASE-certified mechanics
- Have high-tech diagnostics
- Provide excellent customer service
- Keep to environmental standards
- Give warranty for auto repairs
- Have a high rating from the Better Business Bureau
- Contact AAA for approval of your auto repair shop
- After your auto repair shop becomes AAA approved
What is AAA?
AAA stands for American Automobile Association. The American Automobile Association (AAA) is a private non-profit-making association of motor clubs with more than 60 million members and 42 individual clubs in the United States and Canada. AAA was founded in 1902, more than a century ago. This is particularly remarkable as not all organizations continue to exist for this long.
Why should you get AAA approval for your auto repair shop?
You should get AAA approval for your auto repair shop because AAA holds auto repair shops to the highest level of standards, and many customers know this. As such, customers will be more likely to patronize your auto repair shop to repair and maintain their automobiles if it is AAA approved.
More so, AAA refers customers to auto repair shops, and this will help your business to grow at a faster rate.
How to become AAA approved auto repair shop
I will discuss seven steps that will make you become an AAA approved auto repair shop
- Employ ASE-certified mechanics
There is no way you can get Triple-A approval as an auto repair shop if the mechanics who work in the different service areas you provide are not ASE certified. The National Institute, founded in 1972, provides ASE certification for Automotive Service Excellence. AAA considers ASE certification as a high mark of achievement for a mechanic. The reason for this is that the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence only certifies quality auto mechanics.
For an auto mechanic to get ASE certification, they must have obtained automotive technical training at a trade school or apprenticeship. They must also have relevant work experience, which ranges from 1 to 3 years, in the category of automotive repair they want to specialize in, and that is not all. They must have taken and passed the ASE exam, which tests in 8 different study areas. Given the rigorous requirements for a mechanic to get ASE certified, you want to employ them in your auto repair shop, and this will tell AAA that you provide quality repair service.
- Have high-tech diagnostics
Another thing you need to do as an auto repair shop before you can become AAA approved is to have high tech diagnostics. Advanced computer diagnostics is a must-have for auto shops that want to get AAA approved. This is because, with computer diagnostics, the specific cause of the problem that has brought a customer to your shop can be found in minutes. This goes a long way to reassure a customer. Problems detected by a customer can be vague, but with high-tech diagnostics, you can tell them specifically what the problems are and allay their fears.
Doing an initial computer diagnostics test can enable the mechanic to detect the automobile’s problem quickly, determine what constitutes the best repair that can be done, and work to repair the automobile as soon as possible.
AAA values that repairs are done in the shortest possible time, and having advanced diagnostics will help your auto repair shop achieve this.
- Provide excellent customer service
It is very important that you provide excellent customer service in your auto repair shop. This is because before your auto repair shop can get AAA approval, AAA will visit your auto repair shop and carry out a customer satisfaction survey. You have to get a minimum of 94% customer satisfaction rating in this survey if you want to become an AAA approved auto repair shop.
One way you can provide excellent customer service and increase customer satisfaction is by being honest when dealing with customers. When you tell customers the best options for their specific repair problems, they are more likely to trust you and score you high in surveys.
Another thing you need to do is listen when your clients are complaining about the reason why they have brought their automotive for repairs. Be patient and do not do anything that will increase their stress level.
In addition, do not try to deceive your customers by recommending other services that they do not need. If they find out that you are upselling services, they will score you poorly in customer satisfaction surveys.
Furthermore, after you have repaired your customers’ automobiles, you should follow up on them to ensure that everything works well. This will tell them that you value them and will improve their satisfaction with your service.
Additional things you can do in order to achieve the excellent customer service necessary for AAA approval is to provide suitable parking spaces and a good waiting room for customers.
After you have done all these, conduct your customer satisfaction survey to know your customers’ baseline satisfaction with your auto repair shop and work to improve this before the AAA customer survey and beyond.
- Keep to environmental standards
Your auto repair shop has to uphold environmental standards for it to become AAA approved. Auto repair shops generate wastes, including motor oil, oil filters, transmission fluids, etc. in doing their work. These waste fluids can become hazardous if they spill into waterways, both for aquatic and human lives.
Therefore, the area where waste fluids are kept in above-ground tanks must have a secondary containment system. You should ensure that waste fluids are properly disposed of. Also, there should be dedicated rags to clean up small spills, and such rags should be washed by professional laundering service.
In addition, mops that absorb oil only should be used to clean up oil spills, and you should have separate mops for antifreeze spills. Gasoline and solvent spills should be stored in a drum for flammables until they are disposed of. You should not hose down your work area and ensure to store auto parts away from the elements.
Adherence to environmental regulations is a requirement for AAA approval, and AAA will look out for these things when they visit your auto repair shop.
- Give warranty for auto repairs
Another thing you need to do in order to become an AAA approved auto repair shop is to offer a warranty for auto repairs. This tells AAA that you are confident of the service you provide and assures them that you have a low failure rate. This will also make customers more likely to patronize you.
- Have a high rating from the Better Business Bureau
A high rating from the Better Business Bureau is another requirement for AAA approval. It would help if you considered getting the Better Business Bureau accreditation and having a high rating from them. This is because the Better Business Bureau is considered trustworthy by AAA as they objectively rate businesses. Once the Better Business Bureau accredits you, you can put their accreditation badge on your website, and your business information and website link will appear on their website.
You may need to create an account with the Better Business Bureau, complete your registration and file a paid request to them before you are accredited. Accreditation and a high rating from the Better Business Bureau increase your business credibility with AAA.
Additionally, many customers visit the Better Business Bureau website before choosing which auto repair shop to use.
- Contact AAA for approval of your auto repair shop
After you have met all the above requirements, you should contact AAA for approval of your auto repair shop. Usually, they will ask you to provide the following information, which will help make the process faster. These include your contact name, phone number, name of your auto repair shop and its address, the number of years you have been in business, and the number of mechanics in your auto repair shop who have ASE certification.
Your auto repair shop has to have been in business before it can become AAA approved.
These are the seven steps to take in order to become an AAA approved auto repair shop.
After your auto repair shop becomes AAA approved
Sources
https://www.aaa.com/autorepair
https://www.ace.aaa.com/automotive/approved-auto-repair.html
