Williams Texaco

When I was a kid growing up in Wooster Ohio, my father always fueled up his car at Williams Texaco. The station was right down the street from where we lived and it had service, I am willing to bet most dealerships would love to have. We would always be greeted at the pump promptly where they would wash our windshield, check tire pressure, pop the hood and check every fluid level including fan belt condition. Rain or shine they then proceeded to fuel our car while having a casual discussion about what they saw during their inspection. They sold enough maintenance and repair work at the pumps to keep two technicians busy in the rear of the station. I recall one conversation specifically when they sold my father a generator belt to be installed and another for a spare in the trunk in case we were traveling and had a problem. I never once recall hearing a complaint about weather conditions from any employee at Williams Texaco. Instead, my recollections are the employees were always pleasant and eager to see us. We never felt like an inconvenience when we needed fuel, even when it was close to closing time. There were no groceries at the station, however, I could always pick out a bag of chips or another snack they had in the payment area. If you are thinking those were the good old days and no one can provide that kind of customer service in today’s environment, I hope you are wrong. Today you likely are paying over $100 to have your vehicle looked at in a car dealership. As a customer today you are likely to feel rushed and unappreciated in a typical dealership visit. I challenge every dealership to make every effort to bring back the good old days where customer service is an obligation that can never be compromised. Make the time to be as good as Williams Texaco was in the good old days. 

Sincerely,
Rob Gehring, President
Fixed Performance Inc.
rgehring@marginplus.net
1-888-205-8718
Fixed Performance complete fixed operations coaching consulting