People have dozens of good experiences every day, but the ones that stick in their heads at night are usually the bad ones. You do not want your shop to be the source of that unforgettable bad experience. Bianca Gosser helps businesses think about every detail that shapes how customers feel, including some that are easy to overlook.
Bianca is senior manager of brand partnerships at Atmosphere, an Austin-based streaming service built for business TVs. In episode 81 of Maximum Octane, she and Kim Hickey discuss avoiding overbooking, preparing for new technology, making customers feel at home, and why what plays in your waiting room matters as much as your team’s attention to detail.
What You Will Learn
- Avoid overbooking when you are understaffed
- How can we prepare our auto repair shop to embrace new technologies
- Don’t play the Titanic song on the spa of a cruise
- How to make your customers feel at home
- Use new technologies to offer WOW experiences
- Investing in internal customers’ training is always a good idea
- A bit about Atmosphere and how it can help your auto repair shop create great experiences
Do Not Overbook When You Are Understaffed
Bianca opens with practical advice: avoid overbooking when you are understaffed. Taking on more work than the team can handle leads to delays, rushed work, and frustrated customers. It is better to protect the experience for the customers you can serve well than to disappoint everyone. Kim covers the same principle in Everything Speaks: The True Meaning of Being at Service.
Overbooking often comes from good intentions, such as wanting to serve every customer and maximize revenue. But when the shop cannot deliver on its promises, customers leave frustrated and may not return. Managing capacity honestly, by booking appointments based on realistic staffing and communicating wait times clearly, protects the customer experience and the shop’s reputation.
One practical approach is to set a daily booking limit based on the hours the team can realistically produce, not on how many cars fit in the lot. When a shop is short a technician, that limit drops, and advisors offer the next available appointment rather than squeezing in another job. Customers generally respond well to honesty about timing. A customer told that the car will be ready tomorrow afternoon, and who gets it back on time, is far happier than one promised same-day service who waits until closing for an update.
Preparing to Embrace New Technology
Around the 8 minute mark, Bianca talks about how shops can prepare to embrace new technology. That includes shop management software, digital inspections, online scheduling, and customer communication tools. Embracing technology means training the team so they are comfortable using it and can explain it to customers.
Technology adoption works best when it is planned. Before introducing a new tool, shops should identify the problem it solves, train employees thoroughly, and set clear expectations for how it will be used. Measuring results after implementation shows whether the tool is delivering value and helps identify adjustments.
Do Not Play the Titanic Song on a Cruise Ship
Bianca shares a memorable example: do not play the Titanic song in the spa of a cruise ship. It is a funny way to make a serious point. Every detail of the environment sends a message, and a small mismatch can undermine the experience you are trying to create. In a repair shop waiting room, that might mean avoiding stressful news broadcasts or content that does not fit your brand.
Former Disney leader Dennis Snow calls this idea “everything speaks” in Providing Excellence in Customer Service Before It Was Cool.
Environment shapes mood. Music, lighting, cleanliness, temperature, and even scent influence how customers feel while they wait. A thoughtfully designed waiting area can reduce anxiety and make the visit more pleasant. Reviewing the environment from the customer’s perspective, and asking customers for feedback, helps identify improvements.
Making Customers Feel at Home
Around the 11 minute mark, Bianca discusses how to make customers feel at home. Comfortable seating, clean restrooms, good lighting, Wi-Fi, charging stations, refreshments, and appropriate music or TV all contribute. Customers who feel comfortable are more relaxed, more patient, and more open to recommendations.
ATI’s Make an Impactful First Impression! and How to Create a First-Class Customer Experience offer ideas for improving the customer environment.
Comfortable waiting areas can also support the shop’s revenue. Customers who feel comfortable are more likely to wait for additional work to be completed, approve recommended services, and return for future visits. Small investments in comfort can produce meaningful returns.
Using Technology to Create WOW Experiences
Bianca explains how new technologies can be used to offer WOW experiences. Text updates, video inspections, online approvals, and engaging waiting room content all show customers that the shop is modern and attentive. Technology should make the experience easier and more pleasant, not more complicated.
Technology can personalize the experience. Text updates with photos, digital inspections, online approvals, and follow-up messages keep customers informed and engaged. When technology reduces uncertainty and makes interactions easier, customers perceive the shop as modern and caring.
Invest in Team Training
Around the 20 minute mark, Bianca stresses that investing in training is always a good idea. Even the best tools and environment fall flat if the team does not know how to use them or how to treat customers. Training keeps everyone aligned on the experience you want to deliver.
Training ensures that every team member understands how to deliver a great experience, from greeting customers to explaining repairs to handling complaints. Consistent training also helps new employees learn the shop’s standards quickly.
Customer experience training does not have to be formal or expensive. Shops can role-play common counter situations during a weekly meeting, such as greeting a customer who is upset or explaining a delay. They can also walk through the customer journey together, from the first phone call to pickup, and ask each person where they see friction. These short sessions keep standards fresh and give newer team members a chance to learn by watching experienced coworkers handle situations well.
About Atmosphere
Bianca closes by explaining what Atmosphere does and how it can help repair shops create better experiences through the content on their waiting room screens.
Business-focused streaming services offer curated content designed for public spaces like waiting rooms, with programming chosen to be appropriate and engaging for a broad audience. For repair shops, choosing content that matches the desired atmosphere is one more way to shape the customer experience.
Designing the Customer Journey
Bianca’s conversation highlights how every detail of the customer journey contributes to the overall experience. From the first phone call to the waiting room to the final payment, each touchpoint is an opportunity to create a positive impression. Mapping that journey, identifying moments that cause frustration, and improving them one by one can transform how customers feel about the shop.
The goal is not perfection but consistent improvement. Shops that regularly evaluate and refine their customer experience build loyalty and stand out in a competitive market. ATI’s How to Create a First-Class Customer Experience offers additional ideas.
Common Customer Experience Mistakes to Avoid
Small details often create the bad experiences that customers remember. Shops can watch for these common problems:
- A waiting room TV left on a channel with stressful news or content that does not fit the shop.
- Restrooms that are not checked and cleaned throughout the day.
- Promising a completion time without checking the schedule.
- Going silent on a customer for hours while the car is in the shop.
- Introducing new technology, such as online approvals, without training the team to explain it.
Each of these issues is easy to fix once someone notices it. Assigning a team member to walk through the shop as a customer once a week is a simple way to catch them.
Waiting Room Audit
- What is playing on your TV right now, and does it fit the mood you want?
- Is your waiting area clean, comfortable, and well lit?
- Do customers have Wi-Fi, charging, and refreshments?
- Are you booking more work than your team can deliver on time?
For more ideas on memorable experiences, listen to Jesse Cole of the Savannah Bananas in Swing Hard, in Case You Hit It.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should an auto repair shop play on its waiting room TV?
Choose content that matches the relaxed, trustworthy mood you want customers to feel. Many shops avoid cable news and other content that can be stressful or divisive. Light entertainment, nature or travel programming, and content designed specifically for business waiting rooms are common choices. Some shops also include brief messages about their services. Whatever you choose, check it regularly and make sure the volume is comfortable for conversation.
How can I make my shop’s waiting room more comfortable?
Start with the basics: cleanliness, comfortable seating, good lighting, and a clean restroom. Add amenities customers value, such as Wi-Fi, charging stations, and simple refreshments. Pay attention to temperature, noise, and what is playing on any screens. Ask customers for feedback and sit in the waiting area yourself for a while to experience it from their side. Small improvements often make a noticeable difference.
How do I avoid overbooking my auto repair shop?
Book based on realistic production capacity rather than the number of vehicles you can physically hold. Know how many hours each technician typically produces, account for absences, and leave some room for comebacks and diagnostic surprises. Give advisors clear guidelines on when to offer a later appointment instead of adding another job. Honest scheduling protects quality, reduces stress for the team, and keeps promises to customers.
What technology improves the customer experience at a repair shop?
Tools that reduce uncertainty tend to help most. Digital vehicle inspections with photos and videos, text updates on repair status, online appointment scheduling, and digital approvals all keep customers informed without requiring a phone call. Convenient payment options also help. The key is training the team to use each tool consistently, so technology makes the visit easier rather than adding confusion.
