A Tale of 2 Car Companies | Accelerate Success with Lorraine Moore

A good friend purchased a high-end Porsche SUV several months ago, around the same time I bought a Lexus. As former executives at Fortune 500 companies, we understand the importance of interactions between frontline staff and customers. The clients’ experience can elevate or deflate the company brand.

That is one of the reasons my friend is vocal about her displeasure with the service she receives from her Porsche dealer. When she arrives for her scheduled service appointments, no one greets her, no one is visible, and typically, she has to walk around the dealership to locate someone to help her.

I contrast this with my Lexus experiences. When I recently arrived at the dealership for regular maintenance, I was greeted and offered a shuttle as soon as I pulled my car in. When I walked into the service area, two people greeted me. They immediately checked me in and then offered me a (very good) cup of coffee from the barista bar. I declined the succulent pastries but utilized the complimentary Wi-Fi and skimmed some of the newspapers. They had booked me for a complimentary pedicure and I enjoyed that while completing emails.

I observed a service person advising a customer that his vehicle needed new brake pads. They recommend that he have them fixed while he was there rather than booking another appointment. He said he did not have extra time that day and they assured him that they could replace the brake pads and still be done by the original time or sooner.

Another elderly customer was having an issue with his key fob. The female service consultant explained that it was simply a dead battery. They would replace it right away at no charge. She shared this as if she was telling him he had won the lottery. And he responded with a big smile – as if he had indeed won the lottery.

My friend and I are fortunate to have the means to buy nice cars. As highly successful business people, we seek to provide great service to our clients and we expect the same in return. We will pay for good service.. We are also well connected and will readily recommend purveyors of good service and warn of poor service.

Thank you and hats off to Chris Anderson, Sammy Lee and the team at Lexus Royal Oak!

My recent experience was not an anomaly. It is why I purchased my car from that dealership. I chose to not buy my car at another Lexus dealership as I did not receive the same level of respect during the sales process. So their service culture does not result entirely from the corporate culture or company policy. It is a well-run dealership offering excellent front line service. Pure, simple and powerful.

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