When it comes to cars and auto-repairs, it’s no longer a man’s world. Don’t believe us? Take a look at these facts collected by Harvard Business Journal, Forbes and Nielsen Ratings:

• 68% of decisions with respect to new car purchase are made by women.
• In the US, over $200 billion is spent by women each year on new cars and vehicle servicing.
• Women account for nearly 65% of requested service at dealerships.

With an increasing rate of women customers flocking the auto-repair shops, they need to tweak their customer service policies quite a bit to earn more customers and to keep them coming. While it does not require a major overhaul in terms of infrastructure, there are a few ideas that you can adopt to make your car-repair business more women-friendly.

Here’s a roundup of 5 tips to retain female customers and to keep them happy:

1. Be polite

There’s no match for politeness when it comes to dealing with a woman. Bring out the gentleman in you and your employees, attend to your female customers right from the time they step out of their cars and hear them out with patience and a smiling face. These gestures are sure to make your female customers feel comfortable right from the beginning.

2. Keep it clean

Women are a sucker for cleanliness so make sure that your shop and your workspace is clean and uncluttered. Pay special attention to the floors and walls of your repair shop. Wipe out any liquid, grease or oil from the floor on regular intervals. Women with heels are very likely to trip over a messy floor and you definitely wouldn’t want such a mishap.

3. Make it a little special for her

Women love to be treated special and a gesture in that direction goes a long way in ensuring that she feels comfortable every time she walks into your repair shop. Many repair shops keep latte machines to let their customers enjoy a hot cuppa. You can walk an extra mile by serving the beverage in a coffee mug instead of a Styrofoam cup.
Also make sure to keep some good women’s magazines on the shelf and yes, keep buying the new editions every other month, if not every month. You can also stock your restroom with diapers, wet tissues and tampons.

Trust us, your efforts will be hugely appreciated.

4. Explain issues without jargon’s

While explaining her what might have gone wrong with her vehicle, do so in a simple, jargon-free language. There’s nothing that puts off a woman more than having to ask for a clearer version of your car talk every time you break into a conversation laden with jargon’s and technical terms.

5. Follow-up after repair

This is an important step to ensure that a woman customer is happy with your service and is not facing any further problems.