It's hard to believe it's been 20 years!
Things have changed, yet things have stayed the same...
Twenty years ago, when I first started in this business, Apple had just introduced the iPod, the first Harry Potter film was being shown in the theatres, bucket hats were trendy and my youngest son (see below) was in kindergarten and now he's married and expecting his first baby in a few months! Times certainly have changed in a lot of ways, but when I think about my journey as a business owner one thing has always stayed the same - developing customer service and satisfaction were always a main goal for me. I knew that a business with gold star customer service would retain loyalty, get referrals and be more profitable overall than a business with poor customer service. I set out to give businesses a way to manage customer service to ensure no negative customer experience goes unidentified and no positive comment goes unshared.
My start came when Jeff Fortin of Fortins Supply approached me with the offer to purchase Compechek Market Research. It was a no brainer. At first it was a company solely about helping businesses in the automotive aftermarket industry ensure that their pricing and product lines were competitive in the marketplace. The original product was a mystery caller program which is not only still an offering but still retains some of those original customers from twenty years ago!
Then a few years into doing the Mystery Caller program, I talked to a National Director in a corporate environment who shared a key problem he had with his many corporate locations across the country. He was having trouble ensuring that he was hearing the voice of the customers accurately. Were they happy with the products and services that his corporation offered? Were the store managers, accurately giving the level of customer service that head office intended? That was the birth of ASK LISTEN RETAIN. Our slogan became, “we ASK the important questions, you LISTEN, and you RETAIN customers for a lifetime”.
Fast-forward eight years after that conversation and ALR has single location, franchise, and corporate customers, all using our customizable portal. Using the ALR process, customer dissatisfaction is isolated and using the 360 Loop, each and every customer concern is handled to both the customer and owner satisfaction. Positive comments are also isolated and can be used for motivation or to promote the business on social media.
Expanding the program offerings, customizing the portal and working on social media platforms were all big growth steps for ALR and I’m so proud of how far we’ve come. ALR has also maintained its automotive aftermarket industry roots. We have become experts in working in a fast-paced and constantly changing industry and we understand the needs and requirements of our customers. We are also one of the only feedback programs that caters to the automotive aftermarket industry. We don’t have to make fancy technology add ons to our core program, it is already ready-to-go for automotive aftermarket stores and garages.
During the time I had begun to create the ALR portal, I also developed a partnership with Excel Sales Consulting. This was a very beneficial relationship in terms of customer service development. Norm and his team are specialists in training inside sales staff, sales professionals, managers and delivery drivers to create a customer-oriented business. Customers using both the ALR program and Excel’s training courses have seen incredible growth because clients are treated like the VIPs they are and that in turn, retains business and ensures profit growth.
I been extremely fortunate to work with so many great customers over the years. I have created friendships and long-standing business relationships with some amazing people. I recognize that without your business, I would not be here and for that I am extremely grateful.
Here is to another twenty years!
In gratitude,
Peter Kmyta
Office: 1-877-266-7324 | Mobile: 604-819-3917 | [email protected]
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