Most people purchase automobiles because they like the brand, style and performance. My parents always bought American cars. They felt it was patriotic. We grew up with two cars. One for the family to use and one for the garage. Not the garage attached to our home, but the garage repair shop! After college I bought my first new car – a Ford Explorer. The damn thing broke down every other month. I vowed to always buy European or Japanese. And for the past twenty years I have kept this vow. I drink Coors Light to keep my patriotism!
My favorite automobile manufacture on the planet is Maserati. I love every car made in the country of Italy. The Italians understand performance better that anyone -Maserati, Ferrari and Lamborghini.
My wife and I both drive a Lexus. And it is not because we love the brand, style or performance. We drive a Lexus because we love Kelly Kennedy.
Kelly Kennedy does not own or run the local Lexus dealership – but he sure as heck acts like it. Kelly is the proud manager of the Kuni-Lexus Service Department in Greenwood Village, Colorado. And I would put Kelly Kennedy head to head against the top service managers. In any industry. In any business. In any country.
Kelly is 6’3′, 255 pounds. He is a beast. He has a mean Fu Manchu mustache and handshake that requires you to use two hands. He is a former hockey player who looks like a former hockey player. One tough cookie. Jill and I went to Florence, Italy last year and saw Michelangelo’s Statue of David – the perfect man. Kelly can kick David’s ass!
What if I told you that when I drop off my car to be serviced, Kelly Kennedy jumps out of his desk and literally runs towards me. And when he greets me he gives me the biggest bear hug and kiss on the cheek. I’m not kidding. The man kisses me.
Kelly Kennedy’s passion and love for people is contagious. Everyone loves the way they feel when they are around this man. And the entire service department at Kuni Lexus would cut off their right arm for anything that Kelly asked of them. Why – because Kelly would cut off his right AND left arm for them – and they KNOW it.
I don’t have enough words in this BLOG to list the countless ways and over-the-top customer service that Kelly has provided Jill and I over the last twelve years. Any issue. Any problem. Any situation. Any circumstance. Kelly’s answer is, “Yes, my pleasure.” Always with a smile. Always with passion. Always with the deepest authenticity. I freaking love Kelly Kennedy. And I will drive an eight-year-old Lexus with 107,000 miles another 100,000 miles as long I get to see Kelly Kennedy every three months.
Would you like your customers to speak of your employees the way I speak of Kelly?
Would you like to have lifelong clients that would NEVER drive another car?
Would you like to have a Customer Service team that rivals that of Kuni Lexus?
Well, here’s what I learned from Kelly Kennedy:
Customer Service is not a department. It is not a building. And it is certainly not a call center. Customer Service is people. It is relationships. Customer service is more than servicing its customers. It is jumping out of your desk and running towards your customers. It is not just saying, “My pleasure”, but meaning it. And it sometimes is giving your customers a huge bear hug when they walk in the door – Fu Manchu and all!