HONDA OWNER WORKSHOP: March 2011
General Manager Joel Richards welcomed our guests this evening and thanked them all for their recent purchases. He then went on to describe what the “Bernardi for now, Bernardi for Life” motto means to him and his staff.
Service Director, Rick Voss discussed what customer loyalty means to our business. He went on to explain the basics of our service operations and amenities that are available while you service your vehicle at Bernardi Honda, along with the best maintenance for your new or pre-owned Honda automobile. Rick also reviewed the importance of maintaining your vehicle with Honda professionals, factory trained technicians and service consultants, and the importance of using O.E.M. parts.
Finance Director Shannon Smith discussed the special benefits included in the purchase of an extended warranty package such as trip interruption and roadside assistance of which most people are unaware.
Mark Saraceno, Service Manager, explained the differences in the coverage of a factory warranty versus the coverage of a certified vehicle’s warranty, and the components most commonly covered. The clients had great questions to keep him on his toes.
Service Director, Rick Voss discussed what customer loyalty means to our business. He went on to explain the basics of our service operations and amenities that are available while you service your vehicle at Bernardi Honda, along with the best maintenance for your new or pre-owned Honda automobile. Rick also reviewed the importance of maintaining your vehicle with Honda professionals, factory trained technicians and service consultants, and the importance of using O.E.M. parts.
Finance Director Shannon Smith discussed the special benefits included in the purchase of an extended warranty package such as trip interruption and roadside assistance of which most people are unaware.
Mark Saraceno, Service Manager, explained the differences in the coverage of a factory warranty versus the coverage of a certified vehicle’s warranty, and the components most commonly covered. The clients had great questions to keep him on his toes.
Master Technician and Service Supervisor Adam Shapiro discussed several technical topics for new vehicle owners including: getting the best fuel economy, the Tire Pressure Monitoring
(TPMS), and safety features such as VSA and ABS. Adam also went over handouts describing common warning indicators and messages that may appear. Navigation, Bluetooth and the voice-activated Hands Free Link systems were also discussed.
Adam also explained how the Bernardi Road Test Plus Program works which is a free service offered to Honda owners to come in for a road test with one of our Shop Foreman for hard-to-reproduce noises or drivability issues. A question and answer session followed and many of our guests received answers to specific technical questions and maintenance procedures relating to their new Honda vehicles.
Parts Director Rob Caron discussed the difference between genuine Honda parts and aftermarket parts. The reality is that Honda parts fit these vehicles better and you can always get a part sent overnight if a vehicle is down due to a repair. He also mentioned that local body shops in the area that use OEM Honda parts order them from our dealership. Rob also informed the workshop guests that Bernardi is a Honda Authorized Tire Center and remains competitive in pricing with other stores.
Erik Richards, eCommerce Operations Manager, explained the benefits of purchasing certain items from the website, www.Bernardiparts.com, for the “mechanically inclined”. Simple items such as bulbs and wipers are best to purchase from the dealership due to shipping costs, unless of course they are purchased in bulk.
Dan Enderle from American Honda, Manager of Service and Parts, was our guest speaker for the evening. Dan is a huge supporter of great customer service and described Bernardi Honda as one of the best teams out there!
Kristin Cullinane, Customer Relations Manager ended the evening by thanking everyone for their questions and for attending the workshop. She explained how other dealers are happy to meet your expectations whether it’s during a service visit, purchasing a vehicle or just calling in to make an inquiry; but Bernardi prides itself on exceeding those expectations. We continually improve our business practices from the information gathered in the service and sales experience surveys conducted by American Honda. We have made changes from the coffee that we serve right up to streamlining a purchase process so that time is spent more efficiently. We are always open to suggestions of how to better serve the guests in our dealership.
Multiple raffles were drawn during the evening and one lucky couple walked away with a fuel gift card for $100.00!
Special thanks to Uno’s Chicago Grill on Route 9 in Framingham& Westborough for preparing and serving our meal during this event.
We would like to thank the following employees for their hard work this evening: Service Assistant Jackie Graff, Parts Department Chris Werner for his photography skills, Customer Relations Sallie Longeri, Sasha Durante & Lauren Willens, Building Maintenance Tom Parks, Guest Transportation Jim Blaney and his valets which included Roy Peters of our Detail Department and Salesman Peter Nannery, Sales Manager Seth Marshall and Pre-Owned Sales Manager Bob Cole for the use of his showroom.