WIX Filters Honors Laurens District 55 High School With School Of The Year Ceremony

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WIX Filters Honors Laurens District 55 High School With School Of The Year Ceremony

Based in Laurens, South Carolina, the school is the 12th recipient of the annual program, naming it the best technical training school in the country. WIX and O'Reilly Auto Parts are sponsors of the national award in conjunction with Tomorrow's Tech.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
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WIX Filters, a global manufacturer of filtration products, in conjunction with Tomorrow’s Technician, honored Laurens District 55 High School as the 2019 School of the Year in a ceremony on Nov. 22.

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Based in Laurens, South Carolina, the school is the 12th recipient of the annual program, naming it the best technical training school in the country. WIX and O’Reilly Auto Parts are sponsors of the national award in conjunction with Tomorrow’s Tech.

“WIX looks forward to this competition every year, and knowing there are so many talented students in this country makes us excited for the future innovators of our industry,” said Mike Lerch, brand manager of WIX Filters. “Laurens is more than deserving of this award and meeting so many of the students Friday was inspiring as they shared their passion for automotive excellence.”

As part of the award, Laurens was presented a $5,000 check from WIX Filters to go toward its program and was also gifted WIX gear and a visit from the WIX Filters rally car.

Thomas Chandler was incredibly gracious accepting the award and said he looks forward to continuing his teaching. He closed his acceptance speech with a few poignant words saying, “My wonderful students, I love you all.”

While the students were aware of their school’s 2019 recognition as the School of the Year, the day they would be honored was a surprise, entering the assembly room Friday unaware that they would be celebrated that morning. The program included remarks from representatives on behalf of WIX, Babcox, O’Reilly Auto Parts and local officials.  

“The ceremony reiterated for all of us the reason we support the School of the Year award,” said Frank Bird, group publisher at Babcox. “We came together to honor an instructor who is incredibly passionate about his work and a group of students who strive for greatness.”

As part of the program’s winnings, instructor Thomas Chandler traveled with a guest to Las Vegas to attend the Babcox Media recognition dinner at the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) in early November.

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Customer Service: How It’s Done

Customer service should be your number one priority, and it all starts with the greeting.

Eric Garbe
By Eric Garbe
Eric Garbe is a graduate of Columbus State Community College with a degree in Automotive Maintenance Technology. He has extensive independent and dealership field experience as a technician and shop owner and is an ASE Certified Master Technician and former Adjunct Automotive Professor. He has been professionally writing automotive technical articles and documents for many years and in his free time enjoys restoring old cars and creating custom interiors and upholstery.
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This is always an important topic to discuss, because I consider excellent customer service one of the most important tools you can have to earn trust, respect and repeat business from the customers that come through your door. Whether that customer is do-it-yourselfer from across town or the professional repair shop across the street, your business depends on a solid relationship.It’s a subject that I am passionate about, and it’s one that many people are losing touch with. Whether you are communicating to someone in person, on the phone or using some type of social media, good customer service and bad can both exist. You can’t afford the latter, so this is the first in a series of topics which can and should be shared from the front of the shop to the back. No matter which role you hold, you represent the shop and yourself. Customer service should be your number one priority.First on the list is the greeting. From the second a customer walks in the door, they need to know you appreciate them coming in and how important they are to your business. First impressions are everything and here’s the correct way to do it each and every time: look them directly in the eye, smile and say hello!Of course, you can say “Good morning” or “Welcome to Joe’s Autocare,” but it should be a formal greeting and the most important thing is that you have smiled, looked them in the eye and recognized that they have walked through the door.You should always retain a formal greeting until you are on a first-name basis with a customer. Only once you have established that level of relationship is it OK to use the less formal greeting of “Hi,” followed by the person’s name.This greeting does more than just indicate respect and appreciation for someone walking through the door. Most likely there are customers both new and old who are in earshot of your conversation. For newer customers, this continues to build rapport and reinforce their positive view of your shop; they see that you demonstrate respect and treat everyone in the same manner. For repeat customers, even ones that have been coming for years, the greeting is important because the way you treat them is the reason they continue to come.And when a long-time customer comes in and you greet them with “Hi [First Name],” this indicates your appreciation for them and that you’re glad to see them as a person, more than just a customer. New customers that witness this will see that your repeat customers are comfortable enough to be on a first-name basis, another indication of the trust they have in you.

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