Building Trust & Transparency Through Standards
Finding a shop you trust can be difficult, this article can help motorists understand what a trustworthy shop can do for their customers.
With the increasing complexity of vehicle systems and components, it is important for motorists to have a service provider they trust to do the repair and maintenance that keeps their vehicle safely on the road. That is why the Motorist Assurance Program (MAP) is dedicated to improving the customer experience by using a standardized program that creates consistency and transparency resulting in greater trust between the customer and the service provider.
If given a choice, many motorists would rather go to the dentist than go to a repair shop to get their vehicle serviced. Why is that? Most of the challenges of trust between consumers and service providers can be attributed to the knowledge gap that many motorists have regarding the complex automotive systems that exist on today’s vehicles. This leads to the questions many of us have like — Do I really need that done? — when we are told that our vehicle requires multiple maintenance services or repairs. Fortunately, there is a program that ensures that the answers to the questions you have on vehicle repair and maintenance are articulated to you in a consistent and transparent way through the Motorist Assurance Programs Uniform Inspection and Communication Standards that have been developed by experts over the last 28 years.
The Motorist Assurance Program (MAP) was created by the Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association (A nonprofit Industry based organization) in order to bridge the trust gap between motorist and service providers through a consistent, transparent customer experience. Shops that are on the program are required to use the MAP inspection standards when recommending parts and services for vehicles. These standards are a great benefit to consumers because any and all recommendations the service provider makes must fall within the inspection standard that is based on the actual condition of the part or system thus eliminating any over recommending of parts and services. These standards ensure that whether your vehicle is in New York or Alaska it will be inspected consistently and you will be told that the component or system is either okay or that a repair is either required or suggested based on its actual condition.
“I believe we are making a positive impact for motorists who are looking for a trustworthy shop. Motorists can look at our decal on the door as they walk in and know the shop is looking out for their best interest” said Jeff Cox, President of the Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association. If consumers, are looking for a shop that follows the MAP guidelines they can utilize their Find My Shop feature on www.motorist.org. They can also find great articles and videos that can help educate them about vehicle ownership and repairs.
Programs like MAP will continue to be important as the complexity of vehicles continue to increase. With the complexity of the vehicles comes the complexity of repairs, luckily with technology at our finger tips, motorists can become educated quickly to make better, informed decisions.