Editorial
Front Page - Friday, October 29, 2010
Doug Yates Towing reels in repeat customers by keeping clients happy
By Erica Tuggle
Doug Yates Towing and Recovery has been in the business for over 60 years, starting with Lloyd R. Yates Highland Park Garage, which evolved into the thriving company it is today. Shannon D. Yates, Lloyd R.’s grandson, now manages the business along with his father, Lloyd D. Yates. They aim to keep their customers happy so they can build their business through repeat customers.
- Photo provided
Providing excellent service when events take an unpleasant turn is what Doug Yates Towing and Recovery strives for. Customers of Doug Yates Towing find relief instead of grief with auto trouble satisfaction.
Doug Yates Towing and Recovery was first established in 1946 by Lloyd R. Yates in the form of a small garage on Highland Park. Within a few years, the business started into towing and turned into Yates Garage and then eventually into what it is today, run by Lloyd R.’s son, Lloyd D. Yates, and his son, Shannon D. Yates.
Shannon Yates says although the shop started out with diesel repair work and moved to incorporate towing into their services, it is now their towing services that are dominant. Their diesel work comes in the form of 24-hour road service and local and long distance towing to anywhere in the continental U.S. Much of their business comes from recovery work and wrecks in setting right trucks that overturn and getting everyone moving again, Yates says.
The Yates take particular pride in their line of work along with the fact that the wrecker business started in Chattanooga. Yates says his father and grandfather are in the hall of fame at the International Towing and Recovery museum located on Broad Street for their contributions to the industry and the steps they have taken to be a leader in this field. Shannon’s father has also been recognized in the community for the rodeo he puts on for St. Jude each year that has donated over half a million dollars to the hospital.
One of the things that make the towing industry unpopular in the eyes of the public is something that Yates Towing avoids. He knows it may come as a surprise that a towing company is not pulling vehicles off private property when this is such a big piece of revenue to be had, but Yates says they do not tow illegally parked vehicles, do repossession work, or private property towing except by owner’s request for a few people they know.
“We don’t go out and tow people’s cars off the lot because we try and get repeat customers and I feel like that’s bad for business,” he says.
Yates does participate in the city rotation that allows for a police officer to call up the next name on this rotation if someone has a wreck and they don’t know of anyone they would like to tow their car.
The city regulates the charge for these cases and the wrecker must respond within 30 minutes. The fee for calling a wrecker from this rotation is $125 during the day and $135 at night, whereas if you know which wrecker you want to call, the tow would normally be between $55 to $65, Yates says. The reason for the jump in price for a rotation wrecker is because it takes a whole lot more to be on this list. Wreckers on this list have to have more insurance, be on response 24/7 and pay someone to be on call at all times.
Through it all, Doug Yates Towing and Recovery continues to be a leader with the best, state-of-the-art equipment that the market has to offer and by employing and keeping on board the best drivers, Yates says. They also strive to have repeat business, which means keeping their customers satisfied.
“When someone is calling us, they are not very happy because they’ve had a wreck or their car broke down. We have to strive really hard to make that bad situation a good situation. It is usually a tough task to get repeat business sometimes, and so we work really hard on that,” he says.
Part of getting repeat business is keeping a good appearance with clean trucks and their drivers well groomed and looking professional, he says. The way he sees it is imagining whom he would want to pick up his wife and kids if they broke down somewhere.
“You see the horror stories on TV … of a grease monkey looking guy with beard and shirt un-tucked, and we try to counteract that image. Appearance is your first impression,” he says.
The experience and knowledge of over 60 years in the business includes the dedication to provide damage free towing, another concept Yates feels is very important. Although, if they tear something up, they take care of the situation properly and keep the process as stress free as possible for all their clients, he says.
Yates Towing and Recovery plans to continue their excellence in the industry with the recent acquisition of a new facility that is an expansion three times the size of their current facility. They have also installed GPS in all their vehicles so they can know exactly where a vehicle is by simply looking at the computer.
Yates says they will continue to invest in the market and stay on top of anything new that comes out to help new clients and build repeat customers.
|
|