Inform the Customer

The following points will help you perform the tests consistently and communicate with your customers clearly:

Decide where and when you want the test to take place. At car dealerships, this might be the service drive. At a general repair facility, this might be part of an overall preventive-maintenance inspection. The important thing is to make it part of a regular routine and stick to it.
Make sure that you have a process in place for getting the printed test result to the customer. In most cases, this will probably involve attaching the printout to the customer’s work order so that whoever is responsible for communicating the result has the required information.
If the customer has dropped off the vehicle and is not present, don’t wait until he or she has returned to pick up the vehicle. At that point, they will most likely be in a hurry and will be more inclined to postpone battery replacement until a more convenient time. It’s important to let the customer know as soon as possible so that his or her decision will not be influenced by external factors.
The test result should be communicated in exactly the same way you would any other preventive maintenance issue. Just as you would inform a customer of a worn belt or worn brake pads, so too should you convey the battery test result. Again, process integration dictates that the ED-18 result be communicated at the same time and in the same manner as any other pertinent information about the vehicle’s condition.
Remember that the purpose of the battery test is to inform the customer about the health of his or her battery so that he or she can make an informed decision regarding preventive battery replacement.

Step-by-Step Guide to Communicating the Test Result

Always show the printout to the customer. The printed result lends credibility.
Battery age and regional average battery life should be pointed out as well.
Using a highlighter to emphasize critical points has been shown to help the customer focus on these.
The two main points to cover are the rated vs. tested CCA and the test result (state-of-health) graphic.
Report all test results, not just “marginal” or “replace.” Reporting a “good” battery result shows the value of the battery test to the customer and builds credibility for the inevitable day when the battery will test “marginal” or “replace.”
In the case of a “marginal” or “replace” result, explain what this means in terms of the battery’s susceptibility to failure under extreme temperature conditions.
If “marginal” or “replace,” point out the predicted temperature of failure. While this is always a cold temperature, re-emphasize the fact that a hot temperature can just as easily trigger a no-start situation.

In the case of a “marginal” or “replace” result, simply let the customer know that replacing the battery now can avoid the inconvenience of a failure.