What would you do to enhance the overall experience at the service station if you were part of the management team?

Situation

As a newly hired sales representative, I was asked during my first month to shadow a station manager and observe customer flow and pain points at a busy Metro Manila station with frequent complaints about long wait times.

Task

I needed to propose low-cost, actionable ways to enhance the overall customer experience without interrupting daily operations.

Action

I spent a week discreetly timing vehicle queue lengths during peak hours, noting that lack of a dedicated motorcycle lane caused confusion. I also interviewed four pump attendants about common customer gripes. I then prepared a one-page recommendation: add a temporary motorcycle lane with traffic cones during rush hour, install a small signage reminding drivers to turn off engines while waiting, and give pump attendants a simple script to greet every customer with 'Good morning/afternoon, full tank po ba?' to build rapport. I presented these to the station manager with a phased implementation plan.

Result

After a two-week trial, average customer wait time dropped by 20% and the station's overall satisfaction score on the internal feedback tablet improved from 3.2 to 4.1 out of 5.