Customer Connections and Safety: Brian Whittaker’s Ideal Combo
By Abby Bowman
Editor’s Note: Driving Change is a new column in AGRR magazine dedicated to spotlighting traditionally under-represented people in the auto glass repair and replacement industry. If you or someone you know fits this description and would like to be featured, email abowman@glass.com for consideration.
Brian Whittaker has encountered one dilemma consistently during his 15 years in the business. The Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC)-certified technician works at Glass America in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and prides himself on doing things correctly. He takes no shortcuts and works to uphold the highest ethical standards. His commitment to safety creates a dilemma, though. You see, Whittaker is a die-hard Washington Commanders fan, and, like any good football fan, he can’t resist teasing fans of other teams about their choice. That’s why the customer who came in with a Dallas Cowboys sticker on his vehicle was especially tough for him.
“As I did my introduction, I said, ‘I am sorry, but I can’t work on your car due to the trash on your car,’ and pointed to the sticker with a smile,” Whittaker says. “The customer replied, ‘You must be a [Washington] fan.’ He ended up sitting outside [with me] during the whole process, and we talked about the upcoming season.”
Whittaker discovered that interactions like this help him bond with customers. “I would start using this tactic or looking for some other connection to the customers so they would feel more at ease while I was a stranger taking their car apart,” he says. “Most people are responsive when you show an interest in something they are interested in as well. This makes the whole process easier for everyone.”
Whittaker has a hearing impairment, which he has found also connects him with customers. “Having a hearing disability is a plus sometimes,” Whittaker says. “I have had customers I could not understand, and I would have to explain my situation. This also has acted as a connection to the customer since most people either know someone with a disability or have a disability themselves.”
Whittaker knows sign language, enabling him to communicate with deaf customers who use sign language exclusively. “They are ecstatic to find someone else they could talk to without the use of paper and pen or other means,” he says.
One recent customer says Whittaker did a great job connecting with her. Sarah Bauder, who is part of the Key Media & Research team responsible for organizing Auto Glass Week™, recently had a cracked windshield. Though Bauder is more knowledgeable about the auto glass replacement industry than most customers, this was the first time she needed her windshield replaced. She said Whittaker was personable from the moment the shop manager, David Curtis, introduced her to him.
“He went into the story of his day and the things he was going through recently, and he was making that connection, so it felt like making a friend instead of doing a business transaction,” Bauder says.
Before entering the auto glass business, Whittaker worked in construction with his family. He decided that construction didn’t provide him with the consistent work and income stability he wanted, and a friend he’d grown up with recruited him into the business. “He was like, ‘Come over here, everybody needs windshields,’” Whittaker says.
Whittaker began his auto glass career alongside that friend before arriving at Glass America a little over two years ago. So far, career highlights include replacements for former Commanders players: Jarvis Jenkins, Vernon Davis, Rocky McIntosh and Darryl Grant. He got autographs from all but McIntosh and will never forgive himself for not recognizing McIntosh until after the fact.
He’s also had the chance to work on rare vehicles such as a 1989 Ferrari Testarossa and a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG with butterfly doors. “The parts for both of these cars were scarce and very expensive, but I was the technician trusted to do the job,” Whittaker says. “It means a lot to me that my managers trust me to do these.”
In addition to connecting with his customers on a personal level, Whittaker wants to make sure he does his job correctly to keep them safe. He says his AGSC training and certification hold him and his work to a high safety standard. “If it’s not up to the standards that it needs to be, it can cause issues,” he says. “The windshield can fall out, it’s unsafe for the customer while driving, and things like that.”
Whittaker’s commitment to safety mirrors that of his employer. Glass America is an AGSC Registered Member Company and requires all its technicians to be AGSC certified. “I feel there is no better way to gain your customer’s trust than to have your AGSC technician certification,” says Glass America regional vice president Rob Price. “All of our technicians are certified with the AGSC, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
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