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Looking for a Tech? – Why?
Many, maybe most, shops looking for a tech don’t need a tech – they just think that they do.
A typical shop should average 40-50 hours per tech per week assuming there are enough cars to service. A dedicated specialty shop, 50-60. Very few shops do so. Why? Weak management. Everything from estimating to training to software to inventory to systems and so on.
Auto repair shops are some of the least efficient service businesses that exist. Trying to fix that by adding or replacing techs won’t help if the management is lacking.
Many of us need to accept the fact that our management skills stink in certain areas and learn how to deal with them. If your numbers are not in the ranges mentioned above, you need to first find out why.
What about weak links at your shop? Tell us about fixing them past, present, and future.
#techefficiency
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7 Replies
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I agree. I am the service manager for a motorcycle dealership in California. In the past we have had 3 techs and have averaged 180-200 hrs for each two week pay period. Each tech flagged about 60 hrs- about 75% productive. Just recently we lost a tech and I really focused on monitoring their flagged hours per day. Now with two techs we have averaged 189 hrs in the last two pay periods. I am producing the same with less techs. Each tech is now over 100% productive but sometimes I have to turn away work which I am afraid might hurt me in the long run. For example we have enough work to stay busy for the next 6 business days but I don’t want to stop doing oil changes or tire changes for fear they will go some where else and not return. Lets face it most people wont wait a week to get their oil changed or their tires replaced but I don’t want to turn down an 8 hour job because I might get an oil change or tires today. I have always been proud that we could do tires and oil changes the same day because some of the other shops told them 1 week to get it done but lately with two techs I am not getting the bigger jobs done because I keep taking in the small jobs. What is everyone else doing?
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A few thoughts…
A shop should almost never be booked 6 days out (exception – maybe some big weather event that occurs in a great while).It really sounds like you need a third full blown tech and figure out how to have each tech produce above 100%. A solid and fair incentive system is critical.Find one ASAP, but until you do I would be inclined to take the small jobs over the big ones – making 3 or 4 customers happy vs. one will be best in the long run once you get all the other ducks in a row.In the interim, can you find a sharp individual who can quickly be trained to perform oil changes and tires?Sounds like you have a great shop that has a lot of potential. -
An alternative might be to add what we call a General Service person. The GS is typically a straight hourly person that does oil changes/tires and cleans the shop, shuttles customers or whatever else is needed. The GS could also work into being a full technician after time with proper training.
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I am a tech. I have seen far too many owners want one tech per bay. A good tech needs two bays. Parts slowdowns or that broken exhaust manifold bolt can kill a productive guy for hours if not days. I agree on a GS guy. Finding them is another story. I started out busting tires and running the stud hopper. Those kids seem to not exist anymore. They play on phones or talk turbos.
I do not want to manage a shop. I am dirty fingers and hands on. Reoccuring U codes and such. Hiring a fast hack is only making him money while the top guys suffer. BTW, a flat bay is not a bad thing. All doors open. Room to breathe. Good techs are hard to come by these days. The flush game ran out fast due to oversell. Identifix is so overloaded with crap it is almost usless.
Big jobs can equal big problems. I have a third bay hack now who crushed the fuel lines on an engine job. It became my responsibility to find new ones and fix it. For nothing. I could have killed 2 Taurus 3.0 pushrod timing covers and diag on that rough idle on the Caddie CTS for that.
Smart techs will not stick around to be a team player. Pay them or become a lube shop.
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The motorcycle industry is very similar but very different from the auto industry, Or at least that is the way i perceive it. This might happen in cars but when it rains service dries up. We also see higher volume before major holidays such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Presidents day followed by a low volume period right after. This might be the way the auto industry is too – please inform me how you deal with it
Tom,That is a very good point about keeping 3 customers happy over 1 and will give that some serious thought. I guess I looked at it that I would rather schedule a 4-8 hour job then tell that person that I cant so I can do oil changes. I am wondering right now what percentage of my repair customers come in for oil changes too. I bet its about 50%.We are a straight flat rate shop. One thing I have found is that they would prefer to just do the easy things like oil changes and tires. When I have had hourly guys before the techs start complaining that they aren’t getting any “gravy” work. It really bothers me when this happens but I haven’t found a solid way around it. An old timer once told me that the motorcycle business is like the car business was before lube shops became popular.My shop is 7 bays. Since there are only two techs they each have three lifts. -
I am the worst manager owner. I really need to find two supertechs and get rid of the c level techs .Maybe a new service writer, My shop has changed a ton we only see cars on avg every 7500 to 10,000 miles. Trying to train customers on the problems with long intervals. Also many new car dealers are giving away 5qt syn oil for $49,00 on VW 59 Audi and Bmw 69 .
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Auto repair shops are a portion of the minimum productive business that exist. Adding so as to attempt to settle that or supplanting techs won’t help if the administration is inadequate.
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