Management Articles

Does offering loaner cars to customers add value to an auto shop? This is a question that shop owners must decide for themselves, but we would love to have your input on our most recent poll: How many loaner (rental, courtesy) cars do you have per $100,000 in annual sales? Loaner Cars Relative to Sales There’s a little math involved … Read More

In our last blog, we discussed the problems shops that allow customers to supply their own parts have. There are always two sides to every story, however. Here we will talk about why some shops choose to do repairs using customer supplied auto parts and one possibility for making this practice work financially for the shop and the customer. The … Read More

Does your auto shop use customer supplied parts to complete their repairs? This topic can raise some eyebrows and tempers between customers and shop owners or techs, but there are good reasons for shops refusing to use aftermarket parts customers purchase elsewhere. Here we will go through those reasons and how to explain your shop’s policy to your customers. The … Read More

In our last blog, we talked about the importance of exit planning and making sure that owners give themselves enough time to fix any problems with their auto shops before they put them up for sale. For some owners, there may be an additional complexities to a transition, though. Many auto repair businesses are family owned and operated. Transitioning a … Read More

Are you planning on selling your auto shop at any time in the future? Not all auto repair shop owners plan on selling. Some of them intend to work in their shops until they can no longer work and then close the doors. Most owners would like to recover a large portion of the time, love, and sweat equity they’ve … Read More

How useful do you think ASE certification is? We’ve asked the question before, but it’s always good to review. For shop owners who do believe ASE certification is important for their techs, the other related question must be: How much do you invest in getting your techs ASE certified? Certification involves both time and money, and it has assumed benefits … Read More

In our last blog we discussed the need for lift safety training in all auto repair shops. It’s vitally important that all employees are familiar with automotive lifts, know how to use them correctly, and know how to safely work around them. It’s also critical for shop safety that the lifts work correctly and are in good operating condition at … Read More

Vehicle lifts are an important piece of equipment in auto repair shops. They’re used throughout the country and the world to raise and lower vehicles very effectively. Unfortunately, sometimes they are not well maintained, and not all employees are thoroughly trained in lift safety. These failures can and have led to thousands of accidents and injuries, and some deaths occur … Read More

Some kinds of repairs always come as a shock to car owners, no matter how long they’ve been driving, owning, or maintaining cars. While not all repairs are expensive, some are pricey enough that even people with good incomes and savings will blink. What does your auto shop do for customers who cannot afford the repairs they need at the … Read More

In an earlier article we discussed how to negotiate with customers who leave bad online reviews for auto repair shops. This is only half the strategy for shops that want good online profiles, though. The other part is more proactive and involves giving your customers incentives to leave you good reviews. Here we will discuss ways to encourage your customer … Read More

In our previous blog pieces, we’ve talked about handling bad reviews and how to negotiate with customers when they leave bad reviews of your business. No one likes bad reviews. Criticism always stings, and sometimes people take out their frustration on a business for a simple mistake. That’s frustrating for any owner or manager. It can be equally frustrating trying … Read More

Some years ago we addressed the challenge of handling bad online reviews. For local businesses and especially small to medium sized companies who depend on good customer relations to remain in business, the online review landscape can be stressful. Anyone is free to leave any kind of review on a wide variety of internet sites. That person doesn’t have to … Read More

We’ve talked before about the reasons for delays in repairs being completed. According to a survey we did on hours produced, the number one delay was waiting for customer authorizations (23%). The second most common reason for repair delays was due to parts availability (21%). When techs are held up from working because they are waiting for parts to arrive, … Read More

In our last blog we talked about how waiting for customer authorization lengthens repair times. Another factor in longer wait times is whether or not the auto shop is fully staffed. Currently there is a severe shortage of auto techs, and auto dealerships and shops are both struggling to hire new techs to replace the techs they are losing to … Read More

Summer is the busiest season of the year for auto repair. A big reason for the increase in repairs is the higher accident rate. Obviously, this will result in more work for auto repair shops. Unfortunately for shop managers and techs, drivers’ impatience with road conditions in summer will make them less patient during the repair process. However, the #1 … Read More

Previously we’ve discussed the dangers of nepotism in auto repair shops. Unfortunately, nepotism is not the only type of favoritism that happens in the workplace. What happens when management plays favorites among their employees? How do workers deal with managers who treat some workers better than others? From the worker perspective, favoritism is bad – unless, of course, you are … Read More

All businesses need to set aside some resources, whether time or money, to marketing and seeking out customers. Auto repair shops are no different. However, one thing that distinguishes auto shops from other small to mid-sized businesses is the fact that they are local. Most of their customers come from nearby or even within the neighborhood. For this reason, building … Read More

The news about the U.S. economy seems to grow brighter all the time. The most recent figures for U.S. first-quarter gross domestic product show an increase of 3.2%, much higher than the 2.5% economists had predicted. Many had been gloomy given the fact that there was a prolonged government shutdown early in the year. The news is good, however, and … Read More

Auto repair shops must take safety seriously in order to stay in business. If they do not follow safety precautions when it comes to operating machinery or handling chemicals, it can lead to injuries, lost work time, and staff loss, as well as potential lawsuits or workers’ compensation claims. One important step in establishing a positive safety environment is to … Read More

“Begin as you mean to go on.” That’s an old saying but a true one, especially as it concerns leadership roles at work. If you have new people coming to work for you, how you interact with them on your employees’ first day of work will set the tone for your future interactions with them. It will also impact how … Read More