[mbean]

Rob,

My initial thought is he needs a why?

Why should a great technician pour out all the experience and passion of his career to a bunch of whiney young kids who have not made a commitment to be all they can be.

Sounds harsh maybe but look at it from his side. Teaching less than optimal talent can be extreamly draining, frustrating and not very rewarding if the student wants/takes something for nothing.

Still sounds harsh huh! OK so back to the why- The best kid I ever mentored (he started at age 14 with me and now owns his own shop) That was rewarding- he turned out to be a great tech because he wanted it and had the determination to develope his talent. He never had a plan B.

That mentorship was always rewarding to me- like a father would be proud of a son but also finacially- I reaped the rewards of his training and talent. He became an assistant and my hours/production reflected it.

If you can’t find a good why that he can buy into with students that want to bad enough you are likely trying to do something that could be done in a better way.

I recently had the oportunity to visit Sinclair Community Collage for a Hunter Alignment class. Wow what a great program as I evesdropped in at the various doorways. The one thing that stood out was the difference in students dress- one kid was wearing sponge bob pajama pants.

Maybe it would be best to get out of his way and let him lead by example- Production over 100%(great pay for both of you) Spiffs/bonus checks/thank-yous presented in front of the young bucks may go a long way to encourage those dragging behind.

If he is getting older let him pick the one, when he needs a young buck helping hand- let the relationship unfold naturally.

OK let me put an end to this and hopefull offer some real help.

1) Look at it from his side (is he the kind of person who can deal with people or is he better left to be a productive technician)

2) Whats in it for him- Why? Can you appeal to his nobler side or reward him finacially for his extra effort?

3) After carefully considering the above- sometimes you can get some good mileage out of a challenge-and the challange may be best given to the student!

[mbean]

Let me start over- passion took over when I really didn’t have time to reply. I’m only in my 5th year in the management side of our business and facing the same struggle as you have described. We are all looking for the best way to communicate with our customers. We are all looking to be better at sales, getting paid for what we do and providing the customer what they want/need.

There are a lot of gems in the others replies- especially Pat and Tom pointing out there will be some customers and some jobs that are outside of your normal clientele. Don’t dwell on these or reinvent yourself over these. I do like to reflect on any bad, unpleasant, or dissatisfied transaction and get better because of it. Again don’t dwell on the negative focus on the positive. This fellow that returned upset may be a customer you need to fire. On the other hand (he went back to the dealer) he may be a great customer that just needs results.

It would be great if we could all do like Cheryl- 2 hr up front and not chase away potentially good customers. Competition is to stiff in our town. Diagnostics is an area all to its own. Consider all the problems it presents- You need a highly trained and motivated technician with the proper equipment at his disposal- yet you are recovering labor only. Some jobs are not cut and dry especially when you add in the intermittent. How do we bill and still be truthful- our normal labor rate, one and a half, two times?

The idea of tests rather than diagnostics works good for most people- I think it goes back to “technician thinking” even before George made it so popular. The bottom line is “what the customer wants” in the example you used- I picked up “difficult starting” as a top priority and “light on” as a secondary concern.

I am going to be a little critical and possibly harsh- not intended to offend only make you and yours better. The P0420 is one of the most cut and dry codes a mechanic can come across. He has a bad converter. The info you got from Identifix refers to what can cause the converter to fail. Look at the list Ford gives- all these should be checked and corrected before installing a replacement converter. Ford also gives this advice- compare upstream and downstream switch rate and amplitude. As catalyst efficiency deteriorates, its ability to store oxygen declines and the downstream O-2 sensor begins to mirror the upstream. When the rate and amplitude go beyond acceptable- bam code P0420. Here is a opportunity to show (visual) a good converter scan trace and his failed. Now you can charge and present evidence! You can also look at bank 2’s condition and make a recommendation based on evidence.

OK- all that behind us- lets get back on track with the spirit of the post.

First Question Again -What is the best way to clearly communicate with our customers- what we are going to do for them to solve their “problem or want” and what we expect them to pay for these services.

What should be expected of us as service advisors- what should we expect from our technicians?

What’s up with all the “underlying conditions”? Is this to cover up our lack of product knowledge, training and equipment? Is it an easy way to say intermittent problems break all the above rules. Is it to cover us for the truly difficult problems we do encounter, are trained and equipped for. (the ones that make us feel like superman when we get the break through and then usually leave us eating beans and rice when we realize how much time we spent and don’t or can’t bill for)

I like the rest of you are looking for that golden process- the one that brings customers with financial potential in, prevents misunderstanding, promotes a raving customer for life and works 80% of the time.

I am writing this in hopes it helps you and also for my own benefit. I am in the middle of a very difficult diagnosis- with a difficult customer that has the means but- does not understand the complexity and I don’t think even cares to. He just wants results, wants them now and would prefer not to have to pay that price.

[mbean]

“First off, I did not explain this would fix any problem”

Chip,

Lets start here. Always explain! During our testing we found “a problem” Always explain what problem they have and why correcting it is important. If needed or justified for your “diagnosis” call a time out. Let them own the problem and decide they want the solution. After this short time out to fix the thermostat you can go back to 1) his main complaint that brought him in.

PS Your technician did fix a problem and the customer is reaping the rewards of an engine running at the proper temperature.

[mbean]

> How do you explain to customers the process of diagnosing a check engine light. Simple ones no problem, I am looking for what procedure is best for a complicated process. For instance;

Light on/difficult starting does not sound like a complicated problem!

> 2005 Ford Explorer, Customer concern, light on difficult starting. Found code po420. Ran concern and code on Identifix, first hit. Check for proper operating temp, this vehicle only reaching 150 degrees. Explained this to customer, recommended t-stat and gasket to start.

How did you explain a thermostat would correct his starting problem? I would look at a manual for code P0420 and understand it first.

>Then clear and reset, perform drive cycle and monitors did not run.

Why bother with a drive cycle?

> Explained to customer in detail that there could be an underlying problem.

What did you explain in detail- technical at customers level or you just guessed because…

>They picked up vehicle only to return [pissed off].

At least he is not cold and pissed off- the thermostat should have helped that at least.

>I have several hours trying to determine issue, with no prevail, still need time.

Now we can address your question- It has taken several hours to determine issue with no prevail. Is this a problem in the office, shop or intermittent problem with vehicle?

>The customer pulls vehicle from me to go dealer? I had to return the original diagnostic charge, what is everybodys policy on diagnostics?