Shop Management Articles
Dive a bit deeper into topics that impact your day-to-day operations and your bottom line.
Negotiating with the Public about Customer Reviews
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.…
Efficient Parts Acquisition Is Mandatory for Auto Shops
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…
A Bidding War for Auto Techs
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…
Waiting for Customer Authorization Extends Repair Time
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…
Confronting Management about Favoritism
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 –…
The 2019 Economy: What’s It Doing for Your Auto Shop?
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…
Does Your Auto Repair Shop Have a Safety Manual?
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…
What Is Your Employees’ First Day Like?
“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.…
Millennial Debt Affects the Auto Repair Industry
Previously we’ve talked about the Millennial generation as workers and how that affects auto repair. They will also have an impact on the auto industry as consumers. This week The Truth about Cars website posted an article about Baby Boomer parents buying cars for their adult children because Millennials could not afford them. Here we…
5 Ways to Improve Customer Mood in Your Waiting Area
In an earlier blog we discussed ways to make your auto repair shop waiting room more comfortable. Many of our readers have submitted pictures of their waiting rooms to show other members of the Automotive Management Network the improvements they’ve made on behalf of their customers – and their own bottom line. Here we will…