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A favorite of many members – short, to-the-point management tips. New tips are added regularly. Premium Membership is required for access..

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#369 Before You Unload That Pain in the Neck Customer

Updated
January 11, 2024

PITN customers help us appreciate better customers.

Handling PITN customers well is often good customer service practice.

PITN customers are often not welcome in other businesses, and because of that, they are sometimes a great source of new customers through their referrals to your business.

#368 When to Get Preauthorization for Repairs

Updated
January 1, 2024

We’ve all heard the suggestion that we should try to get preauthorization to speed up the process and increase sales. However, a policy asking everyone to authorize a large amount upfront is debatable. So, try this. Add that information to their customer notes when a customer proves to be problematic regarding authorization. Politely push those customers for preauthorization the next time they come in. Maybe you will tell them why. Maybe not. Either way, you are applying this procedure where it is most needed instead of all your customers.

#367 Stop – Do It Now

Updated
December 17, 2023

Maybe it’s a request. Or something you just thought of. It’s a task of some kind that definitely can be completed in less than five minutes. You have all the resources you will need. You could try to remember to do it later. You could add it to your to-do list. Or, you could put it behind you immediately. Do it now. Make it a habit. You will get more done. You will gain respect and appreciation from others.

#366 Management Efficiency Through Dating

Updated
November 22, 2023

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Always include today’s date on everything when you are writing something. When creating a document, add it to the title line.

Loaner car procedure 11.21.23

Add the date when writing on a part or tool with your Sharpie.

Save this box 2.16.24

Customer or vehicle notes

She moved here from Cleveland on 12.4.23

Those two seconds will regularly save you minutes and sometimes hours somewhere down the road.

#365 Handling Customer Complaints Made Easy

Updated
November 7, 2023

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If you were the customer, what would you like to happen? Do that. Too easy? Pose the question to everyone on your staff. Odds are the answers will point you in the right direction. Still too simple? This is where a quickly accessible peer group of first-class shop owners comes in handy. They are not personally involved in the situation, allowing them to give replies lacking emotion. Handle all complaints this way and watch your reputation improve.

#364 What about option 4?

Updated
October 18, 2023

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An issue comes up, and you need to decide what to do.

You think about it and devise three possible ways to approach it. You must take some action! Doing nothing avoids the problem, and that’s no way to manage it. Right? Well – maybe.

We are often taught that it’s important to address things and do so promptly. Usually, that is true. But not always. Sometimes, Option 4 is the way to go. For now, do nothing. Certain issues are best left alone to cook a bit longer. Sometimes, they will disappear or become minimally important.

This tip is not intended to be an encouragement to procrastinators. This tip is designed for the folks at the other end of the spectrum who always feel they must act and often do so quickly.

Bottom line? Always include Option 4 as one of your choices.

#363 You Might Want to Double Check That

Updated
August 20, 2023

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You hear someone make a statement. You know they are wrong. But are you 100% sure? If not, be quiet. Later, when you get a chance, recheck the facts. You might be incorrect. Or maybe you are entirely correct. Or maybe after double-checking, you’ll decide it doesn’t matter all that much. Let’s forget about it and move on.

#362 Fixing One Hundred Leaks at Your Shop

Updated
July 31, 2023

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Your list is enormous. Probably more extensive than some shops, but probably smaller than many others! Fix a leak. Just one leak repair that saves a few dollars. Next week, fix another one. As time goes by, your profits increase. Slowly, but the keyword is “increase”. Never stop. You will like it when your earnings have doubled a few years from now.

#361 Who is Your Fussiest Employee?

Updated
June 12, 2023

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Give him or her a new task. Make sure they receive every marketing email, text, or mailer of any kind from your shop. Tell them you want these to be exceptional in every way. Their job is to spend five minutes looking it over thoroughly, then reply to you with anything that comes to mind. This is one of the end-of-the-line steps that many businesses so often overlook. Make sure your business is not one of them.

#360 Quit Minding Your Own Business

Updated
May 26, 2023

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Everyone has a lot of things going on in their life, including your employees. Be politely nosey. Maybe they have good news or bad news they’d like to share with someone. Perhaps there is something you should know. Maybe they have an issue you can help with in some way. You cannot act, advise, or help if you don’t know what’s happening, and sometimes you must be a bit nosey to find out.

#359 Move That Phone!

Updated
May 21, 2023

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You can’t pick it up if it’s not there. You’ve hired people to answer the phone. Create a telephone answering policy that does not involve you. When you need to make a call, use your cell.

Move that business phone set into the lunchroom, making it easier for advisors to use it as a quiet place to talk with customers. Now you’ll get a bit more work done a bit more efficiently.

#358 An Experienced Tech Should Bill 50 Hours

Updated
April 21, 2023

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An average of 50 or more in a 40-hour week is a reasonable goal in most independent shop settings. The technician brings his ability, and the shop owner must do the rest right. The list is long; the two most significant issues are authorizations and parts. If none of your techs have ever averaged 50 hours, your shop likely needs serious management work.

#357 I Don’t Know How to Do That

Updated
April 11, 2023

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Virtually everything you can do today – every accomplishment, talent, skill – would have been accurately preceded by: “I don’t know how to do that.” Then, you learned how to do that. You probably can have a multi-million dollar shop. You can likely have a lot of shops. But first, you have to learn how.

#356 Photo Surprises!

Updated
April 6, 2023

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Your website, social sites, and other places on the internet probably have photos of your shop—sometimes from two, five, ten, and even twenty years ago. The odds are many of them should be updated or deleted. Photo quality, shop improvements, and staff changes are some issues. Enter a reminder in your calendar to check this once a year. These photos are how potential new customers often see you for the first time. Look your best!

#355 The Primary Reason Shops Grow

Updated
March 27, 2023

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Auto repair shop growth is typically proportional to how much a business is willing to spend (wisely) on employees. Low spenders tend to stay small even if they do everything else right. Companies that spend liberally in smart ways grow fast and often become huge.

 

Copyright © 2003 – 2023 Automotive Management Network

#354 Add this Photo to Every RO

Updated
March 19, 2023

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On the way to gathering the initial vehicle information, stop at the car’s front corner and take a photo large enough to include the whole car. Including this photo on the RO will accurately imply that subsequent pictures and information are specifically for the customer’s car and not generic. A bit of assurance that we are sending unique information intended for them.

#353 Vacations and Days Off

Updated
March 13, 2023

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Once each week, post on your shop communication system (Slack, etc.) all the days and weeks employees will be off during the year. Posting the schedule will reduce questions and surprises that often occur.

Reservations for days off:

April 19, 20, 21, 24, 2023 – FULL DAYS OFF Ricky

June 19-23, 2023 – FULL WEEK OFF Ethyl

June 30, 2023 – FULL DAY OFF Lucy

July 3, 2023 – FULL DAY OFF Fred

August 14-18, 2023 – FULL WEEK OFF Bobby

Nov 20, 21, 22, 2023 – FULL DAYS OFF Little Ricky

November 24, 2023 – FULL DAY OFF McGillicuddy

#352 Comeback Consciousness

Updated
March 6, 2023

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While we don’t want to constantly beat up on the staff about comebacks (some shops call them rechecks), we also don’t want awareness to be too distant. Once a month, paste the list of comebacks from the previous month into your communication system (Slack, etc.). No need to include employee names or a ton of details. Invoice and date, original invoice and date, customer, YMM, and a brief issue description. Doing so serves as a reminder and makes it easy for everyone to compare totals from month to month.

#351 Unconfuse Your Employees

Updated
February 27, 2023

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Where do the ideas come from initially when you add policies and procedures (SOPs)? Situations? Classes? You? Those are all good, but what about your employees? How often do you ask them one-on-one about anything at your shop that is unclear to them? Or, something where everyone is not on the same page? These are the SOPs you want to do first.

#350 Hiring; Do You Perform this Simple Step?

Updated
February 12, 2023

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Reviews are a frequent hot topic. But how many shops look at online reviews written by potential employees? How do they view the world? How do they critique businesses and services? This one step in your hiring process could help you decide one way or the other on a close call.

#349 What did They Expect?

Updated
February 5, 2023

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Nearly every time a customer is unhappy, it’s because what they got is not what they expected. To them, it was not crystal clear. Make sure it is crystal clear. “I know you desperately want your car done tomorrow; however, we need a minimum of three days.” That is what you should say when you need two days. Tell customers to expect a bit less than what you intend to provide. Aim to deliver a bit more, but never any less. If everyone at your shop follows this rule consistently, your complaints will be minimal.

#348 Aim for Better – Not for Perfect

Updated
January 30, 2023

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It’s easy to spend a lot of time and effort trying to perfect something. Here’s why that is often not the best choice. 1: The goal you are after rarely demands perfection. Most people are thrilled if they can find consistent “B” level anything. 2: Getting from ninety percent to one hundred percent takes far more effort than getting from zero to ninety. 3: Realistically, perfection is rarely attainable. However, if you do get there, it won’t last long because it’s typically quite fragile.

#347 Automated Behavior Change

Updated
January 23, 2023

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The next time an employee does something contrary to how you want it handled, ask yourself if you can fix it without trying to get him to remember to change his behavior. A simple example is adding a line on an RO about doing something where the employee has to check off the line in the software to complete what he is doing with the RO. In other words, he is stuck going forward without stating that he did the thing you want to be done the way you want it done. Handling an issue this way is much easier than depending on people to remember one more thing. Briefly inform employees and explain the new line on the RO. All done!

#346 Spread it Out for Greater Impact

Updated
January 15, 2023

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It’s a never-ending list of equipment, tools, improvements, upgrades, and updates. You likely have a list, and you’ve probably set priorities. Now, pick a recurring day once every week or month or whatever interval you need to handle your list. That’s your purchase day for one thing on your list. It’s good for everyone to regularly see something new instead of in bunches with long dry spells. “They are always getting something new at the shop where I work!”

#345 It Never Happened

Updated
January 8, 2023

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When you are asked for information and know that you already handled it, and the person already received it, pretend the first time never happened whenever possible. Now, if it is a big deal or a constant issue, that’s different. But in most cases, it got missed for some reason, and the most straightforward and friendliest thing to do is to handle it one more time without pointing out the first go around. As long as it’s not chronic, this will make for a smoother and happier workplace.