Tips
A favorite of many members – short, to-the-point management tips. New tips are added regularly. Premium Membership is required for access..
#327 WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT FROM YOUR SERVICE ADVISOR?
#327 WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT FROM YOUR SERVICE ADVISOR?
Sales.
That’s pretty much it. A service advisor is a professional salesperson, and the best ones have few other duties because they detract from selling. Get someone else to estimate, handle parts, deal with building maintenance, and all the other things we often ask of advisors. Odds are your sales will increase, and maybe a lot.
#326 – FIRST RULE OF SUCCESSFUL SHOP OWNERSHIP
Tip #326 – FIRST RULE OF SUCCESSFUL SHOP OWNERSHIP
You must, MUST learn to let someone else handle it – whatever it is. We’ve all heard it a thousand times, but it does not register well enough with many of us. The quicker and better you learn this, the better. Conquering this is a critical key to business growth – place it at the top of your to-do list. Practice it daily.
#325 STRESS, LEAKS, NOISES, AND ENGINE MISS
#325 STRESS, LEAKS, NOISES, AND ENGINE MISS
Daily we diagnose and fix three of those. Do the same with the other one. Take the same logical diagnostic approach: complaint, cause, correction. There is a reason that stress exists. Can you eliminate it? Probably not. Can you reduce it significantly? You bet you can. Take some time this weekend to diagnose it, then start the repair on Monday.
#324 I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW
TIP # 324 I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW
Why? Because I packed up my office and moved it to my favorite vacation spot for 30 days. I can still be pretty involved with the shop with available technology. But, with fewer distractions and interruptions, I can take an overall look at my business and organize, plan, assess, manage, and monitor. The funny thing is when most shop owners do something like this, they often have one of their most profitable months ever. Don’t wait. Try it—next month.
#323 WHO RECEIVES YOUR MARKETING?
#323 WHO RECEIVES YOUR MARKETING?
It should include you and all your vehicles. Sure, you approved the proof, but what does it look like in the real world? Specials, oil change reminders, thank-yous, recommendation reminders. Email. Direct mail. Texts. Make sure you get it all.
#322 CUSTOMERS LOVE IT – FEW SHOPS DO IT WELL
#322 CUSTOMERS LOVE IT – FEW SHOPS DO IT WELL
Today, everyone wants everything now. Getting a car repair back fast is enormous. Yet, few shops today focus enough on a speedy turnaround. The list of excuses is endless. End the excuses. Be the shop in town that turns cars over faster than any other. Then, tell the world about it.
#321 Planning Ahead? Maybe Not So Much
You must have detailed long-term plans on where you are going! That was good advice at one time. Today it takes just a few years – sometimes months – for the amount of change that took decades to occur not that long ago. Place most of your focus on now and what’s coming up soon. Make plans for the next several months and the next year or two. Beyond that, some general rough sketches are fine, but things will be radically different by then, and most detailed plans will no longer apply.
#320 What You Don’t Know About Customer Service
We think we are experts in customer service in auto repair. If you want to know how much you don’t know, commit to taking all of your personal cars to other shops for service for one year, including comebacks. Do not let your staff check or service your vehicles in any way. You will gain a lot of understanding of experiencing the process from the customer’s point of view. I certainly did.
#319 Guaranteed Minimum Pay
The problem with a minimum pay guarantee is that the pay can be way under one week and way over the next. Every week it’s under the shop pays. Instead, consider a guaranteed minimum average weekly pay over 13 weeks. An agreement like this will smooth out the ups and downs, and both the employer and employee will have a more predictable weekly figure for planning finances.
#318 How to Write a Fantastic Help Wanted Ad
I am a tech or advisor looking to work at the best shop in town. Your help wanted ad looks pretty much like all the others. Ho-hum. Yet, most shop owners can go on for a while telling me why their shop is the best. That should be your ad. “If you want to work at the best shop in town, you want to work here. It’s not even close. Here’s why.”
#317 Languages in Your Shop
It can be challenging working in a shop where multiple languages are common. First, make it a policy that the most common language of your customers is the one that all staff should use during the workday. Second, get some training for key employees to learn the second (and maybe third) most common language your customers often use. There are many online ways to learn. Look for websites employees enjoy. Our favorite so far is Duolingo. Fun, easy, and free. Happy learning!
#316 Is Your Shop Fair?
One way to irritate employees is with a perceived lack of fairness. If you decide to let Harry often show up fifteen minutes late, then everyone should be able to do the same. If you don’t like that idea tell Harry to arrive to work on time every day or suffer the consequences. The same approach should apply to every policy. If your goal is to be a top shop, this should be a part of your standard operating procedures.
#315 Directions to Your Shop
You can write the perfect set of directions, but what works even better is several drone photos (or a brief video). Hire a professional photographer who uses drones to put this together. Cost is typically not a lot. Some customers will love this, not only for directions but to get a good idea of what your shop and the surrounding area looks like before they visit.
#314 Stop Winging It!
We formulate a reply, often an excuse or rebuttal, before the talker stops. We all do it. On the phone, in person, chat, text, or email. If you are not 100% sure of the correct reply and 100% sure it will delight the other party, all you need to say is: “Let me check into that.” This type of response becomes especially critical when there is a problem. Once you’ve said you would check into it, do so promptly. When you take a few minutes to investigate it, your reply is almost sure to be both different and better – sometimes massively better. Train your staff to do the same, and you will avoid some of those less than happy reviews.
#313 Simple Way to Get More Cars Done
Every morning, review the cars in-process and ask the appropriate employees why that car was not complete yesterday. Sure, many times, the answer is both obvious and legitimate, but ask it anyway. There must be an urgency at your shop to get as many cars completed as possible every day. We are not talking about hurrying; we are talking about focusing on getting work done correctly as soon as possible.
#312 Your Forgotten “Employees”
Employee’s family members are not technically your employees, but they can significantly influence the performance of your employees. Remember them. Does that new policy affect them? What will the family think of those Christmas gifts? Is their view of vacations the same as the employees? The point is that you always want to have employees’ families on your radar. If the family likes you, you are more likely to have a better long-term employee.
#311 Planning a New Shop or Remodel
Glass. Whatever kind of construction you consider, add as much glass as possible, especially to the shop area. A massive picture window alongside a lift is ideal. When implemented correctly, the marketing value will outweigh the additional construction cost. The added natural lighting inside the shop improves the work environment in multiple ways.
#310 Is this part of your Lighting Inspection Checklist?
Does your lights inspection checklist that technicians complete, and advisors view include text that says: “Offer to replace both sides.”? Increased customers’ safety and convenience while improving sales. Everyone wins!
#309 Why Customers Avoid the Appointment Form on Your Website
Some of the best customers love the idea of making their appointment online, yet they don’t do it. They tried it a few times, and when they arrived planning to sign and go, the shop had transferred almost nothing to the RO, so the customer had to repeat the process from scratch. Customer info, car info, services requested, symptoms – everything. Not just reviewing the appointment form, but like it never happened. If you are not going to tend to your website, take it down and save your money. As Witt always says: “Why spend money to p— off your customers. You can do that for free!”
#308 Beware of this Shop Management Software Trap
If you are shopping for shop management software, make sure to ask if you will have free access (read-only) to your customer service history should you later change to another software. While most software vendors give you free access after you part ways, a few do not and require that you continue to pay your subscription (buried in their fine print) for access to your customer service history even though you no longer use their software.
#307 An Easy, Simple Customer Source
Customers can contact you by phone, email, website contact form, and maybe by texting. Some shops also have AI chat programs, while others have a live chat program, enabling people to stop by your website to ask questions. Chat has become a regular source of new appointments for some shops – another way to outshine your competitors.
#306 The Three Most Important Questions for Shop Owners
Before you make significant changes, before you change course, before you react strongly to something, ask yourself three things.
1: Are my shop and my staff operating honestly?
2: Are my customers and employees generally happy?
3: Is my shop turning a decent profit?
If the answer to all three is “Yes,” then you might not want to fool with things too much.
#305 Do Your Technicians Know Why?
Often, technicians know precisely why you do certain things, why you have a policy or procedure. But, sometimes, they aren’t sure. Or they have assumed incorrectly. Or, they have no clue at all. So, the first step in assessing why you are getting less than excellent cooperation on something is checking if you have ever fully explained the reasoning behind it. If you are not sure, post a written explanation and cover it at your next employee meeting.
#304 Numbers to track and post daily
Post the following numbers every morning for the day before and week so far for all employees to see. Include the goals.
1) Total billed hours for the shop
2) Total billed hours for each tech
3) Total idle hours for the shop (hours that techs were on the clock to work but not clocked onto a car)
4) Total ROs
5) Average RO
6) Total oil changes
7) Labor GP (gross profit) for the shop
8) Parts GP (gross profit) for the shop
#303 Direct Mail is Fading Away, Right?
After all, everything is going digital, which means many once-packed mailboxes have become echo chambers unless they have that one piece of direct mail. The one from you. “Someone sent something to me. I may as well look at it. Who sent it? What is it about?” Dust off that old direct mail special, spruce it up, and give it a try. It could be the boost you need right now.