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Technician Outlook with Jake Sorensen-Part 2 [RR 659]


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Jake Sorensen- 2019 NAPA ASE Technician of the Year and 2019 Ratchet + Wrench All-Star technician of the year. He is an ASE Master technician with L1,2 and 3 advanced level certifications. He is the shop manager and diagnostic technician at McNeil’s Auto Care in Sandy, UT where he helped develop an apprenticeship program that is registered with the U.S. Department of Labor. This program has graduated several high-performing automotive technicians and was used by NAPA Auto Care as a template for their automotive apprenticeship program. Jake also developed the curriculum for an automotive course that he teaches at an adult education high school. Listen to Jake’s previous episodes HERE Listen to Part 1 HERE. Key Talking Points
  • How do you keep technicians happy? Pay attention to why they left their job in the interview process. Pay isn’t the only factor. What is the work environment? What are the opportunities? How is the equipment inventory and is it updated? Consider simple things like a stocked fridge for your technicians. Your break room doesn’t have to be newly built- provide a clean table and some comfortable chairs.  Painting the bathroom to make it look fresh also makes a difference
  • Training- offer different variety of training so it works for them
  • What is the next step for master techs? Everyone wants to work toward something. Move into diagnostics. Pay needs to reflect technicians continuing to progress and advance. Labor rates also need to continue to rise. 
  • Dedicated diagnostic technician- separation of mechanical and diagnostics technicians. A diagnostic-specific technician needs to constantly be training to stay ahead. “A Tech” is superb with mechanical skills and can do light diagnostic work. 
  • Diagnostic bays- Customers have a preconceived notion that a computer plugs into the car and tells tech what is wrong. Consider taking them to an area with diagnostic tech to show the customer the technology invested into diagnostics. Monitor total shop production instead of where it came from- diagnostic tech won’t be “most efficient” compared to “A Techs.” 
  • Team events- BBQ’s, annual boating trip, bowling, Christmas party with spouses and family
  • Thanks to Jake Sorensen for his contribution to the aftermarket’s premier podcast.
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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
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