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By Joe Marconi in Joe's BlogI 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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By carmcapriotto
Danielle Vila discusses the importance of customer service in the industry and shares her strategies for quality control, the benefits of a reliable shop management system, and the significance of standing behind services and parts. The conversation also covers unique marketing strategies, the value of maintenance, community involvement, and the impact of these on business growth and customer trust. Danielle Vila, Red Rock Repair, Las Vegas, NV. Danielle's previous episodes HERE Show Notes
Selling Premium Work at the Shop (00:05:45) Exploration of how Red Rock Repair sells their premium work by building value and emphasizing customer service, with reference to a study on anxiety-inducing consumer experiences in automotive repair. The Importance of Customer Service (00:07:05) The significance of customer service in the automotive industry, including the role of the service advisor in building trust, explaining costs, and meeting customer expectations. The importance of customer experience (00:08:06) Discussion on the growing trend of customer experience and the role of a client experience officer in a company. Attention to detail in customer service (00:09:18) Importance of small nuances in customer service, such as offering different beverage options and ensuring a clean and well-maintained vehicle. Elevating services and competing with other shops (00:12:21) Challenges faced by small businesses including increasing labor rates, attracting good technicians, and elevating the overall customer experience. The importance of warranty and standing behind services (00:17:46) Discussion about the significance of offering warranty on services and parts, and the negative impact of not standing behind them. The success of a shop with a lifetime warranty (00:19:03) Exploration of a shop that offers a lifetime warranty and how it contributes to their success and customer focus. Hiring for attitude and culture fit (00:22:09) The importance of hiring employees with the right attitude and energy to fit into the shop's culture, and how it affects the overall atmosphere and success of the business. The CRM engine (00:25:37) Discussion on the importance of CRM in marketing and customer retention in the automotive repair industry. The toothbrush metaphor (00:26:33) Exploration of the idea of using toothbrushes as a metaphor to encourage customers to prioritize maintenance and preventive services. Community involvement (00:30:14) Plans to implement programs such as food drives and donations for local shelters to make a positive impact on the community. Supporting the local food bank (00:31:56) Conversation about the best time to support the local food bank, focusing on the needs during the summer months when children are home and may not have access to food. Thanks to our Partners, AAPEX and NAPA TRACS Set your sights on Las Vegas in 2024. Mark your calendar now … November 5th-7th, 2024. AAPEX - Now more than ever. And don’t miss the next free AAPEX webinar. Register now at http://AAPEXSHOW.COM/WEBINAR NAPA TRACS will move your shop into the SMS fast lane with onsite training and six days a week of support and local representation. Find NAPA TRACS on the Web at http://napatracs.com/ Connect with the Podcast: -Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RemarkableResultsRadioPodcast/ -Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/carmcapriotto -Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmcapriotto/ -Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/remarkableresultsradiopodcast/ -Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RResultsBiz -Visit the Website: https://remarkableresults.biz/ -Join our Insider List: https://remarkableresults.biz/insider -All books mentioned on our podcasts: https://remarkableresults.biz/books -Our Classroom page for personal or team learning: https://remarkableresults.biz/classroom -Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/carm -The Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.com -Special episode collections: https://remarkableresults.biz/collections
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