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Increase Sales, Repair Shop Solutions, Multipoint Inspection Process

Joe Marconi
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Scott Osborn Apprentice

Scott Osborn

Posted
Posted

Joe, Thanks for the kind words. It was my pleasure to show you the program & I'm sure that you will make good use of it. If you have any concerns or words of wisdom to help make it better, I'm all ears! Thank You!

HarrytheCarGeek Experienced

HarrytheCarGeek

Posted
Posted
  On 4/25/2013 at 4:31 PM, Scott Osborn said:

Harry, It's happened before....... May happen again. The place to find out is on on the Repair Shop Solutions Facebook Page . When we came out of beta testing, we offered a 30 day free trial. I may run another promotion in a month or so.

Great stuff Scott,

 

I will give it a go. It looks very promising and your reporting capabilities looks phenomenal. As they say though the proof is in the pudding, so I will have to prepare my senior techs to use this new technology.

 

Thanks!

Scott Osborn Apprentice

Scott Osborn

Posted
Posted

I've found the best way to get started is to get your advisors prepped and then take one of your techs, usually the youngest and most computer literate, and get him using the system. Before you know it, each of your techs will have an Amazon Kindle in their toolbox that they use to do inspections with. I know if I told my techs that I was no longer going to use the system, there would be kicking and screaming to deal with and my advisor would try to have me put to sleep....

 

I'm happy to give you an online demo with live info from my shop if you'd like. Just let me know and we can set up a time that works for us both.

GobblesAuto Contributor

GobblesAuto

Posted
Posted

I've been using this program for three months now. It works great! Customers love it and it is helping us close more sales on needed services. This is definitely worth taking a look at. It will pay for itself from day one. Give it a try!!!!

  • Like 1
HarrytheCarGeek Experienced

HarrytheCarGeek

Posted
Posted (edited)

I signed up a couple of days ago. Like any new software that you have to learn, it will take you time to learn the quirks of it. But it looks promising, I can"t wait to get enough data to see how the reporting works out.

 

I had some issues in having to use multiple email addresses to be setup as a owner and then a manager, but once Scott cleared that up I was able to get going.

 

The next thing I am dealing with is one of my tech's told me that you can only save an inspection my marking it complete. This brings up an issue for us as the service writer is the one that inputs pricing into the recommendation worksheet.

 

On another note, I was expecting the VIN to be decoded automatically, the shop software that we use Bay-masteR does it for us, this is really a very valuable feature. This application does not do it yet, you have to manually input the VIN details yourself for the first time.

 

But like I said, I am beginning to learn the software, once we get it going I can tell the information gathered will be very valuable.

Edited by HarrytheCarGeek
Scott Osborn Apprentice

Scott Osborn

Posted
Posted

Harry, I'm going to make your day. First of all remember that I'm only a phone call away if you need help. (424) 262-1580. I just ask that you remember that I'm on the left coast, 3 hours behind you.....


Even though a tech marks an inspection as complete by clicking the save button, you can still open it and make changes, it is not locked for editing. If you're having your S/A put the pricing into the system (I don't think you have it turned on, go to "SHOP INFO" to turn on pricing), it's much quicker if he goes right into the "RO Completion Report" and makes his changes/updates there. Just click the little plus sign on the left to open it up:
rocomplete.jpg

Second, a VIN decoder is only going to save you a few seconds as you select the year/make/model. Since we're not getting engine info, trim info or much else, there wouldn't be much time saving. However, I hear you, and I can do one better. I will upload your shop's data to the site and all you have to do is drop in the VIN and the software will pull out the year/make/model/license/customer name & email for you if the customer has previously been in your shop. You will only have to input the new customers you get. And, I will work on putting a VIN decoder in the software for you. Contact me and I'll get you the info I need to get your data uploaded.

  • Like 1
CARMandP Proficient

CARMandP

Posted
Posted

hmm. Thinking about doing something like this right now. Will check out this site with interest. New doesn't scare me or the shop anyway.

  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...
phynny Community Regular

phynny

Posted
Posted (edited)

Just purchased it and what an awesome program with fantastic support. I didn't realize it can be used with your phones too.

Edited by phynny
  • 4 weeks later...
phynny Community Regular

phynny

Posted
Posted (edited)

So I've implemented this program and have been using it for a month now and just wow. It easily paid for itself the first use and has continued to impress all of my customers and has made many many sales.

 

I hate gimmicks and such but this program has made life easier in me and sells a ton of work by itself.

Edited by phynny
phynny Community Regular

phynny

Posted
Posted
  On 7/13/2013 at 1:33 PM, 5 Star Auto Spa said:

Do you actually show the customer on an IPAD the service review? Is this just an electronic copy of the service review that is normally on paper?

 

I print every customer a copy. You can email them a copy with pictures if you prefer.

  • 1 month later...
mspecperformance Mentor

mspecperformance

Posted
Posted

This looks really promising and i have been looking for an inspection sheet that can be based off a tablet. There is another company AutoVitals that does something similar. My question is there any plans on integrating this with existing shop management software? My understanding is you have to manually input customer info such as name, phone number, email address and VIN correct? That would mean that info would have to be entered twice, once in the shop management software and then again into the inspection sheet database.

Scott Osborn Apprentice

Scott Osborn

Posted
Posted
  Quote

mspecperformance, on 03 Sept 2013 - 7:22 PM, said:

This looks really promising and i have been looking for an inspection sheet that can be based off a tablet. There is another company AutoVitals that does something similar. My question is there any plans on integrating this with existing shop management software? My understanding is you have to manually input customer info such as name, phone number, email address and VIN correct? That would mean that info would have to be entered twice, once in the shop management software and then again into the inspection sheet database.

 

 

 

The software was designed to run independent of any management system so that everyone could use it. It's extremely fast, less than 20 seconds, if ALL of the information needed to be typed in. When you look at the time savings for the tech's and the advisors from getting complete information, that 20 seconds can save you easily 5 minutes or more.

 

 

HOWEVER........ We realized the need to integrate with the management systems and are now installing a very small program on the users PC that will allow a single click to generate an inspection with all of the data filled in. We have also added the VIN decoder for those that do not have one of the major management systems as well as the system will fill in the data for returning customers.

 

 

On a side note, we've seen some interesting new inspections popping up that shops are designing. The system lends itself very well to making "Checklists" for getting a tech to do testing in a specific order and not jumping to conclusions. Think of "Starting and Charging System", "Air Conditioning", "Cranks but No Start", and other checklists... I'm sure it's happened to almost every one of us, a 2005 Tahoe gets dragged into the shop and the tow truck driver has told the customer that the fuel pump needs to be replaced, the tech spends 5 minutes looking at it and tells the advisor to get him a fuel pump. Two hours later, with the new pump installed, the tech say's the coil must have burned up during all that cranking and now it needs a coil too. This embarrassing and very expensive problem could have been avoided if the tech had used a "No Start" checklist that asked some of the questions like "Fuel Pressure", "Cranking Amps", "Spark Quality", "Fuel Level", "Cranking Vacuum", etc.

 

I'd be happy to set up a webinar for the users of this message board, then you can see it working with live data. Let me know if you're interested.

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

    • Joe Marconi
      The Toolbox is Last to Leave, First is the Heart
      By Joe Marconi in Joe's Blog
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      It always amazes me when I hear about a technician who quits one repair shop to go work at another shop for less money. I know you have heard of this too, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can this be true? And Why?” The answer rests within the culture of the company. More specifically, the boss, manager, or a toxic work environment literally pushed the technician out the door.
      While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
      Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
      One last thing; the cost of technician turnover can be financially devastating. It also affects shop morale. Do all you can to create a workplace where technicians feel they are respected, recognized, and know that their work contributes to the overall success of the company. This will lead to improved morale and team spirit. Remember, when you see a technician’s toolbox rolling out of the bay on its way to another shop, the heart was most likely gone long before that.

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