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Posted

My wife and I have been working towards a standard operating procedure manual to make sure everyone is moving seamlessly and in the same direction. We're looking to the group for 2 things:

1: what are the topics/areas that you really couldn't imagine not covering?

2: were there any items that were added later or items that had a "wow" effect when implemented.

Just trying to make sure we get a grasp on the initial coverage and will add and modify as we go.

As always thanks for the help!

 

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

Posted

I don't know if you have done this already, but with regard to SOPs, the first place to start is to clearly define everyone's role in the company. From the owner to support staff. Everyone must understand how thier role is crucial to the workflow process. It's like a ball team, every player has a different role, but when played as a team, results will follow.

 

After that, every part of the day must also be committed to paper and reviewed with everyone. From opening to close and everything in between.

 

And, of course, policies and procedures need to be written on how a car is dispateched, brought thru the inspection process, discovery of needed work, the communuication betweem tech and advisor, quality control check after the job is complete and car delivery.

 

Even job scheduling should be thought of: How many cars per day, what type of jobs to balance the day, what tech gets certain jobs.

 

The more you commit to paper, the more smoothly the operation will run. AND, you must constantly review the SOPs with everyone.

 

That's a lot of work, but it's a good start. Great post, by the way!

  • Like 2
  • 6 months later...
Posted

Good reminder, too often the techs get an incomplete work order or spend their time doing customer service work Instead of repair jobs. When it gets busy it's easy to lose focus and spin your wheels all day. I'm going to review my plan it's been too long.

  • Like 1
Posted

I'm going to back up what Mr. Marconi said. When I came on board at our family shop two years ago we had a few SOP's already in place, uniforms, breaks, etc. etc.

The biggest change we made was to clearly define roles and responsibilities in writing. Beyond that we created a work flow chart that clearly showed step by step our vehicle check in, inspection, sales, repairs and quality check.

 

Our shop crew complains that we repeat our SOP's too often, but when we do everything runs smoother and customers are happier. Funny right?

Posted

We have a shop practices manual that covers safety and standard processes for doing the defined services that we perform. It is an evolving document, but every time we make a major change to it, we print it out with a receipt form they have to sign and turn in. Do they actually read it and learn from it? Follow-on observation and training are required, but they can't say they didn't know the rules. Vin Waterhouse is big on documenting shop procedures and he offers tools to help you get started. Google him.

  • Like 1

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         0 comments
      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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