Shopcat

Changing from used to new tires is an adjustment, and it will probably take time. Steer your clients toward appointments. Tell them you want to give their vehicles the time and attention they deserve.

Check out this article out of Ratchet+Wrench for some great ideas on that loaner fleet.

http://www.ratchetandwrench.com/RatchetWrench/August-2014/Managing-a-Fleet-of-Loaner-Vehicles/

^{It takes a lot of candor and integrity for an employee to do that. It says a lot about them, and the fact that you have created an environment where you get all the news, not just the good stuff. Kudos on having such a good relationship with the folks that work for you.}

Jeff,

I was wondering what changed about your business? For example did you loose car count, or ARO? Maybe you can get back on track without extended hours. Obviously extended hours costs more in the immediate, and maybe just masking another symptom of slow business. I like the idea of 8-5 M-F. Extended hours may cause your team and yourself to suffer burn out quickly. We all need a break. I suggest make it work without spreading your assets any thinner.

caautogroup,

It depends on if this is a first time client, or an established one and if its a scheduled appointment or a walk in. In the case of an appointment, I recommend getting all the pertinent information over the phone when they set the appointment and use it to start the repair order. When your client arrives you can do a quick review of contact info, and the problem statement, ask if anything additional needs to be checked and get them on their way. Doing this in advance means they have time to better answer those open ended questions that make for an excellent problem statement.

KMS is right that great ARO is much better for business than the chaos of slamming cars in and out with car count. Inspect everything on every vehicle and prioritize the recommendations for your clients. To answer the question ARO is much tougher to achieve. It requires processes, policies, and leadership. Car count can be done in chaos with a cheap oil change and filter.

Fit, You have the right idea. However leadership REQUIRES confrontation from time to time. Someone is going to be in charge and if you do not do it, the technicians will be running the show. You have to be fair, fire and most important, consistent. I have taken many a chaotic situations and developed structure. Letting this go on only encourages all your employees to do as they please. Tacit approval feeds the monster.

I have found word of mouth works best. Ask your techs to refer anyone they think would be a good fit. Ask the tool truck guys who is looking for a job. Also the uniform guys are familiar with shops in your area. All this takes is a little effort and time.

I recommend having a written policy. For example, employee's and their immediate family 20% off of book labor & parts at 20% over cost. What ever you decide, do it in writing, and be fair, firm and consistent with policy. Its the appearance of favoitism that leads to problems.

Mspecperformance is right, The tech is due what he has in the job, if it can not be completed for reasons that are out of his control.

Keeping track of what was paid last week is the way to go. Its easy to do. As far as what to pay, pay the tech for what is complete at the end of the pay period. The cylinder head example is a good one, The tech has no control over the machine shop, or when correct parts arrive. Its not fair to withhold his pay over things out of his control. It will kill his motivation and create animosity in the shop.

Another benefit to using their name is it helps you remember it, so next time you see them you remember their name...folks love being remembered. I took the Dale Carnegie Course, and I think its awesome.

Fit, does tour shop have an employee handbook, and/or a company policy and procedure book? There must be written structure for there to be any possibility of compliance and enforcment. Having no consequences means the techs will do what ever they want, and that is unacceptable. Get a written policy, get them to sign off on each page and then enforce it. I like doing it like this, 1st time is a private verbal warning, 2nd is offense written and includes both the 1st and 2nd in a recap and the 3rd is written and the employee is fired. You must have written policys, or you will never be in control of the company.

Just a few ideas that may help. I agree with Mspecperformance, I want the person that answers the phone to be the one I deal with as much as possible. I want the person who answers the phone to speak slow and clearly enough to be heard and offer to help. It costs ALOT of money to get the phone to ring. The next item is to get the folks that set an appointment pre-written. Get the contact info, problem statement, all the particulars BEFORE they come in, then its real easy to do the hand off of the car. Also, call customers with regular progress reports on work in the shop, so they dont have to call at what will be the worst possible time. These are proactive, instead of reactive strategies that give you control at the counter and more professionalism with out adding any payroll, and giving better service all at once.

Thanks mspecperformance. I see the loaded question thing your getting at. Every goal, like car count has a process to get it done. What appears to be a fairly simple goal has quite a few steps involved. In my experience I must have a written plan with sub-steps to get it done.

What is the single one stand out thing you want to improve at your shop? Is it ARO, car count, G.P. %, Branding your company, Hiring better people, or what?

Whats the most important thing you want to accomplish this year?

Whats is you action plan to make it happen?

Just curious what's on the collective ASO mind!

Welcome Dave, You will find a lot of great advice here.

Elon is right. The 3 P's are important. The product, people and processes. Marcus Lemonis preaches this on every episode of The Profit on CNBC. We not only have to fix the car right, we must create a buying experience the customer loves. Here are the big 3 that are primary to a positive buying experience for your customer.

1. Fixed right the first time

2. Done at or under the estimate

3. Done on time or sooner

These primary things depend on the 3 P's. Fixing the car is PART of the process. If the car is fixed right, but the customer is not happy, its all for nothing, because the car is not your customer. We are in the customer service business, it just so happens we fix cars.

Joe has a great point. When I am the customer I expect a good experience, so when it happens It's not note worthy. The reviews come from either awesome or terrible experiences. Have you ever had such a great buying experience you had to tell someone? That is the compelling experience that turns a customer into an advocate. CRM companies will generate lots of reviews. I has always been a fact that this is a bad news, or no news type of business. Folks expect to have a good experience, the challenge to our industry is to make it a great experience they feel compelled to share with everyone.

I think folks do not get up one morning and think..."hey I need to get the car aligned!" The real reason must be discovered with an analytical mind and open ended questions. Like Joe said, ya gotta be a good detective. Years ago a customer told me he was 100% sure he needed an alignment on his Fairmont. I asked why, and he told me the same thing, he needed an alignment. Being a newbie store manager and not wanting to upset this guy, we did his alignment. He was back in less then an hour and said the damn car was still shaking at 70 MPH! Well I personally balanced his tires and that solved his problem. I learned a valuable lesson that day. Get them to tell you why they are in your shop asking for an alignment. Once you know the problem, solve it for them and make them feel good about it.

I've developed a shop parts "return/core" form. it is, simply has the vendor, part number, date, type of return..core, new, warranty etc. all in columns. If the runner forgets the book or the supplier is temporarily out of those return books, Use the form completed with the drivers name & signature. Then you can do your returns when you want to, then match the credit invoice to these return forms. Its quickly apparent if they balance or if a part was returned, but no credit issued. You can not leave your buying power laying around in the form of returns. I recommend the PO enforcement Joe mentions, and your PO# to the parts store should be your invoice number, so even months from now you can track and investigate easily.Everything in Joes post is spot on. I recommend every bit of that, and once it is the new normal, its easily to administer. You would be surprised how many unmonitored returns disappear into the abyss.

Just a few thoughts. You stated you know the flyers can work. I know they can too, but what experience are you referring to? There may be some key component missing from your flyer. I believe one base concept of marketing is answering the omni present human question, w.i.f.m., or what's in it for me? Your offer should be compelling, it should solve a pain point or problem and it needs a bit of urgency. I've had shops do a pre-paid service card. Offer $xxx dollars worth of services for a reduced cost. For example 3 basic oil changes, list limits like 6 qts. of regular oil with a regular filter, chassis lube and free safety inspection, 2 flat repairs, 2 rotate & balances., reg price $ 165.99, buy the card for $ 49.95 . Make the card good the bearer. This way the whole family can use it. This insures you get at least 5 chances to put a car on the rack and find brakes, suspension , steering , etc work and ties the client to your shop, fostering loyalty. I know it works well, very well, its compelling, and solves a problem, because they will eventually need these services and they are not going to your competition...they are tied to you. Win-Win.

Well done mspecperformance. Hold your ground. What other profession is expected to phone quote anything, site unseen? Giving those phone quotes damages the shop's and the industry's reputation. The only thing Mr. M.T. Pockets will remember is the lowest price he heard.

Awesome job, Gonzo. I read your article "Strange Requests at the Service Counter" yesterday at lunch in Underhood Service. I was hilarious and reminded me of some experiences I've had over the years. We need some levity in this business and your version of Twas the Night before Christmas is awesome. Thanks, and here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

I did 10% of the retail price when I was managing tire stores and it worked out perfectly. I could replace a tire under the program, and that made my customers very happy. Not to mention it was an excellent profit center for the stores. Win - win all around. Great advice.

What a great voice! You must be so proud. Gonzo was right, glad you shared that with us. Merry Christmas.