Shop Operations

“Not Me” makes his appearance when the shop owner is confronted with an unsuccessful repair or has to refer a customer to a dealership. They start spouting half-truths in order to convince the customer and themselves that they are not responsible. The excuses include: “The OEMs are not releasing all of the repair information,” “Cars today are so complicated,” and “They don’t build ’em like they used to.”

Most shop owners begin their careers as technicians, and eventually buy their first shop. They are often the people who feel they own a business, when in reality, it’s the furthest from the truth.

Although there is no simple or conclusive way of determining whether someone you are interviewing is an ethical person, one question I always ask an applicant is, “Can you tell me a detailed story about something you did in the workplace that will help me understand your ethics?”

When your advisors start a sales presentation, and the customer senses they will need a number of repairs, they’ll get anxious. They’ll then immediately ask for a price, or they’ll tell your advisors they just want the oil service done. The secret? Your advisors should always ask for permission to talk about the price after they’ve reviewed their discoveries with the customer.

When it comes to hiring techs and advisors, you need to have a really good system in place. Otherwise, you might hire the wrong people and will soon regret your decision. It’s a mistake we have all made. Although there is no foolproof way to ensure you are hiring the superstars you are looking for, we can learn from some of the most successful companies in America that utilize tests and assessments to better ensure their success.

When it comes to garnering consumer trust, repair shops seem to rank as low as law firms and cable companies. In a 2014 survey of car owners conducted by RepairPal, 52% of respondents said they believed they had been taken advantage of by an automotive repair shop.

Before you make a decision to open up your shop on Saturdays, or to continue to remain open on Saturdays, here are five considerations that should not be overlooked.

Many company leaders believe that offering higher pay than the competition is enough to attract and retain the best people. However, many studies suggest something different: We have to find a way to tap into the deeper motivational needs of our staff if we want to create and keep the stars!

We all know how tough it is to find great technicians, so how do you reach those stars who are not out looking for the right opportunity? Well, I’ve found an answer.

It takes a lot of technical know-how to service modern vehicles. But there would be a lot more shop owners and technicians walking around with fat wallets nowadays if running a successful shop were only about technical acumen.

If an owner doesn’t take the time to train employees, to teach them the processes used in the shop, and to explain the benchmarks, they cannot expect the employee to deliver on these expectations. Training for new employees is a good start, but it’s far from the whole picture. Does the rest of the team understand your expectations? Do they know who is responsible for holding other techs accountable? Are they incentivized for meeting and exceeding expectations?

There are many advantages to having your technicians on a performance-based pay program (flat rate, bonuses based on productivity, etc.), rather than a fixed hourly rate. Unfortunately, many shop owners are afraid to take the leap and convert to these performance-based programs.