Shop Operations

We all know that the industry is continuing to evolve, and you will be seeing your customers less often as time goes on. Accordingly, you will need to find ways to keep your service bays full. One way is through commercial accounts, which we will call fleet accounts. Now, I realize that fleet accounts may not be practical for some of you, but for those of you who are open to servicing such accounts, here are some tips you may want to consider.

Ever since the phrase “the customer is always right” was coined, it surely has been the bane of every worker whose title includes the word “associate” or “representative.”

The majority of challenges and frustrations experienced by sellers can be avoided with solid information about the pitfalls of selling a business in today’s market. While there are dozens of challenges to overcome, in the January/February 2013 issue the first five most common mistakes were discussed that can have drastic repercussions and cause both stress and loss of value on a business sale.

If you want to ensure that 2013 is your shop’s best year yet, there are a number of things you need to consider. Vehicles are being built better, and service intervals are constantly being extended. Accordingly, you will be seeing your customers less frequently.

We all know that selling the benefits of a particular service is far better than selling parts and labor. But sometimes, especially when we are busy, we forget and fall back into bad habits. To help the service advisors and add value for the customer, we have been changing all of our most common service operations to include a note that features the benefits of the service or item we are presenting to a customer.

With vehicles being built better than ever before, and with service intervals continually being extended, you are going to see your customers less often. This means that your service advisors have to be razor sharp when that phone rings. Although there is no silver bullet that will allow you to bring in every first-time caller, there are a number of things you can do to get more appointments. In this article, I would like to share some of the best practices your advisors can use that will bring immediate results.

If you want to build a more profitable auto repair business, here are six proven tips for your waiting room that can help you do just that.

Accountability is a big word. We see examples every day around us where we can safely surmise that “that person” is not being held accountable for their actions. We are surrounded by people every day – customers, employees, family members and even strangers in the stores and restaurants we frequent – doing or saying something that causes pause.

I was confused, worried and somewhat embarrassed. He did his job well, and took his time explaining everything. I trust my doctor and his findings; I just did not know how to answer. Then he said to me three powerful words, “What I recommend.”

Over the years I have met hundreds, if not thousands, of shop owners who are suffering from burnout. They either tell me they have it, or it clearly shows in their behavior. Ironically, dealing with burnout is no different than fixing cars, in that in order to accurately solve the problem, we have to first identify the cause.

If you are looking to hire star employees, the first thing you’ll need to do is meet them, and there’s no better way to do so than by hosting technical seminars at your shop. Let’s look at the extraordinary benefits.

There are more than 175,000 automotive repair shops in the U.S., so how can shop owners differentiate themselves and stand out from the competition? While having the most up-to-date technology and talked-about customer service is always beneficial, sometimes a more simple solution can help to improve the customer experience and your shop’s bottom line.