Whether or not we realize it, each shop has a similar workflow process. Like many areas of life, we think that we are all unique in our business strategy. However, reality is we are all very similar, our differences lie in management styles. Our attitude and approach, from employees and customers, defines how we achieve success.
The seven basic steps through the process are:
- Check In - When receiving a vehicle from a customer, it usually arrives one of three ways. The customer stops in unannounced, the vehicle has broken down and is towed in, or the customer has made an appointment. Once the vehicle has been checked in, regardless of the circumstance, it is then assigned to a technician.
- Inspection - The most underrated and overlooked element of taking possession of a vehicle is the failure to properly inspect it. We detested the idea of “selling” customers and performing vehicle inspections without verifiable data. It made us feel like salesman instead of service advisers. At the Founder's facility we weren't too keen on wasting paper through inspection sheets, so we verbally communicated and/or emailed a lot of our findings to customers prior to building CAR.
- Estimate Building - The most crucial element in the entire process. An accurate estimate will save everyone time and prepare the customer for what they may come to expect. As a rule of thumb, we recommend being as thorough as possible in your notes while building estimates. This allows some room for unforeseen problems that may arise.
- Customer Authorization - Without verbal or written authorization (each state varies, check your local laws), you can not and should not ever perform work on a customer’s vehicle. It is unethical to skip this step.
- Work In Progress - Once authorized, the technician can now start the job as the estimate has been written. Under most circumstances, there are not many changes made to an estimate. Most changes usually revolve around unforeseen circumstances and/or hardships encountered. However, anything over 5 percent of the original estimate should be clearly communicated to limit misunderstandings.
- Completion - Once a service is completed, the service adviser should review with the technician that nothing was forgotten. In this instance they should also check that there are no grease marks left on any body panels, no debris from the repair and/or dirty and messy interiors from work done on/in the vehicle. Vehicles should always be returned in the cleanest manner feasible.
- Follow Up - After major repairs, it is always good to personally follow up with customers. This shows that you care. In general, it's good practice to follow up with every customer and try to get feedback about their experience.
The process, is often hijacked by two elements. The first element is service center employee(s) and their attitude(s) and the second element is the software your business uses.
Your employees are your team, and that’s exactly the best way to approach your business. When you look at employees as team members and not as just “the new guy/girl” or “Jack the mechanic who never combs his hair”... everyone’s attitude begins to change. Being a part of a team is a mindset that everyone ‘shares in the responsibility’, everyone is accountable for their role and if one person fails… everyone has failed. This mindset is used to build all types of companies, some of which end up being valued into the billions of dollars. Teams help each other pick up the slack and work with one another to get through personal and professional barriers.
The most important thing to remember about the team, is that everyone can have a bad day, week, month or even months. We are all human and too often we forget everyone is going through something. The team element opens the door to communication among the facility and if people are comfortable enough to communicate, they are open to moving past whatever ails them. We are all too quick to give up on someone we have invested an immense amount of time and energy training to our standards. With the right team, dedication is matched on all ends, resulting in happy customers that not only return... they refer. Which lowers acquisition costs and keeps business growth healthy.
As for the second element… it’s no secret that we’re trying to encourage you to open your mind to more capable systems presently available, including our own auto repair software, CAR. You shouldn’t let our bias towards CAR, deter you from seeking a better option for your service facility.
There are many services available that can help you achieve a stable and lucrative auto repair business, each of them with their own process that may or may not help you. Ultimately, you need to evaluate your process and see where your bottlenecks are and if there is software that helps you ease through them. The process of the auto repair software you ultimately choose, is what makes the process between owner, employees, and customers completely seamless.
CAR was founded with a flow that replicates the seven steps of the repair process outlined above. Learn the difference about what it’s like to have auto repair software that works for you and not against you.
