Hundreds of mobile automotive technicians aligned with YourMechanic are making housecalls to homes and workplaces to render convenient diagnostic, repair and maintenance services.
Based in Mountain View, Calif. with operations in more than 700 American communities, the company reports that having a national presence allows it to negotiate better pricing from parts vendors – and that this enhanced bargaining power, plus the lack of shop-based overhead, results in customer discounts averaging 30 percent below the cost of patronizing a bricks-and-mortar repair center.
Vice President and General Manager Lee Senderov recently answered a series of questions posed by Aftermarket Business World:
Q: What is your business model?
A: Our business is easy to understand: We connect mobile mechanics with customers who want car repair, maintenance or diagnostic services completed at their home or office, eliminating the need to go to a repair shop.
Dig a little deeper and you’ll find we are a lot more than just another on-demand service. We solve a problem for our customers – for some it may be offering the convenience of car repair seven days a week to minimize time away from work, for others, our up-front pricing means no surprise costs when it is time to pay their bill. Convenience and transparent pricing are why our customers love us. We are proud of our A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and our 1,000-plus reviews on Yelp, which average 4.2 stars.
Our mechanics enjoy the freedom to set their own schedules and to take home more of their hourly rate than when working at a shop or dealership. We set up our mechanics with everything they need. At our headquarters we handle bookings, ordering parts and processing payment from customers, so our mechanics can do what they do best – get our customers safely back on the road. We have full-time and part-time mechanics and offer customer service seven days a week.
Q: What markets do you operate in?
A: This is a very exciting time at YourMechanic as we’ve grown tremendously over the past year. We currently have service the top 50 markets and beyond. We’re growing and adding new cities regularly. Our decision to move into a new city is driven by demand and the number of out-of-warranty cars within a market.
Q: What are some of the automotive positions that you staff?
A: Our team is a unique hybrid of expertise across many industries. For example, we have team members in our parts division who have worked with national parts suppliers and know supply catalogues inside and out. We have everyone from lifelong car enthusiasts on our operations teams to actual mechanics writing content that helps consumers with everyday tips and advice for maintaining their cars.
We hire mechanics who are the best at what they do, and our baseline criteria means that only a small percentage of mechanic applicants are brought onboard. We know that a car is much more than transportation – it can be anything from a source of income, a gift for a special occasion or the difference between a vacation and a staycation.
Q: What are the employment qualifications and requirements?
A: Our mechanics are independent contractors. Before they are active in our system, we review a number of criteria including education, tools, expertise, specialty knowledge (such as extensive experience with makes or models), industry certificates and communication skills. We run mock diagnostics to test the mechanics. And, of course, before bringing a mechanic on board we run the appropriate background checks.
Q: You hire people for positions throughout the U.S., correct? What are some of the positions you fill, and how can a non-Californian automotive professional become a part of your company in their respective locales?
A: Our team works to ensure that we meet all local and state criteria when entering a new market. We are growing our mechanic teams across the country. Interested applicants can apply through our website. Applicants interested in joining us in an operations, parts, logistics, marketing or similar roles at our headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. can apply through our website.
Q: How many people do you currently have onboard, and how many people do you typically hire throughout the year?
A: We have 90-plus employees at our headquarters in Mountain View, and we currently have hundreds of mechanics. Our growth is driven by demand and opportunity. We are currently launching new cities regularly, and our growth here at headquarters is in tandem with our regional growth to ensure smooth operations.
Q: How does the repair process operate?
A: To get started, customers can book our services through our iPhone app, website or by calling 800-701-6230. We see a lot of our customers booking for a diagnostic (e.g. a car won’t start), and in that scenario an instant quote is provided to have a mechanic come out and assess the vehicle. For standard services such as oil changes, we also can provide an instant quote.
For more complicated services, a quote is generated within 24 hours or less. During this time, our team is ensuring we match the right mechanic for the job and order any needed parts to complete the job. Pricing for labor and part(s) is provided within the quote and scheduling is easy for our customers.
Q: Regarding employment opportunities in Mountain View and the Silicon Valley, how would you assess the overall availability of automotive jobs throughout the region?
A: The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most desirable regions of the country to work and live in. And while this can cause a strain in some ways, for example, as seen with the housing market, for other sectors, we see a lot of opportunity. Yes, there are a lot of opportunities in the technology sector, but with nearly 2 million people in San Francisco and San Jose, there is a healthy demand of service-related jobs.
Q: Are you seeing a lot of automotive-oriented operations starting up or moving into the region?
A: YourMechanic is leading the industry as the only nationwide mobile car repair service. Since our founding in 2012 we have serviced hundreds of thousands of cars. We are constantly growing and learning. For us, it isn’t enough to simply expand our business; we stay true to our value propositions. The auto repair industry is long overdue for a shakeup.
Q: How do pay levels compare to other regions of the U.S., and how do you assess the quality of life in the Silicon Valley?
A: To be the best, we know we must recruit the best. Our compensation is competitive and we attract top talent. Our focus right now is growth, so bringing onboard the right minds to make it happen is important to us.
Our mechanics take home more of the hourly rate they earn with us, as compared to dealerships and traditional shops, because our operations are more efficient. We don’t carry the same costs as brick-and-mortar businesses, and this enables us to compete with those businesses.
Mechanics have the opportunity, through continued quality service, to take home a very high percentage of their hourly rate. We work hard to find the best mechanics, and our interest is to keep them for the long-term.
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