Business is good. Really good. Unfortunately, all that work has saddled you with a four-week backlog. What’s a service manager to do?
Get caught up with a backlog of work
Shops across the country are busier than ever, yet there’s a nationwide technician shortage. Such a combination leaves many dealerships with schedules that are booked several weeks out.
And that’s a huge problem. Not being able to get an appointment is, at the very least, annoying to customers. For some, it can be a significant hardship. Eventually, people will go elsewhere if you can’t serve them in a timely manner.
Fortunately, there are ways to get your department back on track. Here are a few suggestions to help clear your schedule, increase business and boost customer satisfaction.
1. Offer overtime for your technicians
If you’re like most other shops, hiring additional technicians is extremely difficult, if not impossible. Consequently, you must make do with the employees you already have. Offering overtime at an increased rate will help accomplish this task. After all, time-and-a-half can even convince flat-rate techs to stick around. Just keep in mind, making extended work hours the norm isn’t a good ideal. Such a schedule can quickly lead to burn out.
2. Extend your hours
The days of working a nine-to-five are long gone. Now, many shops are staying open until seven o'clock, eight o'clock, even midnight. To keep up with increased demand, you may want to consider keeping your service department open later.
3. Work harder to get more techs
In the past, you could post a help-wanted ad, either in the newspaper or online, and have dozens of technicians apply. But not anymore. These days, mechanics are in high demand and you need to work extra hard to find them. One option is to partner with trades colleges to offer work experience and apprenticeship opportunities for grads. They’ll be your next wave of skilled technicians.
4. If you can’t hire technicians, hire support staff
Ideally, you’d hire more seasoned technicians, but those individuals are getting harder and harder to come by. So, to help out, hire more support staff such as valets and shop assistants. Techs waste a lot of time on tasks such as moving cars in and out, cleaning up spills, etc. Entry-level employees can be of great help when it comes to such work.
5. Cut back on meetings
By no means is this a long-term solution. Meetings are invaluable, yet sometimes they must be put on a brief hold to deal with an influx of customers.
6. Buy the shop lunch
Forcing your techs to hustle through an entire workday without food is inhumane. Plus, an empty stomach can lead to distraction and mistakes. If you need your team to work through lunch, buy them food to show your appreciation and keep them sustained.
7. Invest in tools and equipment
Are your techs waiting around to use one of the two shop scan tools? Or, are they fighting over the alignment rack? Stop such nonsense by purchasing new equipment. The investment will increase efficiency and boost productivity.
8. Schedule upsell work for a later date
When you’re trying to make your quota, it’s beneficial to squeeze in every piece of upsell work found. On the other hand, when you’re slammed, it may be wise to schedule select repairs for a later date. Let’s say, for example, your tech finds a seeping valve cover.
That can wait. Inform the customer and offer to fix the issues at a later date. Safety-related items, of course, should always be addressed immediately.
9. Help out where you can
If you see a technician or service advisor struggling to keep up, jump in and help them out. Getting involved can speed things up, while also building team spirit.
10. Say no
There are loyal customers, and then there are out-of-towners just looking for a quick oil change. Say no to the latter. Be selective with your time and serve those who matter most.
Remember, you’re not alone
Hundreds of American service departments are dealing with long service backlogs. Buckle down to catch up with the current workload and get creative to prepare for the future. It’s all about providing the best customer experience possible, which doesn’t happen when they have to wait so long for an appointment.
From Ted Ings' Playbook