W
hen I work with the service techs at a store, my goal is to
help them, and management, understand the value they bring
to a dealership and how they can do their work in the most efficient
way possible. A service tech’s inventory is “time” and your goal as
a dealer is to sell all of the tech’s time each day. Is it possible to
sell eight hours of labor each day per tech? Absolutely. Most of my
dealers sell more than that. I am a NASCAR fan and love to watch
the efficiency of a pit stop. In most stops, a pit crew can change four
tires, adjust the suspension, and fuel a car in less than 13 seconds.
So why does it take a car dealership more than 16,000 times longer
(about an hour) to put new tires on your car? It’s all about planning.
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In a pit stop, the crew chief (service manager) has been in constant
communication with the driver throughout the race and knows
what changes need to be made before the car ever hits the pit stop.
His people are positioned with the tools and parts they need to
get the work done in the least amount of time possible. Everything
is set and ready to go the moment that car comes to a stop. They
don’t wait until it gets there to find the tires, and locate the jack
or impact wrench. It’s all there ready to go. When a piece of
equipment comes into your service tech’s area, it has just entered
the pit. I challenge you to stand back and watch what takes place. Is
the tech ready to start working on the equipment or is time being
wasted as the tech gets ready to start working? Does the tech have
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