solfly wrote:N Sperlo wrote: Why is yawning contagious?47
I like this thread. Did you mean 42?
solfly wrote:N Sperlo wrote: Why is yawning contagious?47
I like this thread. Did you mean 42?
solfly wrote:DrBoost wrote: Do you pay your techs flat-rate, hourly, commission, or a combo of both? Why?we pay our tech hourly. flat rate = someone getting screwed if the job takes longer than book time the shop and the tech get screwed if the tech rushes to beat book time the customer likely gets screwed hourly allows us flexibility and to ensure each job gets the attention to detail it needs to get done right the first time
From those statements I'm going to make a few assumptions. You have happy techs, you have techs that have been with you for a while, you have happy customers. You are more in-tuned with the goings-on in your shop.
I'm glad to hear you say that, and I hope you are successful. Flat rate is what pushed me, and a lot of other good techs out of the biz.
good answer Dr.
I was going to say that hourly is great, as long as you have techs that A) you trust.. B)those techs are very competent .. C) they're honest (especially with their work habits) … D)you have customers that understand that sometimes work takes longer than anticipated
spin_out wrote:solfly wrote:I like this thread. Did you mean 42?N Sperlo wrote: Why is yawning contagious?47
no
When I go to the dealer, which is rare, I print off what I want done on a piece of paper and make copies. I hand one to the adviser and tape one to the steering wheel. It explains what I need and to contact me with any questions or before doing anything else.
Do techs hate it or like it?
(not going to stop, either way)
DrBoost wrote: From those statements I'm going to make a few assumptions. You have happy techs, you have techs that have been with you for a while, you have happy customers. You are more in-tuned with the goings-on in your shop. I'm glad to hear you say that, and I hope you are successful. Flat rate is what pushed me, and a lot of other good techs out of the biz.
yeah, all of the above is very true. i keep track of productivity via hours billed per tech, obviously it's not 100% accurate but if there's a large variance i know something's up
thanks for the well wishes. i/we have been very successful even when other shops locally have been slow/struggling/closing
we don't fix cars, we take care of customers that have cars
wbjones wrote: good answer Dr. I was going to say that hourly is great, as long as you have techs that A) you trust.. B)those techs are very competent .. C) they're honest (especially with their work habits) … D)you have customers that understand that sometimes work takes longer than anticipated
yeah, all of the above
tuna55 wrote: When I go to the dealer, which is rare, I print off what I want done on a piece of paper and make copies. I hand one to the adviser and tape one to the steering wheel. It explains what I need and to contact me with any questions or before doing anything else. Do techs hate it or like it? (not going to stop, either way)
a lot of it depends on your knowledge and what you're asking for. most of our customers are more the "my car is broken, fix it" type than the this is what i want done type
our techs dont mind and usually specific requests are easier to take care of than mystery problems
solfly wrote:tuna55 wrote: When I go to the dealer, which is rare, I print off what I want done on a piece of paper and make copies. I hand one to the adviser and tape one to the steering wheel. It explains what I need and to contact me with any questions or before doing anything else. Do techs hate it or like it? (not going to stop, either way)a lot of it depends on your knowledge and what you're asking for. most of our customers are more the "my car is broken, fix it" type than the this is what i want done type our techs dont mind and usually specific requests are easier to take care of than mystery problems
Usually if I come to the dealer it's a TSB. I say "My name is Tuna55 and my phone number is xxxyyyzzzz and this car, a 2040 Zoomymobile is here for TSB12345. Please proceed with that repair and that repair only. ..."
In nice language and well thought out formatting.
I spent the last two days working inside the service department at two different dealerships. I have to say, both locations were really humming with cars going in and out constantly. Every person working there cared about what they were doing and took care of the customer's cars as if they were their own. And dropping an engine was no big deal, pull it, fix it, put it back before lunch. Took me the better part of 8 months to do that!
Keep this up and you'll be a dork in no time.
tuna55 wrote: Usually if I come to the dealer it's a TSB. I say "My name is Tuna55 and my phone number is xxxyyyzzzz and this car, a 2040 Zoomymobile is here for TSB12345. Please proceed with that repair and that repair only. ..." In nice language and well thought out formatting.
none of us would have a problem with that, though we don't work on zoomymobiles anymore
gjz30075 wrote: Keep this up and you'll be a dork in no time.
everyone can dream right?
pinchvalve wrote: I spent the last two days working inside the service department at two different dealerships. I have to say, both locations were really humming with cars going in and out constantly. Every person working there cared about what they were doing and took care of the customer's cars as if they were their own. And dropping an engine was no big deal, pull it, fix it, put it back before lunch. Took me the better part of 8 months to do that!
that's the environment we, and any other competent shop, strive for
How do they put the lime in the coconut?
PFM
My wife has a Buick Rendezvous that is coming up on 100K and will need plugs/wires soon. Accessing the back plugs is a bitch, so I'd rather pay to have it done than do it myself...but because the job is such a bitch, I am fearful that the tech may be tempted to leave the back three in place, replace the wires, and call it a day so as not to get screwed on flat rate. I wouldn't mind paying for an extra hour of labor...I understand that replacing plugs on a transverse V6 is about ten times harder than replacing plugs on a Miata.
Is there a magic phrase or handshake I can use to ensure the job gets done correctly? Or should I just grow a pair and do it myself?
bluebarchetta wrote: My wife has a Buick Rendezvous that is coming up on 100K and will need plugs/wires soon. Accessing the back plugs is a bitch, so I'd rather pay to have it done than do it myself...but because the job is such a bitch, I am fearful that the tech may be tempted to leave the back three in place, replace the wires, and call it a day so as not to get screwed on flat rate. I wouldn't mind paying for an extra hour of labor...I understand that replacing plugs on a transverse V6 is about ten times harder than replacing plugs on a Miata. Is there a magic phrase or handshake I can use to ensure the job gets done correctly? Or should I just grow a pair and do it myself?
ask for the old parts back
solfly wrote:spin_out wrote:nosolfly wrote:I like this thread. Did you mean 42?N Sperlo wrote: Why is yawning contagious?47
42 is the answer. The real issue is what is the question ?
What's the one car that makes your techs groan/roll their eyes/call out sick when it shows up in your shop? And the follow up question...do you then give the car to the high school kid who's apprenticing with you and say "Here kid...fix this." 
solfly wrote:DrBoost wrote: Do you pay your techs flat-rate, hourly, commission, or a combo of both? Why?we pay our tech hourly. flat rate = someone getting screwed if the job takes longer than book time the shop and the tech get screwed if the tech rushes to beat book time the customer likely gets screwed hourly allows us flexibility and to ensure each job gets the attention to detail it needs to get done right the first time
I think the whole industry needs to move back to this.
They want to pay techs on commission because they don't trust their work ethics, but that means they have to trust their morality to not over-sell just to make a buck. It makes sure the customer is more likely to get screwed then the shop I guess.
I'm looking to get out of the business myself. I am sick of riding the paycheck roller coaster because most of my customers can't afford the European car that they bought. I have a lot of experience, a lot of certifications, a lot of training, and a LOT of money invested in tools. Yet, I could put an 8-10 hour day in and only get paid for an hour (or less) because there is no work.
If a hen-and-a-half could lay an egg-and-a-half in a day-and-a-half, how long would it take a monkey with a wooden leg to kick all the seeds out of a dill pickle?
Is this a rash?
Flat rate is good if A) You work in a dealership. You work on the same cars with the same problems most of the time. You can get pretty fast and beat time without cheating anyone, and B)You have the right number of techs for the work load. A tech isn't going to be tempted to upsell things the customer doesn't need if he knows there is more work waiting for him after this job is done. Flat rate doesn't work in most independent shops because you work on such diverse stuff that you have a hard time getting fast enough to beat time on most jobs. But when I was at the ford dealership I liked flat rate. Recalls made me killer money on flat rate.
How many times had the diagnosis been, "That is not a purse hanger"?
You'll need to log in to post.
