What is the one thing that every successful auto repair shop has in common? All of them provide their customers with a detailed Preventive Maintenance Inspection form, or PMI. How important is this form? YNR Guide Brian Gillis discussed the ins and outs of the PMI with Service Advisors on a recent Advisor Results Academy meeting. Watch and learn how this vehicle “bill of health” makes a difference in cultivating repeat business. This form effectively helps customers budget and create a game plan for needed future repairs and services. See how it builds trust yet?

PMI – The Name of the Game

Preventive maintenance is the name of the game when it comes to making a vehicle last longer. Do your customers want proof of how thoroughly you have inspected their vehicle? Then you need to provide them with a detailed Preventive Maintenance Inspection form. In short, a PMI.

This gives them the peace of mind that your Technicians have gotten to closely know their vehicle, both inside and out. Your Mechanics and Service Writers will recommend the services that they would perform on it if it were their own. Your front of house staff can then confidently present and review this PMI form to customers. This gives them the chance to either sell customers additional repairs on the spot, or plan out a timeline for those services to be done in the future.

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Benefits

1. Way to get some freedom
2. Prevents micro management
3. Relief of stress
4. Takes the burden off
5. Can focus more on the business and less in the business
6. Staff feels important and takes ownership
7. Less hours at the shop

Methods

1. Ask staff members where they see opportunities, and get buy in. Ask for ideas and input to improve processes
2. Provide parameters and allow decision making at different levels depending on position
3. In-depth team huddles
4. Teach staff that a presented problem should accompany ideas for solutions

How to follow up so that you don’t get burned by empowering associates

1. Audit tickets
2. Set parameters
3. Listen to phone calls
4. Inspect what you expect
5. Monitor the scorecard
6. Hold accountable
7. Show by example
8. Ongoing training
9. Own the mistakes we make
10. Be present / audit / checklist

Want to Sell More Repair Jobs? Learn From Tom Brady and Metallica (Really)

During the off season, as well as between games, NFL football superstar Tom Brady still trains and reviews game film. He is not required to, but he knows he has to in order to be the best. This is why Brady is a household name.

Brian opened up this segment asking if any of the Action Flow Charts (all 50 of which are available for YNR members) in particular interested the group. Fred Wilson wanted to specifically focus on the Comeback Customer Tracking Form.

Comeback Customer Tracking Form and Technician Reviews

Once Brian brought the form up on screen, he read through each field with the group. The form covers any detail imaginable for a repair shop to track customers and their vehicle repair. Everything from the customer’s information and their concerns to the parts ordered appear on this Action Flow Chart.

Fred especially appreciated how thorough the Comeback Customer Tracking form was. He mentioned that he had all of these details listed in separate forms for his staff, but not all in one place. This form will replace several others in his library. Fred’s employees struggle with corrective actions in their systems, so it is up to him to proactively move that ball forward.

Jerry had a similar form in place for his shop’s SOP collection. However, he found the Corrective Action section to be a useful addition.

Jim asked the group whether the original technician should review this form after repairs, or if the senior tech should. The class agreed that the senior technician should handle that responsibility. It’s always a good idea to have a second set of eyes to review work, in case the original technician missed something. Keith mentioned that reviewing returns like this helped his team identify a problem part that AutoZone had been supplying them. Another owner added that both the original V tech and the A tech should review the comeback together.

Staff Reviews Of Comeback Tracking Form Information

Fred asked the group if anyone had a system in place for their whole staff to review jobs with this form in meetings. He mentioned that he had success gathering Front of House and Back of House employees pinpointing issues that technicians had missed. Brian mentioned from experience that it eased customers’ minds to tell them their comeback issue would be addressed in the next staff meeting. Want to keep save any chance of that customer staying loyal? Honestly explain the whole team will ensure their issue won’t happen again.