action flow charts

One of the many reasons that a customer may enter your shop is to ensure that their family vehicle is prepared for an upcoming road trip. Before heading out on vacation, it’s reassuring to know that your trusted independent repair shop has fully inspected your ride. After all, none of us want to end up on the side of the road, at the mercy of a potentially untrustworthy repair shop far from home. That is where this Action Flow Chart comes in. Having a thorough, customizable inspection form on hand for these customers is a life saver!

Your service writers and the trip inspection form could’ve helped him avoid this situation.

Inspection Form for Upcoming Trips

Brian starts the clip by introducing the inspection form to the group. He points out the spots in the document that can be personalized, then mentions that some shop owners prefer to color code the sections. One such owner chose to color code the tasks to indicate whether they were a front of house job, a back of house job, or both.

Brian runs through the list of under the hood, interior, and exterior items to check. We could easily forget many of these items without using the inspection form. For example, do your mechanics always check the spare tire? What about the trailer hitch wiring? If the customer will be pulling a trailer or camper, this is a must.

Technicians should perform a test drive for certain aspects. Specifically, when driving the vehicle, they should make sure the speedometer and the cruise control are working correctly.

After completing all 22 inspection points and taking any necessary actions, don’t forget to wipe off any potential handprints and return the vehicle clean.

Ready For The Next Step? Book Your FREE Strategy Session!

Your auto repair shop lacks direction. Maybe your business plan has stalled out, and you aren’t meeting your goals. You need an experienced automotive industry coach to help you. Then why not schedule a FREE business strategy session with You Net Results guide Brian Gillis? You’ve got nothing to lose, so sign up today!

In this clip from on of our Working On It Tuesday sessions, Brian and the class discuss Action Flow Charts. Specifically, Brian brings up the question of which color coding should designate who is performing the listed tasks. Pam suggests that instances where both technicians (blue) and service advisors (red) share the load, the chart should be color coded purple.

Color Coding Your Action Flow Charts

Pam expanded on her answer, indicating that the Service Advisor at the front desk sells the job. Then, the technicians will perform the repair work. Therefore, many automotive repair tasks require a shared responsibility.

Pam brought up the Test Drive step in the Trip Check Inspection form. Jim Ryckman mentioned that his shop’s team performs an extensive test drive. He then explained how this test drive is part of his Preventive Maintenance Inspection process. The question arose on whether to charge for such an inspection.

Brian mentioned that any job that you are color coding for technicians to work on is worth their time, and you should charge for it. Some folks may take advantage of your free inspection offer, and then take their vehicle elsewhere that they know is cheaper. They may even perform the repair themselves, now that you have diagnosed the issue for free. Chances are that if you explain why they must pay for their vehicle inspection, they will agree to the inspection and repair.

Ready For The Next Step? Book Your FREE Strategy Session!

Your auto repair shop is lacking direction. Maybe your business plan has stalled out. You definitely are not meeting your goals. You need an experienced automotive industry coach to help you. Then why not schedule a FREE business strategy session with You Net Results guide Brian Gillis? You’ve got nothing to lose, so sign up today!

Learn how to document auto repair shop systems the YNR way – using Action Flow Charts! Never again wonder what the steps are to any repair process your team must complete. Brian reviews a sample brake job checklist form to demonstrate how technicians and service advisors can confirm every task is completed. Do you want to download Action Flow Charts that your team can customize for your shop? Get the whole package here!

Action Flow Charts to Document Automotive Systems

Brian starts off by recalling a customer in his former shop. When they brought an error to the staff’s attention, everyone worked together to fix it. After that, they had a customer for life. In fact, that customer’s word of mouth brought a lot more business in. Just one interaction caused an explosion in revenue!

But how? The staff fell back on their systems to resolve the problem. Those systems were meticulously documented using Action Flow Charts. Therefore, everyone knew the chain of command. Everyone in the shop wrote down their tasks, so going back in time to find out what when wrong was easy.

More applications

Moving on, Brian suggested a great way to ingrain Action Flow Charts into your staff’s culture. Do you hold weekly one on one meetings with each staff member? If not, then why not? When your meetings take place, you should add an Action Flow Chart review to your agenda. Pick one from your folder, and make sure your technician or service writer knows it front to back. When you do this, you will have a strong gauge on how knowledgeable they are.

Next, Brian showed an example of the ABS Brake Problem Initial Analysis form. When using this form, technicians will not miss any potential causes of the customer’s brake problems. The YNR group were well versed on the form, and found great success with them. They all use Action Flow Charts every day, and they teach it to their staff.

Ready For The Next Step? Book Your FREE Strategy Session!

Your auto repair shop lacks direction. Maybe your business plan has stalled out? Not meeting your goals? You need an experienced automotive industry coach to help you. Then why not schedule a FREE business strategy session with You Net Results guide Brian Gillis? You’ve got nothing to lose, so sign up today!

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Shop Owners Who Take Action…

0519- SOP Action Flow Charts Review

• What do we charge for inspections discussion?
• So that you can lead with Processes and UP
• Your communications for a more productive shop
• That leads to increased sales and profit.

Action Flow Chart Story….

• Mr. Jones tells the Service Advisor something…
• Then the Service Advisor tells the Technician something…
• Then the Technician tells the Service Advisor something…
• Then the Service Advisor tells Mr. Jones something…
• Then the Service Advisor tells the Technician something…

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Photo by Tetiana SHYSHKINA on Unsplash

Document & Implement, The Power Of SOPs

Have you ever walked through your business and noticed people performing the same task in five different ways? You aren’t sure which one is the fastest, but you are sure that you would prefer everyone do it one defined way. At least then, you can measure what is wrong and decide how to improve. That is where SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) come in, and they only get better from there!

While SOPs may seem like a lot of work to create, they will save you time and money in the long run. By having SOPs in place, you can train new employees more quickly and easily. Making it easier to monitor employee progress, measure tasks, and improve company culture. Most importantly, SOPs can help you net more revenue!

What are SOPs?

SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) are simply detailed instructions on how to perform a task. They vary widely! SOPs can be as simple as a one-page document or complex manuals that are hundreds of pages long.

When composing SOPs, and when considering how standard operating procedures can transform your auto repair shop. Keep in mind that they should be clear and concise. So that anyone who reads them can understand and follow the instructions. Standard operating procedures should also be specific enough to complete a task thoroughly but digestible and actionable.

As old as time, SOPs are nothing new. In fact, they have been around for centuries in one form or another. The military has used SOPs for millennia to ensure that their soldiers are efficient and effective on the battlefield. SOPs were first formalized in the industry during the early days of the automobile assembly line. The auto repair industry developed SOPs to ensure that each car was built the same way, with the same high level of quality.

Should I use SOPs in my auto repair shop?

Today, SOPs are used in businesses of all types and sizes, from small mom-and-pop shops to large multinational corporations. SOPs provide a process or set of steps to complete a task so that employees perform the same way every time. This consistency saves time and helps to ensure quality and avoid mistakes. You can use them in any industry, but they are especially helpful in service-based businesses, such as auto repair.

With the incredibly complex nature of auto repair tasks and workflows, it is essential that you take steps to standardize things. This will not only help reduce confusion and improve efficiency, but it will help you get new employees up to speed faster!

Business coaching Through You Net Results

We know this process is daunting, and that is why you have us at You Net Results. We guide you through the process with detailed templates and instructions. We’ve helped countless auto repair shops do the same, netting greater returns as a result. 

Contact You Net-Results today for a complimentary consultation. Brian Gillis & team will help you build your SOPs and plug you into a vast network of auto repair shops, working together to make the industry stronger! Let’s make August the best month of your business life!

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SOP Formation and Review

• 0519- SOP Action Flow Charts Review

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Daily Operations

Are you an automotive repair shop owner who is completely lost? Need help organizing your workflow and writing systems to guide your staff? You Net Results has the tool for you to write your own auto repair business systems – Action Flow Charts! This is a series of over 50 templates and documents that will help you, your technicians, your service advisors, and your customers, get the the best experience from your repair shop.

In this video, some of our members discuss how You Net Results’ coaching has benefited them. They then share their initial thoughts after taking time to review our new Action Flow Charts.

Shop Owners Tell Their Stories – Auto Repair Business Systems Testimonials

Auto Repair Team celebrating success

Joe Evans begins the discussion by reviewing many of the skills his team has learned from Brian’s coaching methods. He notes all of the useful documents in the Action Flow Charts folder, which correspond to those skills. The sheer volume of useful information is impressive.

Afterward, other shop owners talk about how easy the documents are to access anywhere online via Dropbox. The customizable templates are easy to use, so repair shops can continue growing their bottom line. Instantly, shop owners and managers see the possibilities, both in the pre-written flow charts, and the templates, which enable owners to come up with their own systems. From hiring and recruiting to service advisor training, it’s all there.

Many shop owners are not tech savvy, nor do they have much time to sit down and figure out complex solutions. However, Action Flow Charts are designed to be easy to use for anyone in the industry, regardless of computer knowledge.

Are Action Flow Charts for you?

Not sure? Watch the video above and hear from our satisfied customers. These downloadable SOP templates and documents have revolutionized their shops! We will make a believer out of you! Sign up today.

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SOP Formation and Review

0519- SOP Action-Flow-Charts
17. Brainstorm with your team to help get buy in.

ASK these questions:

How could our Action-Flow-Charts help our:

• Service Advisors?
• Technicians?
• Customers?
• Communications?
• Time efficiency?
• Customers see the value?
• Technicians become better at diagnosis?
• Team members learn from others’ knowledge?

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Embed

Copy and paste this HTML code into your webpage to embed.

SOP Formation and Review

0519- SOP Action-Flow-Charts

17. Brainstorm with your team to help get buy-in. ASK these questions. How could our Action-Flow-Charts help our:

• Service Advisors?
• Technicians?
• Customers?
• Communications?
• Time efficiency?
• Customers see the value?
• Technicians become better at diagnosis?
• Team members learn from others’ knowledge?

Documents

Powerpoint PDF