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.
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!
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!
Comeback Customer Tracking Form and Technician Reviews
