Here is a great discussion on how we can document an auto repair invoice. In this clip, Brian and our guest Keith begin the process of writing a ten step SOP on building automotive repair invoices.
Auto Repair Invoice – When And How
Brian starts out the segment by setting the ground rules of the SOP. The front of house staff, specifically the Service Advisor at the desk, is responsible for writing the auto repair invoice. When you write a Standard Operating Procedure, you number the steps in order to clearly describe how the job is done. In this case, your front of house staff will have a handy guide to refer to when questions come up.
It is also a great idea for you to review this and other SOPs regularly when in team meetings and one on one’s in order to keep everyone sharp. Sometimes, it will help for individuals to taylor certain steps and scripts to their own strengths. However, when you have one standard form on hand for the whole team to reference, it makes a huge difference.
Auto Repair Invoice SOP Step 1
Next, Brian called on Keith to provide step one. Before we fill anything else out, we will need to gather the customer’s contact and vehicle information. The first question we always need to answer is “Why is the vehicle here?” Then, from there, we can fill in the rest of the blanks on the SOP.
Learn More – Book Your FREE Strategy Session Today
Does your independent auto repair shop business lack direction? Maybe your initial business plan has stalled out. You need to hire an experienced automotive industry coach who can help you. So why not schedule a FREE business strategy session today with Brian Gillis? You have got nothing to lose, so sign up today!
Do you know when to write an auto repair estimate? Brian and the YNR group talk about identifying the “one thing” – i.e. the first major item of concern on a vehicle – and alerting the customer to it. Then what? We go through a quick scenario with reassuring a price shopper that we will get the job done quickly and affordably. It’s not about money, it’s about their safety. Get the customer on their way via your shuttle, and give the rest of the vehicle a thorough inspection. Then and only then is when to write an auto repair estimate.
Auto Repair Estimate Writing – When And How
Brian starts the conversation by reminding us not to rush into repairs before talking with our customers. Remember, the customer will tell us everything we need to know, and often will ask questions to steer us in the right direction.
Eric chimes in to walk us through his process of finding “one thing” during initial inspection that customers need to know about. Then, the Service Advisor will walk the customer back to their vehicle to explain the issue. After that, just listen to the customer. When they let you know their concerns about cost or time, let them know you can get right to work on the repair and provide them a shuttle to work. Make sure the conversation thoroughly addresses vehicle safety. You have yet to completely inspect the vehicle, so assure them you will call them shortly to let them know if there are any other concerns. You should only provide an auto repair estimate after reading the customer their vehicle’s inspection results.
Brian wraps up by remind us that both front and back of house staff should understand the “one thing” concept. Make sure you clearly mark what it is on your repair orders, so everyone knows.
Learn More – Book Your FREE Strategy Session
Does your auto repair shop lack direction? Perhaps your business plan has stalled out. You need an experienced automotive industry coach to help you. Then why not schedule a FREE business strategy session with YNR guide Brian Gillis? You’ve got nothing to lose, so sign up today!
Here’s one of our handy Service Advisor tips. Are your service advisors asking the right questions up front? This is mission critical to avoid having to call customers back when your Technician finds something unexpected with a vehicle and has questions of their own. Don’t risk painting your staff as incompetent. That’s a recipe for wasting time and money. Ask the right questions up front!
Service Advisor Tips – Call Recap
Brian opens up the clip by presenting Step G in the Getting Acquainted / In Person Counter Contact form. This is probably the most important step in the process. All the Service Advisor Tips and voice tricks mean nothing if you are not listening, asking questions, and verifying the customer’s vehicle problem. Remember, at the end of the day, our customers have problems, and it’s our job to solve them.
We must gather as much information as possible from the customer. Brian confirmed this to be true with our guest Nick, who is an A Tech. When a Service Advisor doesn’t gather enough information and pass it all on to the Technicians, we’ve got big trouble.
Repeating the customer’s problems back to them builds their confidence in us, as well as helping us avoid missing an issue later. Nick verified that he has had many questions for Service Advisors immediately after receiving work orders. For example, he may not know how long a car’s transmission has been slipping. This question should have come up when the Service Advisor initially talked with the customer.
Learn More – Get Your FREE Strategy Session
Does your auto repair shop lack direction? Perhaps your business plan has stalled out, and you need an experienced automotive industry coach to help you. Then why not schedule a FREE business strategy session with Brian? You’ve got nothing to lose, so sign up today!
Here’s a great discussion from our You Net Results group about auto repair sales analogies. Most customers wouldn’t understand complicated automotive repair terminology. Here are some great metaphors your service advisor can use to help them, and then close the sale of needed repair in the process!
What if a customer asks why you can’t replace just one side of their brake system? Or maybe they are angry they had to bring their vehicle back in soon after their last visit? These sales analogies cover these situations and much more! This is a MUST WATCH for Auto Repair Shop Owners, General Managers, Service Advisors, and Service Writers!
Auto Repair Sales Analogies – Brian’s Prompt
As the clip opens, Brian is discussing phone scripts. He focuses in on the important topic of word analogies. Throughout the years, he has asked some of the most successful service advisors he has met what their best analogies are.
Moving on, he encourages the callers to share their best examples and write them down. At first, they were not ready to share, so Brian recalled his own sales analogy. The customer’s car needs new brakes, and he explained that even though one side was like a worn out shoe, the other was in brand new condition. You can’t just replace the worn out shoe. Both need to be the same condition to work properly.
Group Member Examples of Sales Analogies
Each of our YNR members then provided their own great examples. Steve volunteered his comparison between error codes and Christmas tree lights.
In the case of mismatched tires binding up wheel bearings, Gene compared the failure to a pretzel being twisted up. The customer would always be best served to replace both rear or front tires, instead of just one.
Nick then offered up the analogy that coolant can conduct and store electricity as it ages, just like a battery. Over time, this can corrode the metal parts of your engine. This reminded Brian of another analogy. We may put liquor into the freezer, in order to serve it cold. Because of the alcohol, it will not solidify. Just like alcohol, the chemicals in engine coolant prohibit freezing, and it will stay a liquid, no matter how cold the temperature it is stored in is.
Denise used the analogy of blood work getting done when you go to the doctor. You have blood drawn and tested in order to diagnose any health issues that you may have. This is the same with the Check Engine light in your vehicle. Once the shop scans the code, they know what the vehicle’s health issues are. Denise never uses the word “diagnostics”, but uses “testing” instead. Customers tend to understand that term better.
Additional Samples Your Service Advisors Can Use
Frankie compares ball joints to kneecaps. Eli reiterated Brian’s earlier sales analogy about why we need to buy brakes and rotors in pairs, just like shoes.
Brian added a metaphor to the list about carbon buildup. He has explained the accumulation of carbon in engines to customers with a couple of analogies. When carbon builds up in an engine, it can be flaky like tar when it is cool. Just like cleaning the soot out of your chimney, you periodically need to have carbon cleaned out of your engine.
Rechecks, Milkshakes, and the Chattahoochee
Every automotive shop hates it when customers come back soon after their previous visits for rechecks. Let’s say your shop just completed a costly repair. The customer returns with a new issue, angrily stating that you had just fixed all the car’s problems a week ago! This is where a simple analogy comes into play. You go to a friend’s house for dinner. You excuse yourself to go to the bathroom. When you step into the bathroom and flip the lightswitch, pop! The bulb goes out. There was no way to tell that the light bulb would soon go bad. Such is the case with many vehicle issues. Usually, we can tell when a part or system is wearing out, but not in all cases. Obviously, if we could have detected the problem, we would have informed the client.
Next, Brian compares intermixing of oil and coolant fluids to a milkshake. He also shared a regional analogy native to his former home in Georgia. The Chattahoochee River is well known as a muddy mess. Anytime Service Advisors in the area need to make an analogy about something nasty mixing up in an engine, the Chattahoochee is an easy comparison.
Finally, Brian compares modern vehicles to smartphones. When you need to have your car or truck flashed or reprogrammed, it’s just like downloading a software update for your phone. It is a necessary update in order to ensure security and functionality.
Put These Sales Analogies In Your Toolbox!
The great thing about the automotive repair industry is that you learn something new every day. Once your service advisors memorize these sales analogies and put them into practice, you will see your sales go up. When customers learn an important fact about their vehicles in plain English, they invariably respond, “Let’s get that repair done”.
Learn More – Get Your FREE Strategy Session
Does your auto repair shop lack direction? Perhaps your business plan has stalled out, and you need an experienced automotive industry coach to help you. Then why not schedule a FREE business strategy session with Brian? You’ve got nothing to lose, so sign up today!
Let’s talk about auto repair business ethics. Picture this: you are an auto repair service advisor. You present a necessary service to a customer. They tell you that they just can’t afford it right now. Do you let them go without fixing the issue, potentially letting them risk more harm to their vehicle? What about the other issues you haven’t even gotten to writing up for them yet? Automotive Service Writers have a professional obligation to tell customers about needed repairs, just like doctors are obligated to tell patients about illnesses they may not know about.
Group Discussion on Business Ethics in Auto Repair
In this video, Brian talks with shop owners in our You Net Results group about that obligation. Don’t let your worries about your client’s money troubles get in the way of your ethics. Whether you display integrity or not, the word gets around!
Brian then surveyed the group members on what they defined professional obligation as. Karen said business ethics means treating your customers with respect. It’s the only way to ensure they become repeat customers. Next, Bryce pointed out that auto repair shop owners should ensure that technicians watch their language around customers. Finally, Jared reiterated that we are all obligated as professionals to ensure each client a safe, reliable vehicle.
Each caller provided a correct answer. In conclusion, Brian provided the example that we must report everything wrong with the vehicle. Even if the customer is already hurting financially, we do not have the right to withhold that information from them. In short, that is business ethics.
Learn More – Get Your FREE Strategy Session
Does your auto repair shop lack direction? Perhaps your business plan has stalled out, and you need an experienced automotive industry coach to help you. Then why not schedule a FREE business strategy session with Brian? You’ve got nothing to lose, so sign up today!
Here’s a clip from our Clear Counter Communications webinar, in which Brian and the class discussed the concept of the Black Dot. This is a method Service Advisors can use to mark lost customers.
Tracking Lost Customers
Brian opened the clip by asking the group what a “black dot” could mean in the context of auto repair. Kim correctly explained the concept. Lost customers are those who may have either ghosted their appointments, or have not returned after one visit. Through call reviews, we can often determine how that happened.
How did these prospects become lost customers? Could it be because our Service Writer team is not saying “yes” enough? The first step to finding out is giving their record the black dot mark. Next, you need to put your customer service under the microscope.
Poor Customer Service Causing Lost Customers
Brian stressed the point that poor customer service is often the cause of shops losing customers. For example, a customer receives a coupon in the mail, and responds by calling to request an oil change appointment. The service advisor, rather than trying to fit them in same day, suggests a next day appointment. Customers hate that. Before the service advisor knows it, the call is over, and the now lost customer is looking for an appointment elsewhere.
Brian and Jim recalled an experiment in which they called other shops in order to test their customer service. This proved their point, as the service writers were rude and cut them off. The obvious lack of phone scripts and systems were major turn offs. Nobody would want to do business with a shop exhibiting behavior like that. More lost customers, thus more black dots.
Learn More – Get Your FREE Strategy Session
Does your auto repair shop lack direction? Perhaps your business plan has stalled out, and you need an experienced automotive industry coach to help you. Then why not schedule a FREE business strategy session with Brian? You’ve got nothing to lose, so sign up today!
Auto Repair Invoice – When And How
Auto Repair Estimate Writing – When And How
Service Advisor Tips – Call Recap
