shop foreman/dispatcher

[ajz]

I am looking for opinions and feedback on the pros and cons of using a shop foreman/dispatcher. We have 4 franchises, 4 service advisors and 14 technicians. We do not have a shop foreman/dispatcher. I believe we can improve our efficiency and productivity if we started using a shop foreman/dispatcher. I'm curious as to what other dealers are doing.

[Doug]

Dispatcher ? Almost a thing of the past. Go to lateral support system and have the advisors dispatch their own work.

Shop foreman ? Lots of variations on this theme. We've had a foreman for about three years now and the shop has certainly benefitted from his expertise in many ways.

However, I have recently re-engineered the position and he is now "Production Manager". Rather than just being a technical guru, he is now the shop "ram-rod". More production and higher tech efficiency will be the measurements of sucess.

Doug