[This message has been edited by kpratt (edited 02-13-99).]
[This message has been edited by kpratt (edited 02-13-99).]
This is a subject that frustrates us all. Special orders, as much as we hate to admit it, are a constant problem. Personally, we have eight reports we run daily to attack the problem. These reports show parts available by service advisor, another by parts advisor, and others to track the time the part(s) and how long they have been in inventory. A good rule of thumb we have been using successfully is to send back any part that is over $100 in cost and stock the rest.
Besides our service advisors being directly responsible for contacting the customer, after 15 days we notify the customer once by mail, and twice more by phone over the next 10 days. This means that we have contacted the customer on an average of 4 times in the special order process. While there are certainly exceptions to this, such as multiple parts for the same customer that come in at varying times, it really has given us an
We also had a problem with SOR's, until I realized that the Service Dept was making too
many decisions for the Parts Dept. I sat down
with the Service Mgr and involved him in the
process, and then sat down with the Parts
Dept employees and involved them also.
This is what we came up with -
1- No parts are ordered for Service unless
an appt is made for the customers return
visit.
This required that I learn to access the
Service side of our in-house computer
system, to check up on appts. When we
first started the new system, the
writers wrote down phoney appt dates.
This stopped as soon as they realized
I was checking.
It also became necessary for the Parts
Dept to run every part in the mfg's
system and advise Service of the part's
availability.
2- Every non-warranty part is paid for in
advance unless the car is down in the
shop.
Every afternoon, about 20 min before
cut off for orders, I take my fresh air
break, and walk the lot to verify cars
down.
3- Overnight freight charges must be paid.
Mazda and Chrysler both reimburse for
freight charges for warranty repairs.
All others are paid by either the Service
Dept or the customer.
Most customers are willing to pay for the
convenience, and once I started adding
freight charges to the shop ticket, our
overnights were cut signifigantly.
This had two benefits - it cut our
freight bill (boss's pet peeve) and
raised our stock order performance rate.
But the most important thing is constant
vigilance!! Special orders, if left up
to the Service dept can create a huge obsolesence problem in a very short time.
Hope this helps - any questions, feel free
to E-mail me or call 732-747-0352.
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[i][b]It's just a job, not a life, Enjoy today for tomorrow it's gone!! Joani [b][i/]
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