unsigned repair orders

[partsmandean]

The service advisors at our dealership fail to get repair orders signed until after the job is complete, leaving our cashiers to obtain the signature for legal purposes at the time of payment. Does anyone have any ideas about how to stress the importance of obtaining the signatures before work is begun to the advisors, of course without job-threatening please! Thanks for your input.

[dodgeboy]

YEAH, YOU TELL YOUR ADVISORS THAT THE FIRST TIME A CUSTOMER REFUSES TO PAY THAT REPAIR BILL FOR $1,000. THAT WILL BE THE LAST RO THEY WRITE FOR YOU. LEGALLY, WHETHER A CUSTOMER APPROVES REPAIRS ON THE VEHICLE OR NOT, WITHOUT A SIGNED REPAIR ORDER IT WILL ALWAYS GO FOR THE CUSTOMER IN A COURT OF LAW. WE HAVE BEEN BURNT BEFOR, ONCE WAS ENOUGH. MAKE YOUR ADVISORS RESPONSIBLE 100%, NOT THE CASHIER, BY THEN IT'S TOO LATE

[robc]

I've seen shops send in "plants" that would dramatically show this lesson. Send a plant customer in go through an upsell or repair process and then hav them refuse to pay because of the lack of signature (if your state has such strict regulations).

Most dealerships I know that catch this do so at the dispatch window and place a spiff/penalty on it both ways. They'd spiff the dispatcher say a buck for every ro they found without a signature and subtract a buck from the service advisor's bonus or other commissions.

One shop I worked at also mad signs on the drive that said in bold type facing the customer, "did you get a copy of your signed estimate before you leave?" This provides the customers to remind the advisors that they want their estimate copy which was a cue to get the ro signed.



------------------
** Rob, Editor WD&S **
Help is only a message post away!
robc@dealersedge.com

[fburrows]

partsmandean:

I fought this problem for years. After about 10 unsuccessful tries I finally hit upon a solution that corrected the problem. We had a contest. Everybody was told up front what was going to happen. The tower operator and the warranty clerk and a biller made a copy of each unsigned repair order. At the end of the first month they made a list and we paid the commission on those repair orders to the tower crew and deducted it from the advisors. The second month was also the last month for the contest. All repair orders were always signed after one month of the contest.

Other than listen to my advisors complain for a day and me saying, I told you so it was one of the easiest and most effective fixes I have done.


------------------
Frank Burrows
Automotive Business Solutions LLC
fburrows@absdata.com