DealersEdge Professional Forums

I need some HELP! Well; I guess I need a LOT of HELP! Everybody in the World of Car Gure's are talking about the Service Drive Walk-A-Round process. I have read everything from AutoUniversity, Mazda, ATi360, AutoMax, Charlie Polson, BG, and everybody else is talking about the process. So what does everybody THINK about the process? Great, Good, Bad, or indifferent? I really need some feed-back here I have my Dealers that want this process driven on all of my Service Drives. Should the Advisor do it or should you have someone doing the inspection while the Advisor does the Walk-A-Round? Do you think that your Advisors have the time to do an Inspection and the Walk-A-Round on every vehicle, every visit, every customer everytime?? Any and all feed-back would be great!!

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GoAutoPros.Com LLC

We require it on every vehicle, service or Quick Service. They get used to it. We have found some work, body dings, scratches etc, but in general it works good. We do not do the BG process, but I have used it in the past on some import brands. Works better than on the domestic brands.

Might want to fix your web page Auto Pro

I think a walk around is good-but I dont believe the way it is pushed through some of these companies. I personally dont like advisors opening hoods and checking fluid conditions and such. I thought that is why we have technicians! It seems to me that once the manufacturer cut back on maintenance schedules it opened the door for BG and MOC to pitch there stuff as the way to make up lost revenue, in theory that is correct, in practice the technicians get lazy and instead of looking at cars for needed repairs just recommend flushes and take the easy way out. I like my advisors to do a walk around to protect the dealership and the customer from damage and to look at tires and wipers and that is about it, I have a process to ensure every car gets a complete inspection by a tech. From the customers point of view, I think people need to trust you first before they buy and I believe this practice doesnt establish trust, possibly just the opposite on most dealer service drives. Things like that should be done with the customers permission first and foremost.

Thats my 2 cents

Sounds like you are in the consulting business. You will not win any friends or much cooperation on these forums if you expect those here to help you do your job. These forums are intended for helping dealership managers and employees; not consultants. A number of well-recognized consulants contribute here regularly and they and their advice are very welcome and appreciated here. Expecting dealership managers to help consultants do their jobs is kinda the tail wagging the dog and just won't fly here.

Good luck.

Oh, I dunno.

Any discussion here on any topic related to the industry could bring forth some new thoughts and that can always help someone.

The selling in Service starts long before the vehicle ever arives on the drive. When the call comes in make sure advisors look a vehicle history or they querry the customer. Try going to get a cavity filled without first having to get a cleaning and a complete estimate!!!

Having a good Pre-RO where the advisor can remind the customer of any concerns they may have had a week ago when they made the appointment. Now work that with mentioning the parking lot ding spotted on the walk around and get an upsell for dent repair.

Back it up with a diagnostic/vehicle condition report. No, canned things. Make the comments custom to the car with REAL numbers... Alternator output, ACCURATE tread depth. Pad or shoe thickness, comments that hit home... "Passes State Inspection today, will need to be replaced before next inspection".

Always, take any opportunity to get the wheels off of the car. If you have to and you believe it offers advantage... Offer a discounted or even free rotation. If you can't sell a rotation to a customer who hasn't had their car serviced in six months you need to look at a match book cover and go to Truck Drive Scool. Goodyear stores don't make money selling tires. They make money by getting the wheels off and selling brakes and shocks etc...

Customers need to be reminded of proper maintenance intervals. When they know someone will look at their car (in person)instead of just looking at the RO they begin to take pride in having it known that they maintain their car, and they will.

I've always believed that any employee who sells un-needed work needs to see the door... Conversely, any employee who fails to upsell proper maintenance and repairs needs to see the light... or the light of the same above mentioned door.

One of the major drawbacks with DMS systems that didn't exist to such an extent when we hand-wrote ROs is... eye contact. How can you know your customer or your customer learn to know and trust you if you can't make eye contact with them. Get your ugly face out of the monitor and address the customer!!! The walk around can help do that.

However, advisor workload can impact and reduce the benefit of the walk-around if the advisor doesn't have the time to do it right. Stagger apppointments, don't ever let there be a line five deep at 7:45.

How many ROs is the advisor doing in any given day? Oh, and don't forget... Holdovers kill advisors.

As a flat rate tech I loved holdovers for parts. When the rest of the shop went home early for a lack of work I still had work. Yeah, I was the guy who held a car for an 8mm spring washer. The, the parts arrived. I could push a car back in and work the rest of the day. The same holdover killed the advisor with the hand holding they had to do for the customer. Oh, and BTW! As a Parts Manager, I always stocked 8mm spring washers

Just some random quick thoughts.

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When in doubt, charge it out !
I'll be right back with it = Bill it to the Shop Ticket
(Enter any name) will bring you the RO = Charge it to my Personal AR

IN MY STORE THE ADVISORS SET THE APPOINTMENT
WRITE UP THE COMPLAINT , DISPATCH THE WORK ORDER,WHEN A TECH HAS A UP SELL THEY LOOK AT IT , MAKE A ESTIMATE MAKE SURE ALL THE PARTS ARE IN THE ESTIMATE , CALL THE CUSTOMER , ADD THE LINES ,GIVE THE WORK BACK TO THE TECH , CLOSE THE WORK ORDER (WARRANTY AND CUSTOMER PAY) CALL THE CUSTOMER AND THEN BE A CASHIER AND TAKE PAYMENT .
Thats alot to ask from a advisor and still have a smile .
You would not load this on a salesperson then why a advisor .

In this day of declining warranty revenue and economic hardship why wouldnt you use any tool available to raise your cp dollar per ro average. Including but not limited to the Service writer actually interacting with the customer at the vehicle and poping open the hood. Its amazing the numebr of domestic and import customers that appreciate the fact that someone is looking out for them. It's a reminder of the good ol days of full service garages. Besides checking fluid condition (BG dab a lube)we find the battery that looks like a chia pet, the drive belts that are rotten and the coolant hose that has been leaking past the clamp for so long it looks like something out of a sci-fi cave. The alignment rack is never empty and tires sales are up (we've all heard he who recommends tires first gets the sale.) Now the process needs to be sold to the customer the correct way and by no means do we recommend soley based on fluid conditions. The history of the vehicle verifys when and if the service was last done and lastly the TECHNICIAN will confirm the need for the service after the FREE multipoint inspection. Now it doesnt take a very good service writer to make the sale when the customer has seen it in the morning, there is no history of maintenance and now the technician has confirmed it ... no brainer if you ask me. Now the appointment has to be set correctly and the customer advised that the reason for the exact DROP OFF time is so we will have time to inpsect vehicle, check history and present the service menu.

Brad

7 yrs Larry Miller Service Director
5 yrs Autonation Fixed Ops
Currently A BG Franchisee

BRADGROTT

I very much agree with you! I believe it must be processed from the meet and greet offered to every customer and our approach is exactly what you said the old fashion service station attendant. I worked as one when I was in high school with my Brother-In-Law's Pep-O gas station in Jax., Fl. He also owned prior to that a Bill-Ups station and we where trained to check the fluids for that can of oil or oil change sales, clean the windshield, check the tires, and look for anything that we could help the customer with their vehicle. This is the approach we are taking on my drive now. We have gone thru the Auto-University and Mazda Walk-A-Round process and love it. The Lane Rangers do the (Dab-A-Lube) process while the Service Sales Managers do their Walk-A-Round with the customer ending up at the front of the vehicle where the Lane Rangers have pulled samples and the air filter and/or cabin filter if psooible. We are a hugh tire dealer and we have our own glass retail shop so we are also looking foe that Glass and Tire sales as well as the additional services needed. We start the process at the first oil change and carry it thru every other service visit with the customer approval. We have found it to improve our customer relations and sales volumn. Why don't we all do the process our customer's need the additional service to make them fell like we are not in such a hurry to go thru them. They are not that much in a hurry, Slow Down, Build Value, Sell Benefits of our Service Operation. We only have about 1-2% of our customers that say "No" I am in the process of installing the Old Time Uniform for my Lane Rangers simular to the (Oil Can Henry's) uniforms. We have moved to 100% Walk-A-Round. Best Thing I Have Ever Done!

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I love the added idea of the uniform, its a gimmick that seems to me would be the talk of the town and get people to come in just to experience it themselves. I can hear the groans of service managers everywhere now but the next 12 - 18 months will be the death of some and highlight of others that are willing to do more than sit back and talk about how slow the service drive is.