service coupons

[lostgopher]

The dealership I work at has the parts department do the cashier work along with our other duties. My problem is with service coupons. Our customers get coupons in the mail sent to them to use for service work. Also thru the local banks there is a 15% discount on oil changes if you belong to the "heritage club". So many times the customer presents the coupon when they come to pay the cashier, or when they come to pay their account. The way the office wants this taken care of is to have it on the invoice. So then the repair order has to be unlocked(R&R 3642), go back into the invoice(3651) select#8 and then add the discount to the job and reinvoice the RO. So many times this is for the $1.00 off. If you figure the time and extra wasted paper, there has to be a simpler way to do this process. I have seen it where there are several techs standing at the counter wanting parts, waiting for me or my right hand man to redo someone's ticket to take off a buck. I have requested to the shop manager to consider the idea of posting a sign at the service write up area which would ask to please present discount coupons to them when you come in for service. I also brought up the idea for him and the other service writers to ask the question "do you have a service coupon today?" He answered me with "what about the customers that don't receive a mailing and ask where do I get a coupon?". Which my reply was to maybe put a coupon in the local newspaper regularly. There has not been a coupon in paper in the 7 years I've been here. I have tried the route of telling the customers this is how our bookkeeping system works, and ask them to help get them out the door faster, try to remember to hand them to the service writers when they come in. My trouble is not every one takes this request as it was intended, and they view it as chewing them out.(There is a reason why grocery stores and big box retailers use women as the majority of the cashiers, and not middle aged men) I realize that we are dealing with people and there will always be someone that will hand it in as they have in the past. I was hoping to see what kind of ideas are out there, and show them to the others at the dealership to come up with a improvement of the way it is being done now. Thanks to everyone

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[texaslp]

We have a huge sign in the service drive asking for coupons and warranty info up front. Previously trying to convince the advisors to ask for it every time was not working.

I have to support the office that the best practice is to redo the invoice, however if it's just one dollar of labor(no tax) involved, I don't see a problem with manually correcting the customer copy, let them go, then correct the invoice later.

Also if it's only the dollar, accounting could do a manual correction. If you have data archiving however, your archived copy will not be correct.

I'd have to disagree with your assessment of male vs female cashiers. It's a matter of people skills which men can learn and use just as easily as women(if they will).

[Old Irish]

We prefer reopening the ticket, adjusting it, and then re-invoicing, BUT......

Set up some charge-off accounts---they can be anything you want--in "other pay methods".

When the cashier collects from the customer the difference amount can be accounted for and the ticket will balance.

Have her make a handwritten notation on the accounting and customer copies of the invoice.

Takes about 10 seconds, all told. Easier to use than re-opening/re-invoicing the ticket entirely during crunch periods.

Cheers
DD

[camaroman]

We do it the same as Old Irish, we have an oil change card that the customer seldom ever gives us until they are here to pay the bill. We manually make a notation on the accounting copy and when we close the repair orders for the day we have it set up to allow for coupons to be charged to service or parts as we close them. Accounting hasn't complained about it, so I am thinking it works.

[btk]

You can also consider having the advisors due there own cashiering which seems to be gaining momentum around different parts of the country and of course, if could help your TSI. look for thread on eliminate cashier position in service forum.

[Richard]

Another thing you might want to consider; if this is a normal discount (Heritage Club, ect) that the customer is going to get everytime, have it as a note on the customer, so you get a notice whenever they come in for service.

[Vince Lyons]

Yes, coupons are a real nightmare with R&R. It's the accounting 'control' issue.

With parts customers... sometimes they don't trust that the discount will be real so they present a "club" membership or coupon after the document is printed...

With R&R you can't reopen or "unlock" a parts counter ticket so the document has to be voided and started over from scratch.

The only alternative I've been able to think of if it's for a dollar and not percentage is set up a seperate pay type and then accept split payment from 2532 to be dealt with later by the office.

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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

[sp7128]

Why would you have the parts department cashier?...........The service advisor (SA)should cashier the ticket...it makes the SA responsible for the complete transaction....the customer has only one person to explain there request to, and then the customer can get active delivery via the SA/cashier at time of payment/pickup.....This makes the SA totally responsible for the whole transaction........You will be amazed at what will happen to the TSI/CSI scores when you make the SA the one and only customer contact....we have been cashier'less for over 10 years and this setup eliminates the 5 o'clock rush for customer pick-up....becuase now you have 4 or 5 cashiers ...all you need is a couple cash drawers and a couple more cc machines which you get free from the bank or cc company.

[texaslp]

SP I'd sure like to know which banks are giving out free credit card machines.

[sp7128]

My mistake........first 2 we worked a special with bank/cc company and got for free....any additional would have been $897.00......