DEALER PLATES

[OLDPARTSGUY]

Fixedopsmgr

Do you hire a manager to fit a job description or make a job description to fit a manager?

[This message has been edited by OLDPARTSGUY (edited 01-23-2006).]

[Fixedopsmgr]

OLDPARTSGUY

Job descriptions are a wonderful and necessary thing. I have them on every parts and service employee right down to the lot lizards. But if every time someone was asked to do something they had to look to see if it was on there job description we would be in trouble. My point is that they are nothing more than guidelines and should be treated as such.
I am simply troubled at all of the talk that just because we are in a certain department we should not be asked to do something for another department whether it's sales, parts or service.

[This message has been edited by Fixedopsmgr (edited 01-24-2006).]

[This message has been edited by Fixedopsmgr (edited 01-24-2006).]

[OLDPARTSGUY]

Fixedopsmgr
Been in this industry for 29yrs myself
Real glad I dont work for you

[johnny o]

There is an old expression .... faithful in little faithful in much.

If the reason parts is helping is because the sales department is short staffed then it seems reasonable. If parts is being asked because a simple thing like looking after a dealer plate is too complicated, that should be viewed as a problem.

If a parts person has trouble remembering to charge tax or exempt tax , one does not ask the sales department to check every invoice. It would not solve the problem. Rather, the individual in parts needs trained correctly. If a simple dealer plate cannot be managed, which is a minor thing, how do you ever expect people to solve the big things. It seems to me that this is either stupididy or laziness. Passing this to a separate department does not solve the problem , instead it masks a personel problem and training in the other department. This is not rocket science and should be a relatively easy thing for staff to manage.

Can parts help , sure , we can sell the car if needed and even cut a check for the sale persons commission, call him or her at home cause they have have a tendency to sleep in and the parts guys are always on time. SURE parts can do it.
Next thing is doing the wiping of their backsides as everything else needs to be catered, all this in order to try and solve an attitude problem, might as well do it all.

If a person does the little things than the big ones will also be managed.

I did not invent this, its scriptural, was written for the guys who sold chariots but misplaced the harnesses all the time, still applies to day in many areas.

John

[This message has been edited by johnny o (edited 01-26-2006).]

[homesleym]

frankslone,

Are you a large dealer with hundreds of plates? Our office manager keeps track of ours, other than the ones signed out to the salespeople ($200 if lost or can't produce). Usually they only have to lose/pay for 1.

oldpartsguy: been in the business for 34 years in parts. I agree with you

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[pjpeery]

"I am looking for any suggestions for a (almost) fool proof system in reference to dealer plates"

i would suggest that anyone who uses the plates are made responsable for them .. just saying it does not make it happen .. set guidelines for them .. if not followed then bad things may happen .. we use the saying " If you open a door .. close it".. all employees want to do a good job for the company .. if they are not then they need to be trained .. if they can't be trained then they need to find a differant position in life and not in your business..

just my 2 cents

paul

[Richard]

Really simple, here the plate is signed out to the employee; (as are keys to the building for those who need them), each employee signs that they have received this item, and the replacement cost is noted and initialed ($200 for dealer plates, $500 for a set of keys).

[TIN MEN]

"Fixedopsmgr
Been in this industry for 29yrs myself
Real glad I dont work for you"

DITTO

As Forest said: "Stupid is as Stupid does!"

[Fixedopsmgr]

I am totally amazed at the response to the approach that I take in conducting business on a day to day basis. We choose to help each other in any way we can. We don't do lot of complaining and moaning about the other departments unless we feel that we are being taken advantage of. I have never seen a department that has every person busy every minute of the day. I am kind of glad I don't work in a place like that. We certainly don't dump on the Parts Department. We try do what works the best for us (the whole dealership). If it wont work for you thats ok too.

"Different ideas for different people"

[jpagee]

I'll throw my 2cents in. Even though I don't handle the dealer plates, the issue seems to be the same one whether its for plates, keys, parts, courtesy vehicles , printer toners etc... i.e. - management. Many people have hit the nail on the head by the use of dis-incentives for non-compliance. So if you break it (or lose it), you buy it.

I guess a system is only as foolproof as the fools who use it!