service schedule problems

[parts-guy]

3 techs 2 oil changers and 1 used car tech. It seems that we get slammed in the afternoon and customers are waiting extended amounts of time.What is a good way to schedule work for this size dealership? It seems like they take-in way too much and can't get it done in a reasonable amount of time.

[pjpeery]

partsguy

i have 4 techs .. that i write for .. i schedule an oil change .. and then they find the car needs brakes frt and rear .. so we just went from a 1/2 hr job to a 3 to 4 hr job .. do you think i over scheduled.. no but we up sold as we are trained to do .. now if this is just a case of scheduling to many cars then have them back off but if it is a case of upselling .. then good job //////

Scheduling service is guess work at best you never know what is coming in the door .. and if the job gets bigger then the car needs to be held over for repair and the owner needs a ride home ..

paul

[flyboy]

Hmm, sounds like a fixable problem... hire more techs!

Might be surprised just how much quicker the current ones become, and how many more customers you can take in.

This could be a problem with growth, fixed as noted above, or with processes. If you run out of work and still have issues getting the vehicles back to the customers in a timely fashion, then follow your process all the way from write up to delivery and see just where your snags are at. Then you will have to come up with a better way of handling your customers.

[chrabo]

So. How many hours are available? How many vehicles do you take in in an afternoon? What is the average age and mileage of these vehicles? Are they and what are they upselling? More info is needed before making a "flippent" answer to your situation.

[PaulB]

Are you getting slammed by drive-ups, or is the schedule being built that way with appointments? If scheduled appointments are killing you, restructure how they are made; if it's drive-up business then be frank (but not curt) with your customer and tell them it will be an extended wait and they didn't have an appointment. Offer to schedule an appointment for them at another time, or ask their indulgence for a longer wait. Just my two cents' worth, ymmv.

-Paul

[Mike Vogel]

It's not all about our scheduling it's about what works best for the customer. If it's not convienent for them you cannot build your business.