In efficiency, the focus always needs to be on keeping the techs twisting wrenches. Have a parts runner who can stage parts and bring them to the tech so that they don’t have to waste their time. Have a porter to bring the bikes to the lift area, or have two lifts.
There are still shops out there that don’t have a standard charge for the shop consumables. That’s an easy way to pick up probably $4 to $6 per ticket. Something like that could make a big difference at the end of the year. A fairly busy shop is writing at least 1,000 repair orders a year, so that’s about $5,000 you didn’t have before.
Accessories are also an untapped area of sales for so many shops out there. And it starts with good service merchandising. What do you have in your service area when you’re writing up the R.O. at the desk? What things are on display?
This story originally appeared in the February 2012 issue of Dealernews.
