SERVICE SHOP EVOLUTION sale of new equipment , but I don ’ t . I would make a lot more servicing these , but in the end it ’ s better for the customer to buy a new one ; they ’ re going to have less trouble .”
Tim Berman sees a profit opportunity for dealers that ’ s worth talking about . “ One best practice that we have seen is charging more for parts installed in the shop than over the counter . We look across our data analytics over 2,500 dealer locations , and very few dealers are doing this . This could mean tens of thousands of dollars in missed revenue that nobody would have to lift a finger to gain .”
We ’ ll be tracking down – and contacting you – to discuss all of these topics soon .
“ Our goal over the last few years has been to improve our service efficiency , through processes , equipment and technology ,” said Greg Paul . He has installed equipment lifts at each service station , allowing technicians to work more quickly and efficiently .
“ I expect mobile service to become popular ,” said Tim Berman . “ It makes perfect sense . Instead of a customer having to be without their machine for a week or two to get an oil change , it sits at their house for them to use up until the day of their appointment . And the dealer ’ s shop building is for the more complicated teardowns , the things not easily done out in the field .” A lot can go wrong , he adds , but some dealers are doing this well .
“ As we expand , we ’ re looking at hiring a specific parts and inventory person ,” said Josh Flynn . “ This will save us so much money in the long run . Right now , I have a few people making purchasing decisions , and they don ’ t all do it the same . I want them to pay more attention to customers .”
The cost of service
“ The price of a basic gas mower has gone up by about 25 percent over 25 years . But our labor rates have gone from $ 35 to $ 115 over the same period ,” said Greg Paul . “ Our labor rates had to go up to attract people to this industry . But then equipment service becomes not feasible for the price of the equipment .”
Where do you draw the line ? “ Anything that retails for under $ 300 , we refuse at the counter ,” said Josh Flynn , CEO of Power Equipment Plus , a power equipment dealer group in New York . “ It doesn ’ t make sense for us . We just tell people to buy a new one . And they might think I make more on the
Service is communication
Cell phones are among the best tools technicians can use , according to Sean McLaughlin , owner of Flyntlok dealer management software and a John Deere dealer in Alaska . “ I think the biggest change in service over the last couple of years has been the mobile phone ,” said McLaughlin . “ The latest stats from our DMS show that more techs are using their phones to manage their work . In the move from paper to paperless , oftentimes , the techs were the last people to convert . Today ’ s phones changed all that .”
Technicians can easily photograph equipment to document and fix problems . “ They can use the phone ’ s speech to text to record the ‘ complaint , cause and correction ’ steps . And by texting the customer with their findings and the pictures , they cut down on wait times . “ This also gets them clocking in and out of jobs more accurately leading to better statistics on tech efficiency .”
“ We are almost entirely digital . My system allows me to be completely paperless and we are 100 percent digital once equipment is in the shop ,” said Greg Paul . He admits having a driver or two who might still use paper for service work when on the road .
A cell phone is an amazing service tool , and can even help with language translation .
20 OPE + May 2024 www . OPE-Plus . com