Help! New to shop management

[uniqueauto]

Hello guys,

 

First I want to say thanks to all that post such great thoughts and ideas! I just recently(within the last few months) took over my dads shop. He started a dealership about ten years ago and started the shop mainly to service his vehicles. We have had several people run the shop with absolutely no success. I am very new to the shop business. I currently farm with my brother and also buy cars for the dealership so I can't put all my time into the shop. I just have a few questions and would appreciate any and all advice!

 

First off, what is decent pay for a tech? I have two flag hour techs that I think I pay very well. One gets 22.50 and the other gets

$25 per hour, plus they get a 15% raise if they flag so many hours. What do you think? I also have an hourly guy (who is the best bang for the buck!) and a service writer/ shop manager who takes care of the daily shop business.

 

Secondly, I've been reading about policies and procedures, which this shop has never had, and I was wondering where would be a good place to start.

 

I guess I'll leave it at that for now. Thanks

[flacvabeach]

Sounds like you are well grounded in the business. We went the other way and started a shop them added the car lot. I would strongly advise getting some business coaching. You can learn the fine points the hard way or have a coach tell you what is working well for other shops. Attending training with other shop owners is a real eye-opener.

 

For technicians' pay, you need a system that lets you retain your labor margin if they go into overtime. This has been by far the most complex issue we have faced in our ongoing education.

[uniqueauto]

I appreciate the response. Does anyone have any recommendations on some good shop training? I've also been thinking about some training for my service advisor/ manager. Any recommendations on a program that would work well for both of us? Thanks for any and all input!

[Tires Too]

AVI out of Ft Meyers Florida has a number of DVD and/or on-line training courses for both techs and service advisers. Check with the local parts suppliers for training they might have available locally. NAPA provides a very comprehensive on line library for their Auto Care Centers.

[uniqueauto]

I just ordered a few training videos from AVI. They seem to have some really good materials. Thanks for the info guys!