Top 5 Products from the NHS

We can all agree that the National Hardware Show was AMAZING! Sara Hey took some time and compiled her Top 5 products from the event below. You don't want to miss these! Parts Department: Collapsible Crates to Move Parts to Service: "I got to see this firsthand at the National Hardware Show. In our Parts to Service process, we always set the techs up with work for the next day, the night before, by [...]

By |2022-08-24T14:29:00-05:00April 13th, 2022|Management, Service|

Where Can I Find Technicians?

The search for qualified Service Technicians is not for the faint of heart. Dealership owners and managers struggle with the issue of finding, compensating, and keeping service technicians in their dealership. Sara Hey, of Bob Clements International shares how to determine how much you can pay technicians, how you can partner with the local VA and Military recruiters as well as maximizing your job postings to bring you the best candidates. [...]

By |2022-08-10T09:51:09-05:00October 12th, 2021|Hiring, Service, Video Blog|

The Triage Process Explained

What is triage and how does it relate to the Service Department? This week, Bob Clements and Sara Hey, from Bob Clements International, explain triaging and how it can reduce chaos in your dealership and help you reclaim your Service Department!

By |2021-10-12T12:01:02-05:00October 12th, 2021|Service, Video Blog|

How to Make $1000 in Your Service Department Tomorrow

How can you make $1000 per technician in your service department tomorrow, all the while cutting down on the huge piles of work orders sitting on your desk? The secret is a strategic use of high volume days in your service department. Join Sara Hey and Jeff Blackton from Bob Clements International as they walk you through, step by step, to implement this in your service department tomorrow.

By |2021-10-12T11:49:40-05:00October 12th, 2021|Service, Video Blog|

Service: Documentation

I spend most of my time working on-site with dealerships and service departments. One of the biggest hurdles I must address with employees of dealerships is a breakdown of communication due to poor documentation. This may seem like a very simple problem to fix but it takes effort and a process. The first breakdown in communication, that ultimately creates a snowball affect though out the whole dealership.  is the first contact with the customer. Dealerships [...]

By |2020-09-01T11:01:40-05:00March 11th, 2020|Service|

Service: Check-In Process

As season begins to heat up, it’s a perfect time to make some adjustments to your service processes that might have gotten a little rusty during the winter months.  As you know, profitability in the service department happens from following a good process and holding your people accountable to it.  Every process has a beginning; a first step that makes all the other parts of the process work.  In service, the first step of the [...]

By |2020-09-01T11:05:08-05:00March 4th, 2020|Service|

 Questions to Self-Evaluate Your Service Department

Your goal is to be able to say “yes” to 6 out of the 8 questions. If you are having trouble answering “yes” to many of these questions, you may need to invest time to get your service department processes in place. Do you maintain an accurate accounting of all your technicians’ time? We buy time by the hour, track it by the tenth hour and sell it by the half hour or hour.  Making [...]

By |2020-09-01T11:00:22-05:00February 28th, 2019|Service|

The Secret to Flat Rating

So, why should we use Flat or Standard Labor Rates (SLR)?  It’s good for both you and your customer.  From the customers perspective, it gives them the ability to know what the charge for the work is going to be regardless of the technician’s skill level.  If they have an “B” or “C” tech working on their machine, the billable hours could be much higher than what a flat rate would be doing an average [...]

By |2020-05-05T11:09:24-05:00February 11th, 2019|Service, Uncategorized|

The Nuts and Bolts of Technician Pay

In the compensation programs we recommend, the tech is paid an hourly rate based on their level of experience and the dealership location. For example, in the Midwest, a C-level tech might make $8-$10 dollars an hour. A tech in the Boston area, however, might need to be paid $14-$16 per hour. You know your area and what you have to pay to get a technician at the various levels, so adjust accordingly. In the [...]

By |2020-05-05T11:09:24-05:00January 28th, 2019|Service, Uncategorized|
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