Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/780450
SOLUTIONS 24 • February 13, 2017 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com Your service depart- ment is a tool. It is a tool to help you retain customers, and a tool to help you gain customers. However, unless this tool is being utilized appropriately and working efficiently, your dealership might not be keeping or gaining customers. Let's take stock of your assets and what the roles are. It is important to know and understand what your assets are and how they function. Service manager — A service manager can make or break a service department. He or she is responsible for the revenue, minimizing costs, plus the productivity and efficiency of their technicians. He or she must also keep your cus- tomers happy and win new customers. Excel- lent communication skills are a must, especially to be able to translate between the customer, the writer and/or the technician. Managers must be able to effectively work with and communicate with other departments. It can be a tough job for an inexperienced manager. Managers not only need to be able to run the operations side of the department but the technical side as well. They need to have experience in repairs and servicing units. The ability to hire qualified people to fill the posi- tions of writer and technician is an essential skill for a manager. Managers are responsible for all service areas. They need to ensure that all areas are clean and maintained, equipment functions appropriately, and bays are clean to prevent accidents and promote efficiency. They are responsible for making sure the department has the necessary tools. They are also respon- sible for training their employees on how to properly use equipment. Regular training is needed to maintain a competitive edge; in many cases it is required by manufacturers. And finally, as managers, their job is to maintain — and to gain — customers. They must work hard to gain a customer's trust and to retain that trust. Service writer/advisor — A service writer is the contact between the customer and the dealer- ship. Their role is to listen to the customer, document the customer's concerns and then relay that information to the technician. A writer is, in essence, a translator. It is critical that the writer have excellent listening skills. Writing skills are as equally important. A service writer must be able to write the three Cs: concern, cause and correction. He or she also needs to be able to manage people, as well as schedule and prioritize work for the techni- cians. This can be a daunting task during your busy season as priorities change constantly. The writer is also responsible for tracking technician actual time, a critical part of the job. The efficiency and productivity of the depart- ment must be tracked and then calculated by the manager to determine any deficiencies. Too many times warranty jobs are not pro- cessed in a timely manner (and sometimes not at all). Parts might be required to be returned and are not, thus the claim is not paid. I can- not stress enough the importance of warranty work and their respective claims. If a dealer- ship does not have a warranty clerk, then the filing usually falls on the service writer. However, in the end, it is the responsibility of the service manager to track and review claims that are outstanding. Technicians — The technician's role is to com- plete all service work quickly but correctly. Being over 100 percent efficient is desired, but only if the job is done correctly. Comebacks can be costly and a sign of an ineffective technician. The technician should verify the concern, find the cause and then list the needed parts and the estimated time it will take to do the job. He or she should also be looking for any other issues that need to be repaired so the writer can communicate them with the customer. Once the technician has all items needed for the repair, he or she makes the corrections, notates them and returns all of the information to the writer. The writer will finish the paperwork. It is the technician's responsibility to have the training they need to do their job. Many manufacturers require technicians to go through training, which is an excellent approach. Also, the technician must have the physical tools to do the job. Each member of the service team has an important job to do. All team members man- age, communicate and perform, just in differ- ent ways. It takes a team of people to perform services for customers to gain and retain them. It is an issue of trust. When a customer believes you are out for their best interest and are fair, they will return. PSB Paula Crosbie is the training development manager with CDK Global Recreation. She has been training and consulting with powersports dealers for 14 years. She can be reached at paula.crosbie@cdk.com or 801/519-7570. Use service department to gain and retain FOLLOW ME Use service department to gain and retain PAULA CROSBIE If a dealership does not have a warranty clerk, then the filing usually falls on the service writer.