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5 Auto Shop Management Tips

These days, it seems like every auto shop owner is searching for the “magic ingredients” that will help them create a successful auto repair shop. While unfortunately, there is no magic ingredient, SVI International has picked up a few management tips along the way that we’d like to share with you. Here are five auto repair shop management tips that will help you generate success and have your shop running like a well-oiled machine.

Keep Your Mechanics Happy

If you’ve been in business for any amount of time, chances are you have a few crucial team members that are responsible for doing some amazing work for your business. As the key ingredient to the success of any business, it is imperative that you do your best, within reason, to keep these employees happy and productive.

Make sure you sustain a comfortable temperature in the shop and bays, give them access to the technology and training that will allow them to further not only their careers, but the business as a whole. If nothing else, be sure to thank your team members for a job well done and celebrate particularly outstanding achievements.

By combining all of these best practices, you will be sure to keep your mechanics and technicians happy. That way, your employee turnover rate will be significantly reduced, and you can spend more time managing your business in addition to the rest of these auto repair shop management tips.

Introduce Sales Offers

Nowadays, it seems like just about every auto shop out there has a special offer to help bring customers through the front door. This can make it tricky to create an offer that differentiates your shop from all the others. However, you can help facilitate this process by focusing on what your shop does best.

Is your shop known for excelling in a special service? Is there something only your shop will work on? Do you have the ability to offer a special discount on that service? Find a sales avenue that boosts one of your services and create an offer that makes both your customers and business accountant happy.

Additionally, make sure customers trust your work and that they have a reason to return to your shop or give a referral. Even if you offer a discounted service, the long-term expenses of finding a new customer after losing a loyal one is much steeper.

The biggest benefit of these programs is the free marketing involved. In many cases, an amazing special offer can increase awareness of your shop, attract new customers, and potentially even earn a few loyal customers that continue to return to you when they are in need of service.

Create Your Budget & Business Statements

If you take nothing else from this article, take this – a budget is the most important part of running your business. Not only will this budget help you manage your spending, but it will also offer better insight into how your auto shop is doing financially, including where you can (and need to) make cuts and when you can begin considering expansion.

A budget is not a “set it and forget about it” type of entity either. Be sure to continuously review your budget, make amendments to it based on what works and what does not. Eventually, this will become so much like second nature that you will effectively track your finances and even stock away emergency funds in the event your business faces financial setbacks.

When concerning ethics, we most likely know which auto shop owners run shady practices. Make sure you are not one of them. Only perform work with integrity and a result you can guarantee, and your customers will trust in you for their next repair too. When you combine this strong code of ethics with an effective business budget, there is nothing your shop can’t handle.

Set Designated Times for Designated Tasks – And Stick To Them!

When you are working the day-to-day in your shop, you’ve most likely experienced the feeling of having too much to do in too little time. While SVI can not add more hours to the day, we can give you a trick that has worked for us in the past. Set aside certain times to complete specific tasks, and do not deviate from them, no matter how urgent it may seem.

For instance, let’s say you’re working on your accounting practices, when a sudden email complaint from a client comes in. Do not switch over and respond to this email. Wait until you have finished your accounting time before doing so. This ability to compartmentalize will help you be more productive in the long run because it will stop you from interrupting your current stream of thought in favor of another, seemingly more urgent project. We promise that email will still be there in another 30 minutes, and you will be able to give that customer your full attention, perhaps even remedying the situation and retaining a faithful customer.

Use the Best Equipment & Parts

Faulty equipment, such as auto lifts, tire changers, air compressors, and more, can have a devastating impact on the productivity and profitability of your auto shop. Make sure you invest in high quality machinery, and when it needs a repair, only trust the best sources to help you find or create replacement parts.

Do your research and make sure that you can fully trust a provider for all your equipment needs for fast delivery and amazing customer service. With that provider on your side, you will be able to run your shop as smoothly as possible for years to come.

Call SVI International Today

SVI International is the leader in repair parts for automotive lifts and industrial equipment. With over 40,000 products, we offer the most diverse and widespread selection of shop equipment parts, lifting equipment, RELS brake lathes, fluid deliver products, petroleum equipment parts, and much more.

Contact our team today and let us know how we can help your equipment run just as well as your auto shop will when you stick to these five essential tips. Until then, we wish you all the best.

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