Fixed Ops Journal - May 2016 - (Page 4)

FIXED OPS JOURNAL GO EXPERIMENT ■ Fixed operations bosses have leeway to try new paths H ere's one takeaway from my conversations with parts and service bosses as we put together this second issue of Fixed Ops Journal: They've got a long leash to try new things to make a difference. No matter how many regulations must be followed. No matter how many dictates they get from corporate offices. No matter how much conflicting counsel they get DAVE from trainers and mentors. There's still a lot of room for them to put their own dversical@crain.com stamp on change. And that's a good thing. Because there's still plenty of room for improvement. I sure see that as a consumer. Did my call really have to be transferred four times before I could set up that recall appointment? Did that service adviser really never lift his eyes from his smartphone as I waited to be waited on, two feet in front of him? And I see that from managers as they try to create a little more order - and, yes, revenue - amid the inherent daily chaos of their parts and service department. Sure, I'd like to sell more tires; where do I store them? Should we run repair parts out to the service bays or have mechanics fetch them? How can we meet our pledge for free car washes when I've got just one entrance and the service lane is already clogged? Sorting out answers to such questions can spell the difference between average and excellent. Over time, they might even separate those who survive and thrive from those who just can't cut it. But sometimes, there are more immediate threats. Adam Silverleib faced one of those just after the Great Recession. Not one but two Honda stores were due to open within 15 miles of his family store, Silko Honda, in Raynham, Mass. He could have thrown in the towel. Instead, he created his own brand. It's called SilkoCare. Buy a car, get two years of free maintenance. Discounted oil changes after that. Free car washes, too. And a lifetime powertrain warranty. And it's promoted everywhere - in advertising, on name tags, in big red type on his home page. VERSICAL CORRECTIONS ■ A quote on Page 51 of the February issue contained an incorrect dollar figure. The quote, from Xtime's Neal East, should have said: "One percent in owner loyalty is worth $700 million to GM." ■ A story on Page 18 of the February issue gave an outdated affiliation for David Sturtz. He was no longer with True Car Inc. when the story was published. PAGE 4 MAY 2016 We wrote about him as part of Automotive News' "Best Practices" series last summer. When I checked in with him by phone a few weeks ago, he said the program continues to pick up steam. He quickly fetched some numbers to back up his point. When he started SilkoCare six years ago, his service retention was 19 percent above the Honda standard. Today, it's 76 percent above. "That's a big difference," he said. And to make it even sweeter, he said Honda has no issue with his trumpeting "SilkoCare" louder than "Honda." And why should it? As Silverleib says: "They are all about service retention right now." Sounds like a win-win to me. ■

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fixed Ops Journal - May 2016

Fixed Ops Journal - May 2016
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Service Counter
Legal Lane
Profit Builder
‘Grease monkey’?
Hail
Photo story
Richard Truett
High light
Service satisfaction
Certification
Tsunami
Recalls
90-second oil change
Financing fixes
Supreme Court
Tech trends
Top 50
5 Minutes With
Shop Talk
Fixed in Time

Fixed Ops Journal - May 2016