Fixed Ops Journal - May 2016 - (Page 55)

FIXED OPS JOURNAL 5 Interviews by Richard Truett minutes with ... ■ Tim Turvey, global vice president, General Motors customer care and aftersales How GM's mypricelink.com makes GM body-repair parts more competitive with non-original equipment, imported components The very intent of the system is to try and be responsive to the marketplace with a dynamic pricing engine. The pricing is dynamic and it will be variable based on whether the part is unique or if there are other offerings in that space, what region of the country. It is going to be completely variable. It allows us to bump the competition and make sure we are competitive against salvage yards or other parts in the marketplace. We did not have iterative bidding, which means it was a once-anddone process. This now allows us to get a full view of the estimate and get a chance to bid and be competitive on the entire portfolio of parts being used in that repair. We think that's best for the customer. On the mypricelink.com rollout We've done a soft launch - it's a very complex integration - but the system is up and running. We've tried to work through this with all the insurance estimating services, the insurance comTurvey panies, the dealers and the multishop owners, to make sure we have the proper work flow. We've phased this in to make sure everything is running smoothly. The dealers are on board. The collision estimating services are on board, and insurance companies are on board. We've strategically done it this way to make sure we are not disrupting the industry. What mypricelink.com does is give [repair shops] a chance to use original equipment parts, which offer the best opportunity to put the vehicle back to original condition. It gives us the opportunity to look at the full estimate and a chance to be competitive on all those parts. On certifying shops to repair the Cadillac CT6's aluminum and steel body It's obviously a state-of-the-art vehicle, with its integration of steel, aluminum, bonding and flow-through screws as well as selfpiercing rivets. We've put in place a very rigorous program to make sure people understand the repair process. We've certified body shops to ensure they have the proper tools, equipment and training to support the repair of the CT6. There is very specific repair certification requirements that ensure owners get their vehicles repaired properly. On supporting legacy brands Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Hummer We will continue to provide parts for all the vehicles as long as there is demand. ■ ■ Walter Burchfield, vice president, aftersales U.S., Nissan North America On helping Nissan and Infiniti dealers increase fixed-ops profits On retention, our goal is for the customer to visit the dealer two times per year. My belief is consumers need to be communicating with their dealers at least twice per year. Whether it is a 6,000-mile interval or a 10,000-mile interval, the road still causes tires to wear, etc. We focus on four ownership segments: First year; 18 months [the period when Nissan's bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage is in effect]; out of warranty to 7 years; and then 8-plus years, which is really key. Because a vehicle that is 8-plus years old is typically a high ticket value. And most importantly, if a dealer can build a relationship with that consumer, they are a whole lot more likely to buy a high-quality used car or a new car from our stores. On improving the customer experience through Nissan's Express Service We offer Level 1 and Level 2 service. Level 1 is really your quick oil-change services. It is designed to help dealers compete with all the local independent shops around: the Jiffy Lubes, Pep Boys and so on. Level 2 is more like a pit stop if you need a brake job done in an hour, shocks Burchfield done in an hour or some of the heavier jobs. Dealers who participate in the Express program have dedicated service writers. The customer has a dedicated service lane and there are dedicated technicians. We have 718 dealers, or about 70 percent, who do this. Our intent over time is to have Level 2 to be the brand standard. On preparing parts departments to service the Titan XD's Cummins diesel engine We worked with Cummins on a dedicated training program. We made sure every single store was fully trained before we sold the first vehicle. Cummins partnered with us at our technical training centers and the techs that needed to be trained have all been trained on both the engine and transmission. Same thing when it comes to parts. Those come in to us from Cummins. But from a fulfillment standpoint, the parts come from us. We put pressure on ourselves. We had to show we were stocked with parts in our parts-distribution centers before we could launch the vehicle. On helping dealers with body shops win business over independents We have put a significant focus on our collision business from the viewpoint of helping our dealers bid for parts and stay competitive. We consistently look at our pricing, and we update that weekly and monthly so that our guys can be competitive. We are making adjustments all the time. ■ MAY 2016 PAGE 55 http://www.mypricelink.com http://www.mypricelink.com http://www.mypricelink.com

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