Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F14
FIXED OPS JOURNAL
COVER STORY
Though not highly profitable, fast oil changes and quick replacement of regular wear items can boost customer satisfaction and increase retention.
Toyota's approach borrows from manufacturing
F
or express lanes to run properly,
techs have to perform each task at
the required time exactly the same
way on every vehicle, every time.
But because of turnover and other factors, it
is one of the most difficult aspects of running
an express lane. For help, some dealers turn
to consulting firms for training, and many automakers such as Toyota offer additional instructional aids to their franchisees.
Toyota's approach to achieving consistency
in the express lane takes a page from the company's manufacturing playbook, says Sharon
Whitson, Toyota's North American service
operations manager for guest experience and
retention.
"With our express program, we use stan-
PAGE 14
OCTOBER 2020
dardized work like we do in manufacturing,"
Whitson told Fixed Ops Journal. "What that
does is ensures the technician process is efficient for every vehicle that comes in for every
service. Standardized work along with a
two-person team makes sure that [express
service] is always efficient."
In Toyota parlance, standardized work
means the best-known and demonstrated
method for making a product or offering a
service.
"When you give standardized work to employees, they know what their job is, and they
don't have to guess at it," Whitson says. "They
can do the same thing every time."
Roughly half of Toyota's 1,500 North American stores offer express service, and that num-
ber is increasing, Whitson says. To help new
express techs learn standardized work, the
automaker offers online courses, and dealers
can have Toyota trainers visit when express
service is introduced.
Whitson says Toyota believes fast service
keeps customers loyal to the brand.
"We're focused on respect for people, so respecting customers' time is extremely important to us," she says.
"In addition, there's a ton of data that shows
getting in and out of a service department in a
timely way leads to higher retention. If customers are getting in and out of a Toyota dealership in an efficient way, then they are going
to come back."
- Richard Truett
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020
Contents
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - Intro
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F1
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F2
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - Contents
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F4
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F5
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F6
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F7
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F8
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F9
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F10
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F11
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F12
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F13
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F14
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F15
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F16
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F17
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F18
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F19
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F20
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F21
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F22
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F23
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F24
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F25
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F26
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F27
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2020 - F28
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