Fixed Ops Journal - December 2021 - F27

FIXED OPS JOURNAL
fulfi llment is dynamic. In short, more inventory
is forward deployed. Again, to make these
changes requires investment in inventory,
technology and processes.
We also need to improve our inventory
planning and visibility deeper into suppliers
to identify constraints more quickly. Over the
past decade, service parts OEMs have learned
from their production colleagues and deployed
sophisticated supplier management
processes and tools. We provide credible forecasts
to suppliers; we measure on-time and
complete; we ask for root cause remediations
when delivery performance lapses. However,
many supplier performance issues are at the
Tier 2 and Tier 3 levels. And our Tier 1 suppliers
do not have the capacity to identify pending
failures because aftersales is an afterthought
for many of them.
We can take a page from other industries
such as retail and electronics to deploy technology
to measure supplier capacity deeper in
the supply chain and use AI to continuously
monitor and identify supply chain risks. Imagine
monitoring thousands of news and social
media feeds across the globe and using AI to
convert all of this noise into actionable signals.
It might be a strike at a port in Th ailand, a
fl ood in China shutting a major artery, or a refi
nery interruption in Houston. Th e costs and
complexity to deploy these technologies can
be signifi cant. But your ability to identify a disruption
days or weeks ahead of your competitors
allows you to have scarce capacity allocated
to you. What if your company identifi ed the
current computer chip shortage several weeks
ahead of your competitors and other chip customers
and you were able to secure additional
allocation? Th e ROI would have been enormous.
Any
fi nal thoughts?
We covered a lot of ground. To me, and I
hope the readers, the long-term recommendations
are most intriguing and controversial.
Where are you on the journey of measuring
and managing to optimize repair order fi ll?
Where are you on deploying technology to
truly see looming supply interruptions beyond
our fi rst-tier suppliers? 
FEEDBACK
Have phone, will schedule a service appointment
Schedule master
cheduling an appointment was the most preferred
mobile phone feature related to a service
visit, according to an October DealerRater survey
conducted for Fixed Ops Journal. About 39
ished much lower. More than 6 percent of luxury consumers
liked getting a video explanation of the repair work, while
about 4 percent favored the ability to check in via phone for a
service appointment. Mass-market customers switched
those two choices - with nearly 6 percent liking the check-in
feature and almost 3 percent preferring the video explanation.
Skipping the cashier and paying the repair bill using a
mobile phone fi nished last with both segments.
Th e pandemic and its social distancing protocols accelerated
digital adoption in the service lane. But surprisingly,
more than 1 in 4 surveyed said they preferred not to use
their mobile phone at all when having their vehicle serviced.
Th at number was lower for luxury customers - almost
21 percent - than for mass-market consumers -
nearly 27 percent. 
Q: When servicing your vehicle, which mobile phone feature do you most
prefer? Figures indicate percentage of consumers who cited that feature as
their main selection.
Schedule an appointment
ALL CONSUMERS MASS-MARKET LUXURY
39
Receive text updates on progress of work 24
Check-in upon arrival
5.5
Receive video from adviser explaining work 3.4
2.5
Pay my bill
I don't prefer to use my mobile phone
for vehicle servicing
26
40
23
5.7
2.8
2.5
27
37
30
4.4
6.2
2.3
21
Note: Figures do not add to 100% because of rounding.
Source: DealerRater survey conducted Oct. 19-25 of 16,575 consumers who visited new-vehicle dealerships
S
percent of all respondents selected it.
For nearly 30 percent of luxury customers, the favored
feature was getting text updates on the progress of the service
work on their vehicle. Th at compares with only about
23 percent for mass-market customers.
Th e other options off ered to the 16,575 survey takers fi nDECEMBER
2021 PAGE 27

Fixed Ops Journal - December 2021

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