October, 2011

Booking Strategies

Avoid Overbooking

John Watt

Can a shop perform services such as radiator flushes, find and propose the replacement of worn hoses, do battery tests and sell Winter wiper blades in October.....over and above all the other services customers are coming in for?.....it depends on management (not the staff), and management's ability to take charge of the REAL obstacle here!

Said another way, if 3 techs have 10 vehicles to service on Tuesday, they can probably inspect and detect the needed hoses and battery replacements, and the front counter person will have the time to communicate and sell the merits of a radiator flush and installing Winter wiper blades. Knowing the techs in the shop will have the time to do anything extra that is sold... BUT!.. if the same team has to handle 15 vehicles on Thursday, forget the extras and detailed inspections. There is simply not enough manpower available to handle 15 vehicles in one day and the front counter will not have the time (nor the inclination) to convince customers of the merits of "suggested" services, especially when the techs are already full.
 
During busy seasons, owner operators have a important choice to make: Manage to the customer count and leave a lot of profitable work on the table when too busy OR manage to the daily capacity of their staff and maximize the sellable tech hours available.
 
If a shop owner decides to manage to the daily capacity of the staff, it means the following:

            - A session with the team is required to describe the expectations of the boss—the front counter needs to control the daily number of vehicles let in, and the techs are required to perform quality inspection. BOTH are required.

            - Describe how an "over booking" situation is supposed to be handled. EXAMPLE: an additional customer comes in on a day when there is already enough work for the team... that customer is asked if they can return on another day when the team is not yet full. If the customer can’t accept this, move on.

            - Declare the focus expected of the front counter person regarding "suggested services" and the benefits of these services to the customer. Specifically, can the front counter person be relied on to propose Winter wiper blades and can the benefits of having them be described effectively to the customer? (Try a "dry run" to see )… the same for radiator flushes. The point here is that the front counter person needs to understand that there is an expectation that these services will be effectively proposed to all customers during October, and that ending the week or the month with only a few is not the goal.
 
Booking appointments ahead of time in October is a great tactic. Having every day "full" will lead to a tremendous outcome. OVER BOOKING days in October, however, will not produce the same results. More customers will have been seen, but less money will be made... especially labour revenue.