Truck service jobs...good for the shop as well as the customer

           

Truck service as a profit center

           Hello, all. Today I would like to talk about the much maligned and lowly service and explain why it may be the most important work a shop can do. The variety of service levels requested varies from minimal to comprehensive and everything in between and occasionally the requests are just plain puzzling. Some customers merely want the oil and filters changed, some want an LOF (lube, oil, and filter) with a minimal inspection, and some want a full inspection along with the oil and lube. Fleets often provide their own checksheets and these often have several levels depending on mileage and equipment differences. Some customers go so far as to specify an oil or filter brand, and some want to bring their own.

            Service work is an area of opportunity for a shop as well as a chance for the customer to keep his equipment in good condition. It is a rare case of being a complete win/win for both parties, if the shop is fair in dealing with the customer and proactive in selling needed work. Traditionally, the service is the loss-leader, billed at near cost. Profit is expected to come from the work found during the inspection. For this reason, services are often done by the least experienced techs and serves as a sort of training ground for new hires. The problem is that even if that tech is well trained and closely supervised, equipment defects are bound to be missed. This is a problem for the shop as well as the customer. The shop may miss out on profitable work, and the customer may suffer an untimely breakdown. Worse yet is if the breakdown is caused by something that should have been caught when the truck was in for service.

            The only way around some of this is if a detailed inspection sheet is agreed on by customer and shop and is then followed and signed by the mechanic. The sheet must specify exactly what is to be checked during service. It is not good enough that this sheet is turned in with the work order, then allowed to languish until the job is billed. The inspection must be done first, and given to the supervisor or service writer who can call the customer to authorize repair. It is always easier to sell work on a vehicle that is already being worked on than to try to schedule a second visit. The customer will appreciate getting needed repairs done during a scheduled time, rather than having to come back in, and this helps create goodwill. It always amazes me that some shops don’t follow this procedure. I guess they feel that if they schedule a full shift, there will be no time for extra work. But too much work is always a good problem to have, and if there is not quite enough work for the shift, the existing work always seems to magically stretch to fill the available time. Almost invariably a little too much work is just the right amount. Novice mechanics doing services must be thoroughly trained as to what is expected and their work closely checked until it is clear they know what to look for. 

            If everyone is vigilant in handling services all parties can benefit. The shop makes more money, and the customer gets needed repairs done when the vehicle is down for service.