Who can you trust?  That’s a tough question.  In business, we all want the answer to be ME.  Trust, or some variant, should be a concern of every service center owner, service manager or service advisor.  Things like: professional image, reputation, standing in the community, credibility – sound familiar?

These all attest to the gap in the public’s perception of the automotive service and repair industry and the reality you strive towards every day.  First of all, you’re starting out behind the 8 ball.  Right or wrong, a first-time customer is not going to walk through your door full of trust in them.  There are just too many cultural biases that have to be overcome before trust happens.  But it’s critically important to keep in mind that the customer desperately wants to trust them.

Automotive technology is dangerously close to wizardry, and the typical consumer has very little practical understanding of how it all works and what’s involved in fixing it or keeping it running smoothly.  They get anxious when they know they’re putting themselves at the mercy of someone with superior knowledge and skill.

All they know is that a repair bill can very easily become a budget buster and they hope they’re not being taken advantage of – but they’ve been culturally conditioned to suspect that they are.  Help your customer trust you.

The WURTH Service Reception Program is designed to do just that.  Using simple, easy to understand tools to assist you in educating the customer so that they better understand what needs to be done to their vehicle. This empowers their automotive decision making.  Trust in you has already taken a big step forward.

Earning Money With The Service Reception Program

In addition to building trust and retaining customers, using Service Reception increases your turnover up to 100%, since it also optimizes service shop utilization. We all know that many vehicles that enter our shops have parts with significant wear, such as tires, brakes, belts, hoses, A/C, lighting, or wipers to name a few. With that in mind, a simple warranty appointment could lead to extra income on top of the scheduled service as well as increasing your CSI scores.

The WURTH Service Reception Program gives you the tools you need to do it right, including product trainings for A/C service, vehicle conditioning, compliant wheel weights, fuel injection system cleaning and wiper blades, as well as marketing materials that include posters, brochures for your customers and samples.

To learn more about how WURTH Service Reception can help you, call 800-987-8487, email servicereception@wurthusa.com or visit www.wurthusa.com.

If you run a collision center, at times the OSHA guidelines can seem overwhelming. As you know though, keeping your shop in compliance is essential. No matter how challenging keeping up with these regulations can be, it’s a walk in the park compared to having an OSHA inspector show up – and your shop isn’t prepared.

The reality is that an OSHA inspector can show up unannounced at any time, so proper planning for surprise visits can help you avoid fines and other big headaches. According to the Safety First article in the August issue of Fender Bender magazine, this is becoming more of a reality for collision shops because OSHA is concerned about occupational health hazards and shop air quality for employees.

While it’s nearly impossible to be 100% compliant, the article outlines some of the more common problems that can be avoided if OSHA shows up at your door, including having a respiratory protection program, keeping chemical MSDS sheets handy, proper guarding of grinding wheels, and keeping fire extinguishers up to date. The article also cites the importance of providing ongoing shop hazard training programs, including making sure that your employees know how and when to use protective equipment such as safety glasses and gloves.

Here are a few other steps to ensure you’re prepared if OSHA comes knocking:

1) Have Your Paperwork Ready – In minutes, you should be able to get your hands on your safety and equipment training records, proof of hazard communications and material safety data sheets. If you can’t produce this stuff quickly, the OSHA inspector might get the impression that your shop isn’t that organized and there are probably more violations to be found.

2) Let the Inspector In – By law you don’t have to let OSHA inspectors onto your property, but if you don’t, they can get a subpoena and come back. As you can imagine, once they show up with a subpoena, they’ll be checking everything thoroughly. So be prepared at all times and let them do their inspection any time they show up.

3) Fix What You Can on the Spot – When walking around with the inspector, if he points out something that’s a problem, if you can fix it on the spot – do it. The more the inspector sees that you’re concerned for the safety of your employees, the less likely he’ll be to leave you with a ton of fines.

4) Document Everything – If you have to make repairs after the inspector leaves, document your costs and any other information associated with the repairs. Once repairs are finished, send all of the documentation to the OSHA inspector along with “before and after” pictures. These simple steps could help you avoid a re-inspection.

Since there are literally thousands of OSHA regulations a collision shop has to follow, if you feel you’re in over your head consider hiring a private company to come in and do an inspection. This will give you an idea of what (if any) violations you need to address before OSHA might show up.

For more information or to view WURTH USA’s line of shop safety supplies, visit our website at http://www.wurthusa.com.

In the past you’ve heard us talk about ways to keep your customers coming back to you – from providing great customer service and high quality work to offering special discounts or promotions. And all of those things will certainly have an impact on the customer’s decision about your business, when they’re at your shop. But once they leave, how do you maintain that relationship? Is it a postcard in 90 days saying they’re due for a checkup? Do you sponsor a local little league team to keep your name out there in your local community? Or do you send them emails with tips on car maintenance and specials you’re offering?
 
Email marketing is an inexpensive way to reach your customers and generate more business for your auto shop, and if you haven’t included email in your advertising plan yet, you can bet your competitors are, or will be in the near future. If you’re already sending out emails to customers, then you’ll probably find yourself ahead of the game. But if not, now’s the time to begin collecting email addresses from your customers, whether it be through asking them if they’d like to be on your list, by including a form on your website, or by offering special giveaways. Sometimes you can get lists of emails from groups you may belong to, like your local Chamber of Commerce.
 
There are many affordable, user-friendly Email marketing programs out there on the web, like Constant Contact, Mailchimp, or Exact Target just to name a few. These programs have ready-made Email templates that you can customize or use as-is, and they allow you to track who is opening your Emails and also give you a good idea of what’s working and what isn’t.
 
Once you get your list together you can start with some promotions, like service reminders or monthly e-newsletters. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that you may want to include “tips and tricks” or other information that your customers would find useful, besides just coupons or sales promotions. Not everyone likes giving out email addresses because they don’t want to be sold to in the mailbox. But if your email tells them how to avoid a major car repair bill in just 3 simple steps, in addition to offering them a promotion, they’ll be more likely to have a positive reaction.
 
You may ask “if I’m not selling something in every email, what good is it to me?” It’s also about your customers remembering your shop. Every month they will get an email telling them how to take better care of their cars…and somewhere on the email will be your shop logo and address. Over time, they’ll just naturally associate you with better car care. So the next time they need their cars serviced or repaired, they’ll be much more likely to give you a call.
 
With e-newsletters, you’re both the editor and the advertiser… so you have complete control. Start collecting email addresses now. It won’t take much effort, and the payoff can be huge in the long run.

Now that air conditioning repair season is upon us, many shop owners are facing the challenge of high labor costs associated with replacing leaking underhood metal lines. If you’re among those who are looking for ways to solve the AC line replacement problem – without the time and money that’s usually tied into it – line splice repair kits are the answer.

Gone are the days when an entire AC line needs to be replaced. Line splice repair kits allow shop technicians to remove only the damaged section and splice the line back together.  What’s more, it can be done in ten minutes flat, which means saving time and money for your shop – and for your customers.

Not all line splice repair kits are created equal. WURTH’s new Line Splice™ range is available in SAE and metric sizes, and is engineered to maintain the approximate diameter of the aluminum tubing, so gas flow won’t be compromised.

This specially engineered system is also designed for specific fitting for AC (as opposed to a standard compression fitting), and the seal sleeve has nearly 8 times more sealing surface area than a regular O-Ring does.  Equally important, the self-adjusting, anti-vibration tension ring resists vibration leaks for permanent leak-free repairs.

For more information on WURTH Line Splice™ or other air conditioning system accessories, call 800-987-8487 or visit www.wurthusa.com.

One of the newest ways that many auto shop owners are bringing in new business is through advertising on group discount websites. These websites, such as Groupon.com, LivingSocial.com or BuyWithMe.com offer daily discounts to a huge database of local users in your area.

How They Work

Group Discount sites operate in several areas across the country. Once you’ve figured out what kind of offer you can realistically make and still make money (like a discounted oil change or radiator flush), you will sit down with a rep from the website and run through numbers to make sure you’re being realistic. Before your campaign is run, you will also set a minimum and maximum number of deals to be sold. The minimum number should be your tipping point or how many you need to sell to make it worth it for your business.

Groupon and sites like it don’t take upfront fees when you set up a deal with them. But they do take a percentage of the sale, so you really have to be aware of the numbers to make sure that you don’t lose money.

What They Can do For Your Business

The whole idea behind these online group discount sites is the potential to get lots of new people walking through your door to take advantage of your deal. While this is great, it’s important to realize that these new customers are doing so at a greatly discounted rate. So to make an impact on your business long term, you need people to return after their initial discounted visit. You can accomplish this quite a few ways, but collecting Email addresses or offering them a second coupon when they come in may spur them to come back again.

In addition to the influx of customers who buy these deals and visit your shop, these sites also offer serious exposure for your business. Your daily deal is sent out to a huge database of users who like to receive the daily deal by email, as well as through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. So even people who don’t end up purchasing your deal are being exposed to your company in an email they look forward to and open every day.

Many auto shops have had great success doing these types of campaigns. If you set the price of your deal well and really take care of the customers who come in, the sky’s the limit on the amount of new customers you can bring in with promotions like these.

At Lexus of Tulsa, it’s easy to see that quality goes far beyond the services they provide. After 22 years in the automotive business, this 88 employee dealership understands the value in the customer experience.

From the minute you walk in, you can see why their customers continue to come back. The Customer Lounge is one of three waiting rooms that include gourmet coffee, a conference room and an internet café with free wi-fi. In addition to a courtesy shuttle and loaner cars, there are 37 trained technicians on-site and numerous bays to get customers in and out in no time. Customers also have the added convenience of ordering parts, scheduling service appointments and more on their website.

After speaking with General Manager, Dave Litzinger, we learned about the recent overhaul that took place. After four years of renovations, the new and improved Lexus of Tulsa opened its doors again in March, 2010. Expanding its size to an astonishing 80,000 square feet, the site now equips that latest state of the art technology, enabling them to service all of their customers’ needs as efficiently as possible. Also following the standards set forth by Lexus, their clientele is guaranteed top-quality service from their knowledgeable and helpful staff.

Another seasoned staff member is Parts Manager, Rich Epperson, who has had a long-standing partnership with WURTH USA for over 15 years. Working alongside Sales Representative Stuart Arnold, he notes the positive impact of working with him, “Working with Stuart is like having an extra consultant on the job, stated Rich, “He really has a positive impact and I enjoy working together with him”.

When asked about their must-have WURTH products Rich said, “Everything we’ve received has been a great product. If it wasn’t, we’d be looking elsewhere!” When asked about the importance of quality, he stated, “Quality comes first. You’ll always find someone cheaper, but it’s the quality that matters most.”

Whether it’s hardware, chemicals, fasteners, or special value-added programs, Lexus of Tulsa knows that in order to compliment quality service, you must be using quality products.

For more information on Lexus of Tulsa, visit www.lexusoftulsa.com. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

If you’re still using regular aerosol cans in your auto shops and facilities, you’re missing out on a chance to save a lot of money and seriously cut down on your carbon footprint by switching to refillable spray bottles.

Why refillable spray bottles? Because they allow you to pay far less for product, save space, and there’s less disposal – not to mention cutting back on the greenhouse gases emitted by aerosols.

You can see the savings if you compare traditional aerosol cans to their refillable counterparts. Say, for example your shop uses 1,800 14 oz. cans annually at $2.29 a can. In a year, you would have spent $4122 on 197 gallons of liquid aerosol. But if you were to purchase 10 refillable bottles at $45 each and bulk 55 gallon drums at $599 each, that same amount of product would have only cost you $2595.

Refillable spray bottles are also earth-friendly. The amount of aerosol auto products dumped into landfills each year is immeasurable, considering a single shop could use hundreds or even thousands per year. Not to mention the damage caused by carbon dioxide, propane and butane, which are greenhouses gases commonly used in aerosol propellants.

There are two basic types of refillable spray bottles. The first is a metal bottle that sprays your product using compressed air.  The second is a plastic bottle that you hand pump. Although they’re both an improvement over regular aerosol cans, systems like the WURTH REFILLomat offer the best of both worlds. You get the look, feel, and pressure of an aerosol can for a lot less money, with no dangerous propellants.

REFILLomat looks like an ordinary aerosol can, but gets refilled with a tool that charges the “can” with 400ml of product (active ingredient), and propellant (compressed air) in 7 seconds flat. The best part is there are no cans to dispose of when you need more product – you simply re-fill the can.

For more information on REFILLomat or other green auto shop products, visit www.wurthusa.com.

As a business owner, you need to continually look for new ways to increase revenue, while reducing expenditures. Business 101, simple mathematic equations! Or is it? If Company A can sell me a can of rust remover for $10.00, and Company B for $13.00. It’s seems clear that if my goal is to save money by reducing my fixed cost, Company A is the obvious choice. True or False?

The correct answer is if A and B are the exact product, then obviously Company B is 30% higher in cost. But, if the products are not the exact same brand, you need to test them first. If you use twice the product from company A vs. Company B, then in reality, even though the unit cost is higher at the time of purchase, your net expense will be less because you will use less product in the long run. In addition, the cost of the product is pale in comparison to the cost of labor.

And if you’ve ever wrestled with a rusty bolt, you know first hand, the better the product, the quicker the job is complete. So the old phrase, “Time is Money”, is seldom explained by Company A. Take a lubricant like ROST-OFF, for example. Spending a little more up-front not only saves time in the end, it saves money. You simply use less and get more. It’s designed to get underneath rust or moisture, and contains an OMC₂ additive which smoothes metal surfaces, getting you the best lubrication possible. While less expensive products contain solid lubricants, ROST-OFF will not separate in larger containers, and provides lasting protection against further corrosion.

Now more than ever, we consider time to be an inventory item. It’s all about the ability to offer the best service in a timely manner while keeping costs down. Providing your technicians with quality C-parts has many benefits. For more information on WURTH USA products or services, contact your sales rep or visit www.wurthusa.com.

In one of our recent posts, Nine Ways to Keep Your Customers Coming Back, we covered the basics in establishing customer loyalty. Clean reception area, friendly staff, great service… all things that can make your shop stand out in your community. And all things that create the positive experience that keeps customers coming back for more (not to mention telling their friends to come along, too).

If you’re an auto service or repair shop owner, you know that the way customers perceive your business is key to building solid relationships and beating out the competition. Creating a positive customer experience is just as important as providing the quality repairs your customers expect. These days, the customer experience doesn’t end when the car drives away from the shop. In fact, in some cases it doesn’t even begin when they get to the shop. Successful shop owners know that more and more, the customer experience begins here. Online. With limited time and resources, one of the simplest ways to provide the service and convenience your customers expect is by having a website. Even if it’s just one page (though more would be better), having a presence on the world wide web will provide you with more opportunities for enhancing your local exposure to a larger customer base.

Fifty-eight percent of Americans go online to research products and services they are considering purchasing, according to a survey released in September, 2010 by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. That’s up from 49 percent in 2004. Keep in mind, that’s 58 percent of AMERICANS. Not Internet users. That’s nearly 180 MILLION people, based on 2010 census numbers.  If you don’t have a website, that’s a huge, untapped audience that you may be missing out on.

An effective website doesn’t have to cost a fortune these days . GoDaddy.com (the site Danica Patrick made famous) is offering domain names for as little as $12 a year. Throw in the hosting costs, which can be as little as $36 a year, and you could make a significant impact on your customer base for as little as $50 a year.  And most shop owners find that they get their return on investment quickly, since websites keep you engaged with your customers and double as an effective way to advertise your business and generate more clients.They don’t have to be a huge, daily undertaking, either. Even if you simply put up a few pages containing key information about your business, you’re way ahead of the game.

Nowadays, customers live in a world where they can turn to the internet for information, to make decisions, to do their banking, or to make purchases. Imagine the image your shop would have if your customers could book their service appointments online, view frequently asked questions, or print out coupons for their next visit.

Here are just a few ways you can put your website to work for your auto shop:

·         Collect Emails from your website for people to subscribe to newsletters or service reminders

·         Engage your customers with special service discounts or holiday promotions

·         Enable more new customers to find you when they’re searching for a service shop in your area on the internet (this provides more opportunities than you may think – more on this in a future blog post)

·         Retain a professional image and be able to communicate with your customers online

·         Process requests right away by including a service request form on your website

·         Save money on printing and postage costs by using your website as a catalog for your services

·         Allow your customers to download invoices or service estimates

·         If you sell products at your shop, you can offer them online

·         Set up email addresses specific to your web domain name to further strengthen your shop’s image

·         Gather important information by using online forms and surveys

Even if you incorporate just three, two or… even none of these suggestions – simply having an online presence can cost you little and offer you significant returns. See you online!

Additional Resources and References

Pew Internet Research – Online Product Research

http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Online-Product-Research.aspx

Wikipedia – 2010 Census

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_United_States_Census

If you run an auto body shop or an auto repair shop, you know that inventory management can be a daunting task at times. But managing inventory wisely is essential to profitability, especially when it comes to collision repair. It can be difficult to receive payment from your insurance partners if everything isn’t documented on your invoices, which is why small parts can make a big difference in the long run.

If you’re wondering how much of a difference small parts can make, take the number of vehicles repaired in your shop each month, and multiply that by the average cost of supply items that generally don’t get documented, like body clips, fasteners, connectors or chemicals.

Here’s an example. If your shop repairs 30 vehicles a month, and the average cost of your small supply items per vehicle are $40, including them on your invoices means an extra $1,200 in monthly profit. Multiply that by 12 and you’ve got an additional $14,400 in profit for the year.

Are you thinking that this sounds good in theory, but would never work with the inventory nightmare you’ve got on your hands? Cleaning up this mess isn’t as hard as you think. You can easily get a handle on inventory control without making more work for everyone by using an inventory management system that tracks billable parts, and generates itemized invoices for you to provide to your customers and insurance partners.

An inventory management system includes a scanner, a clip assortment and front office software. It has the ability to track parts from the time they come into the shop, through the time they’re in the technician’s hands, and when the vehicle leaves the shop. Now you’ve got improved inventory control and you always have what you need on hand.

Using a system like this also allows you to monitor the products and tools your technicians are using to repair damaged vehicles. You can see which parts technicians use to complete orders, track the tool usage by each technician, and easily spot potential problems. Shops utilizing this technology have been able to save over $20,000 annually or more.

Using an inventory management system like WURTH SIS  allows your technicians to scan WURTH products, and products from other vendors required for vehicle repair. Tracking all of your billable parts, like adhesives, pads, detailing supplies, paints, fasteners, wiper blades, drill bits, bulbs, fluids and tire valves, is your key to higher profits.

Getting an inventory management system like SIS started is easy. Your WURTH representative will come in, re-organize your cabinets, install everything, and regularly maintain the system. There’s also a support line for questions or immediate needs.

So, if you’re looking to boost your profits this year, an inventory management system is a win-win for you and your customers. It will allow you to make money, reduce loss and really get a handle on how your billable items and tools are being used.

For more information on inventory management systems or WURTH SIS, call 800-987-8487, or visit www.wurthsis.com.