Working by their own rules

Technicians at Northern Honda, in North Bay, Ont., found that their productivity and paycheques actually increased when they stopped working "every man for himself" and started acting as a team.

Frustrated by poor or inaccurate note-taking on vehicle histories, and evidence of short-cuts on complicated jobs, the technicians agreed to draft some operational procedures and draw on each otherýs strengths, rather than fly solo on every job.

The results were dramatic.

"Since weýve started working as a team, even though we’re flat rate, all of our hours have gone up," says technician Paul Summers. "We have happier customers, which means happier service advisors, which means less stress. Weýve found that by raising the bar we ended up making more money."

In order to get there, however, the five techs and one apprentice had to overcome some bad habits, developed over years of working in a highly competitive system.

One of the biggest problem was an overuse of the "no-fault-found" notation on work orders.

"Too often we just weren’t even looking for the complaint. It was too much work. We just automatically wrote ‘NFF.’ And that’s was a terrible way to describe the situation anyway, because customers can interpret that to mean the techs think theyýre crazy, or lying, or stupid.

"If we give them their car back without explaining that what theyýre experiencing is normal, they’ll come back and tell you about it again. If you tell them what the noise is, and explain it to them, theyýre happy. Thatýs all they wanted. They certainly donýt want to hear ‘No Fault Found.’"

Worse, basic inspection points were sometimes ignored in order to save time.

"We were all pointing fingers, thinking it was someone else," says Summers. "It was getting to the point where it wasn’t a healthy work environment in the shop. So we sat down and talked about it."

The new guidelines, drafted by the technicians without any prompting or assistance from management, cover what constitutes a vehicle inspection, how findings should be communicated, and how urgent service items should be flagged. All work-order notes are now written in full sentences and, where possible, test results and scanner analysis are included so the customer can understand all the work that went into fixing their vehicle.

In addition, the "no-fault-found" notation has been banned. Instead, every customer complaint is thoroughly investigated ý by two techs if one can’t pinpoint it. (See examples below.)

"Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses," Summers explains. "You call on someone who might be able to point you in the right direction faster. You might lose 10 or 15 minutes helping someone out, but you gain 10 or 15 minutes ý or 45 minutes ý when you get their help back on another job."

The cooperation has had a dramatic impact not only on productivity, but on technician morale, says fixed operations manager Terry Thomason. "This kind of cooperation helps everyone," he says. "Ultimately, if the technicians enjoy what they’re doing and they take an interest in the business, they’re going to be more successful at it."

It has increased productivity in the shop.

Thomason says the new service procedures mean there is no variation from tech to tech. "It’s easier for everyone involved," he says. "It has helped us be sure the customer understands the value of what we’re giving them. It also helps the customers feel like they’re getting their money’s worth. There’s a better explanation of what was being done on their vehicles."

The result he says is very few comebacks. "So few I don’t even keep track of them anymore."

GUIDELINES FOR REPAIR ORDER NOTE RECORDING

Detailed and organized notes on repair orders are the fastest and most effective way to build value into a service.

Not only does the thoroughness of our service impress customers when they are debriefed by the service advisers, but well organized notes can aid in selling previously suggested work or missed service items when customers are booking appointments.

Some points to remember while writing notes:
– Write in sentence form for each point. For example, write "Coolant is good to -45 degrees Celsius" rather than "A/F -45." Sentence form is easier to read and looks more professional.
– Avoid using short forms whenever possible (sensor names and systems exempt). For example: "engine oil and filter change" rather then "O&F".
– For recommendation put three exclamation marks as a preface to allow Service Advisors to quickly find possible up sells while checking history.
– For warranty issues the notes must have complaint, cause, and cure clearly stated to be valid.
– As a guideline for brake lining remaining use 10mm as 100% for brake pads and 6mm as 100% for brake shoes.

EXAMPLE OF TYPE "E" SERVICE NOTES:

Reset maintenance light
Replaced pollen filters
Replaced air filter
Inspected and lubricated sparkplugs
Coolant good to -45 degrees Celsius
Battery passed load test
Engine oil and filter change
Transmission fluid change
Blockheater operating normally (33.8 ohms)
Tire pressures set to 32 psi
Rotated tires (Michelin Artic Alpine)
Tire tread remaining: LF=4/32",RF=4/32",LR=3/32",RR=3/32"
!!! all four tires nearing wear indicators and should be replaced 1.0hr P185/65R14
Serviced front and rear brakes
Front brake pads have 7mm lining remaining (approx 70%)
Rear brake shoes have 3mm lining remaining (approx 50%)

GROUPS OF SUGGESTED NOTES

IN VEHICLE:
– Reset maintenance light or maintenance minder system
– Replace pollen filters

UNDERHOOD BASIC:
– Battery test results
– Coolant strength
– Any fluids added

UNDERHOOD SERVICE:
– Inspect and lubricate or replace sparkplugs
– Replace air filter

UNDER VEHICLE INSPECTION:
– Engine oil and filter change
– Transmission fluid change
– Coolant flush
– Rear differential fluid change
– Tire pressures and type of tire installed
– Tire tread remaining

BRAKE INSPECTION:
– Inspected or serviced brakes
– Front brake pad lining remaining
– Rear brake pad or shoe lining remaining

EXAMPLE OF BASIC ENGINE OIL AND FILTER CHANGE NOTES: