Last Word Keeping Up With It All

In my opinion, a huge challenge we’re going to face as independent service providers will be ensuring we have the proper technology and training to service the next generation of automobiles. We don’t see too many hybrids in our shop just yet; and the ones we do are for repairs and maintenance not necessarily related to the hybrid driveline; but I can see a day when we’ll be getting a lot of these vehicles as they come off warranty. Without the proper training and service tools, it’s going to be a struggle. Currently, the dealerships seem to be doing a really good job of keeping their hybrid customers in their own shops, but if we’re going to have long-term success, we’re going to have to start luring some of those owners away from the dealerships and into the aftermarket.

However, without the right training and tools being widely available, that’s going to be difficult. I’m well aware that there are those in the country who offer the kind of training that would be helpful, but it seems as though unless you live in Toronto, it’s hard to get access to any of it. What’s more, I often hear from my technicians that quite a bit of the training I do send them to is repetitive and not terribly useful. I’m all for sending my technicians to training, and we do all of it we can; but eventually I have to weigh the cost in terms of lost productivity in the bays against them attending a training session that may or may not teach them something. Obviously, we need to start pressuring the manufacturers a little more to provide the right training in the right locations.

In terms of keeping up to date, it’s not just a lack of hands-on training that is a problem. Currently, there seems to be a real gap in technology when it comes to the aftermarket scan tools. In this shop, we do our best to keep up with all of the latest scan tools. I’ve got tools from Delphi, Genesis, Snap-On and others; but none of them seem to do the complete job. I understand that on some levels it may be an access to information issue, but I also think that aftermarket scan tool providers just need to do a more thorough job when it comes to building their product. It’s very frustrating, not to mention time consuming, for our technicians when they know they could easily fix a problem, if only their scan tool had the necessary software.

From a business standpoint then, we often feel like we can’t charge the customer for all of the actual time it took us to identify the problem, so we’re losing out on some revenue because of it. I also find that often times the updates we purchase for our scan tools are a bit hit-or-miss. When certain applications get added, it seems as though the stuff we actually use everyday gets dropped, and we’re left scrambling for a solution.

Basically, what I think we need from everyone in the industry is a focus on providing tools to help independent shops keep up with all of the advancements. The dealerships seem to be doing a really good job of keeping customers, and I think that has a lot to do with their ability to teach their people about all of the latest hybrid and other technologies, and their access to the best repair software as opposed to generic scan tools. If we’re going to keep up, we need the right tools, coupled with effective hands-on training provided coast-to-coast, and not just in the major urban centres.

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