:: We Fix Everything Correctly :: (the first time)
Yeah... (sigh)... You've heard it before. We know. (So have we...)
Even if we did try to convince you...it wouldn't matter...you wouldn't believe us anyway.
So we'll tell ya' what:
...read about how we do things differently. It's so brilliantly easy, you'll be able to hear the lightbulb over your head click 'on'!
1. We listen. (What a novel idea.)
It's an action not performed enough in many service businesses. But as stupid as it sounds, it really helps us avoid a lot of communication problems between us and you.
We discuss all the symptoms. We clarify the details. We list all the concerns. You talk directly to the tech. We talk directly to your driver.
That's half the battle.
2. We work on hourly pay.
Doesn't everybody? No. There's a huge portion of our industry that works on a system called "flat-rate" pay.
The flat-rate pay system pays a mechanic a preset amount of money for a particular repair. So a brake job (aka "reline") might net the tech $20.00 in his or her paycheck. But checking the brakes for a slight pull with a loaded trailer doesn't pay the tech squat. So guess what you're getting?
In a flat rate shop, the reason for supposedly repaired vehicle
"come-backs" might be your technicians are rushing past the difficult
work looking for the gravy work like brake pad replacement and
transmission fill and flush.
They aren't spending the time it might take to diagnose an intermittent engine light going on at high speeds.
Some maintenance jobs like the brake pads and the transmission
flushes can be done in three-quarters of the alloted time, and the
technician is still paid for 100% of the time. If a tech gets enough of
those in a day, they've billed an 11-12 hour day even though they've
only put in 8.5.
Under the majority of flat-rate systems, there's not a lot of money to be made in figuring out what's wrong. So if a tech likes to eat, they figure out pretty quick they'll get paid more if they just make the most "likely" repair. If your truck has the most "likely" problem, well, cool beans. But! If it has an issue that's a little more complicated, well, then...not cool. (but you still have to fork over your heard earned beans...)
What looks like a "comeback" to you is really just a chance to try option #2 for the tech.
The flat rate system does work well in many places (like 'menu-priced' retail shops), but it has no place in a technical shop like ours that caters to fleets like yours.... fleets that need their problems FIXED right the first @#$% time.
3. We are "goal oriented", not "process oriented"...
A "process oriented" person performs the same process over...
...and over...
...and over...
...and over...
They do not deviate from their "process" to allow for complications. It's okay to be process oriented when you're peeling potatoes, but not fixing trucks.
"Goal oriented", on the other hand, is being able to define a goal and then proceed in a manner that ultimately achieves that goal, while allowing for and working through unforeseen obstacles.
There's a good reason why we are goal oriented. We understand what we're doing.
If someone doesn't understand how "the system they are working on" works, then they'll never be able to make an effective diagnosis when something does go wrong.
• • • • • •
Take me, for example....electricity and me do NOT get along. When a lighbulb burns out, I screw in another bulb. If the new bulb doesn't light up, uh oh! I have no clue what to do next. Sure, I could take off the switch plate on the wall and jam a screwdriver into the mess o' wires to see if anything happens, but you and I both know if I did that, I would be the very definition of stupidity!
Now...do you want someone working on your truck who is surrounded by piles of empty lightbulb boxes and even larger piles of "tried but discarded" light bulbs or...?
Need a bigger font size? Hold down the "Ctrl" key and "+" or "-" (or use your mouse scroller) to resize the letters. That doesn't work? Switch to Firefox! (Shhh! It's free!)
All information contained in this website, unless specifically stated otherwise, is copyrighted.
Want to use something you see here? Please send an email to us at