Setting Your Auto Repair Shop’s 2017 Goals

Management, Software, Support

“RAISING THE BAR”

When it comes to setting your goals make sure they are challenging enough to inspire you. As the leader of your business, it’s your job to inspire your entire team. Raise the BAR!!!

Break out your goals from annual to monthly, to weekly, to daily. Make these goals and daily measurement highly visible.

When setting your goals be realistic. Goals must bring out the best in people and motivate them to think differently. Accordingly, they should be just out of reach but not out of sight. Harvard University research indicated that goals need to be reached 50 percent of the time for them to effectively change the way we think. If they are reached more frequently than 80 percent of the time, they are not challenging enough.

Now this is really key. You must get your team to buy in to these goals. You must break these numbers down and clearly show how hitting these realistic goals really benefits them personally!

TOP 5 GOALS

1. Productivity for your technicians
2. 5 STAR REVIEWS
3. Car count
4. Sales
5. Operating expenses

We all know “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If you want big time improvement. You have to consider making major changes. Contact ShopController today.  See how our updated state of the art repair management program can deliver the huge boost you’re looking for in 2017.

3 Tips That Every Shop Owner Needs to Hear

Management, Software, Support

1) Have Written Shop Goals and Personal Goals in Place … With Deadlines!

“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time”

2) Track the Important Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the Business

Keeping accurate numbers and tracking the important KPIs will help you make informed decisions as a shop owner, which rarely leads to bad decisions. Some of the KPIs you target should be industry specific, and some should be business specific. Not all business models are alike, and even though most auto repair facilities perform many of the same repairs (brakes, timing belts, etc.), the way they operate, and how they deliver services will widely vary. All shop owners need to know how their numbers compare to “like” business models. This will help you determine what adjustments are necessary for you to reach your goals. Consistently tracking specific KPIs will tell you where you are, and what you need to work on.

3) Ensure You’re Being Held Accountable

As small business owners, we rarely have anyone who works with us who is capable of holding us accountable for our words, our actions or our promises. I’d highly recommend finding a coach, or at least someone who can hold you accountable and who you can bounce ideas off of, so that you’re not all alone at the top of your company.

The best way to identify and track KPIs is with the outstanding data you gain from our ShopController repair management program. Our SC 10 software can provide your critical KPIs in real time measurement. Our new “Analysis” tools goes way beyond standard reporting. Enables you to drag and drop from over 100 fields of your data. Empowers you to generate full accountability and big time dynamic management leadership for 2017.

Carfax: Vehicles with Unfixed Recalls Now Top 47 Million

Management, Software, Support

Year-Over-Year Increases Continue; Minivan, SUV Owners at Highest Risk (www.carfax.com/press/releases/2016)

CENTREVILLE, Va.  More than 47 million vehicles that people are driving, buying or selling in the U.S. have at least one unfixed safety recall, according to Carfax. The company’s annual research on the issue suggests a net increase of more than one million vehicles from last year. In addition, every state now has at least 100,000 vehicles with an open recall.

If you own an SUV or minivan, or live in Texas, Mississippi, Alaska, Utah or West Virginia, then you’re most likely to have an unfixed recall. Especially if you fall into one of these two groups, using resources like myCarfax helps you take the all-important next step of bringing your vehicle to a local dealer. While finding opportunities to get a recall fixed can be challenging, a safe family vehicle is paramount.

“Our data shows there’s still much hard work to be done in addressing recalls,” said Larry Gamache, communications director at Carfax. “Many people still are unnecessarily risking their lives by not staying informed or taking action when their vehicle is under a recall. It’s one of the many reasons family-oriented vehicles, including one in four minivans, are the most-highly impacted. Carfax continues to work closely with the auto manufacturers so we can alert people in the U.S. and Canada that their vehicles have a potentially dangerous defect that needs to be fixed.”

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently announced that new recalls were issued for more than 51 million vehicles in 2015, the most-ever in a year.

“Millions more vehicles will likely be recalled this year, adding to the ones already with outstanding airbag recalls, ignition switch recalls, electrical system recalls and more. Resources like myCarfax that continuously monitor your car and send alerts to your mobile device are helping people everywhere find and fix more recalls,” continued Gamache.

This is another major reason our ShopController program includes CARFAX. To learn more call us @ 480-898-0100 or email [email protected].

Americans Driving More Than a Quarter-Million Flood Damaged Cars

Management, Software, Support

New Carfax Research Details How Many Waterlogged Wrecks Have Washed Up in Each State www.carfax.com/press/releases/americans-driving-more-than-a-quarter-million-flood-damaged-cars

CENTREVILLE, Va. (September 12, 2016) – Hundreds of thousands of previously flooded vehicles are believed to be in driveways, on the road or up for sale around the country right now, according to new research from Carfax. The data suggests that more than 271,000 cars reported as flood damaged by a state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), insurance companies and more are back in use. It’s a nearly 30% increase from 2013.

While waterlogged wrecks have made their way to every state, these ten states have the most:

1. Texas – 43,000
2. Pennsylvania – 20,000
3. Florida – 17,000
4. Kentucky – 14,000
5. Illinois – 13,000
6. South Carolina – 11,000
7. Michigan – 11,000
8. New Jersey – 10,000
9. New York – 9,000
10. Louisiana – 9,000

“Flooded cars are a buyer’s worst nightmare,” said Larry Gamache, communications director at Carfax. “They’re ticking time bombs because when you least expect it, the electrical, mechanical or safety systems on these cars will fail, often without warning. Consumers everywhere need to be vigilant about checking a vehicle’s history for flood damage and getting a pre-purchase inspection to avoid buying cars that rot from the inside out.”

Increasingly powerful storms and historic flooding in major areas are creating more opportunities for professional con men to clean up and resell flooded vehicles. Demonstrations show that it takes only a few hours to restore them cosmetically, at a minimal cost to the criminals. However, buying one of these dangerous cars costs unsuspecting consumers thousands.

“A customer was requesting a loan on a used car, so we ran a Carfax Report as part of our underwriting procedures,” said Willie Macko, President of PriorityOne Bank in Mississippi. “We discovered that the car had been a total loss and the title was branded as a flood vehicle. By using Carfax, we were able to save both our bank and our customer a lot of money.”

One more big timely reason we include CARFAX with our ShopController repair service program. To learn more call us @ 480-898-0100 or email [email protected].