Reasons why you don’t go to a main dealer for a service
Discussion
lyonspride said:
..... Would have been a much faster job with a 2 post ramp though.
On a lift in a garage these jobs are a breeze - different kettle of fish when you're rolling around on the drive, your hands are freezing, and t's starting to rain and going dark!Really grates to pay a garage for pads and discs though. Got stung by a Honda dealer on daughter's car - ouch!
There's a lot of "bodies" involved in servicing a car:
(1) part-time grandad shunting cars around the site
(2) service advisor who raises paperwork
(3) mechanic who gets the car to service it
(4) parts advisor who issues the service kit to the mechanic
(5) supervisor who QA's it and rejects it as not enough advisories are on the health check sheet
(6) valet who washes & vacs & adds swirls
(7) service advisor who calls you up to say it is ready, do the long winded paperwork because everything has to be typed in line by line and takes payment
(8) receptionist who tells you to "have a nice rest of the day" as you leave
(9) managers for all the above (except 1)
[/quote]
You've missed a few, based on my experience:
10) The 'meet & greet' chap, complete with clipboard', who 'welcomes' you personally, directs you to your allocated parking space and points out where the entrance is (normally a big glass door 6 foot away)
11) The front of house coffee maker
12) The call handling unit who ring you afterwards for their customer satisfaction survey
Any more?
(1) part-time grandad shunting cars around the site
(2) service advisor who raises paperwork
(3) mechanic who gets the car to service it
(4) parts advisor who issues the service kit to the mechanic
(5) supervisor who QA's it and rejects it as not enough advisories are on the health check sheet
(6) valet who washes & vacs & adds swirls
(7) service advisor who calls you up to say it is ready, do the long winded paperwork because everything has to be typed in line by line and takes payment
(8) receptionist who tells you to "have a nice rest of the day" as you leave
(9) managers for all the above (except 1)
[/quote]
You've missed a few, based on my experience:
10) The 'meet & greet' chap, complete with clipboard', who 'welcomes' you personally, directs you to your allocated parking space and points out where the entrance is (normally a big glass door 6 foot away)
11) The front of house coffee maker
12) The call handling unit who ring you afterwards for their customer satisfaction survey
Any more?
Given all these big bills with good profit margin factored in, what are these places going to do when they are primarily flogging electric cars, which simply don't need the level of maintenance that a conventional ICE powered car needs?
A minor service becomes a simple roadworthiness inspection and pollen filter change. A major is the same, plus a brake fluid change. These places are surely going to end up doing warranty work and very little else, which is not going to sustain the number of people and the premises they have today.
A minor service becomes a simple roadworthiness inspection and pollen filter change. A major is the same, plus a brake fluid change. These places are surely going to end up doing warranty work and very little else, which is not going to sustain the number of people and the premises they have today.
ruhall said:
There's a lot of "bodies" involved in servicing a car:
(1) part-time grandad shunting cars around the site
(2) service advisor who raises paperwork
(3) mechanic who gets the car to service it
(4) parts advisor who issues the service kit to the mechanic
(5) supervisor who QA's it and rejects it as not enough advisories are on the health check sheet
(6) valet who washes & vacs & adds swirls
(7) service advisor who calls you up to say it is ready, do the long winded paperwork because everything has to be typed in line by line and takes payment
(8) receptionist who tells you to "have a nice rest of the day" as you leave
(9) managers for all the above (except 1)
You've missed a few, based on my experience:(1) part-time grandad shunting cars around the site
(2) service advisor who raises paperwork
(3) mechanic who gets the car to service it
(4) parts advisor who issues the service kit to the mechanic
(5) supervisor who QA's it and rejects it as not enough advisories are on the health check sheet
(6) valet who washes & vacs & adds swirls
(7) service advisor who calls you up to say it is ready, do the long winded paperwork because everything has to be typed in line by line and takes payment
(8) receptionist who tells you to "have a nice rest of the day" as you leave
(9) managers for all the above (except 1)
10) The 'meet & greet' chap, complete with clipboard', who 'welcomes' you personally, directs you to your allocated parking space and points out where the entrance is (normally a big glass door 6 foot away)
11) The front of house coffee maker
12) The call handling unit who ring you afterwards for their customer satisfaction survey
Any more?
You can eliminate job 2 by using the above as the car enters the service bay the printer prints the paperwork using anpr or its on a tablet.
It boggles the mind how inefficient their processes are .
Mercedes main dealer snapped off the locking tab on the filler flap on the second service...... Quite how they manage that i have no idea........ Then on the next service they 'forgot' to change the oil - i only checked out of curiosity to see ho much they put in and it was as black as you like.....
needless to say i'd never go back to that MB centre
needless to say i'd never go back to that MB centre
A1VDY said:
Not having main dealer services and therefore the service book stamped up can seriously damage the resale value of some makes and invalidate warranties.
Generally only applicable until car out of warranty & the sort of nonsense based on fear churned out by most manufactures & repeated parrot-fashion by sales staff.Have p/ex many a car with mixed main dealer/specialist independent service history & after the usual blurb by sales people trying to de-value a car because of mixed service history have never been aware the p/ex value is diminished.
Further more if you seek independent non-bias advice from those OUTSIDE the industry the advice is 'no need to stick with main dealer ALL of a cars life'.
Many specialist independents have ex-main dealer/factory employees & EXACTLY the same access via computer to that of main dealers. You may not of course have a leather sofa to sit on & access to a poncy coffee machine while you wait for your car nor some smarmy suit all over you like a rash.
I speak from current experience of a brilliant independent Mercedes specialist based in a modest suburb that services my 2012 car & has a world-wide reputation for their restoration work compared to a palatial glass house of a main dealership in an expensive high-profile.
location. The hourly rate of the former is nearly 50% less than of the latter who on one occasion wanted to re-build an entire a/c system when the former discovered I just needed a pipe replaced. Bulls
t Main Dealers - no way.SixtySpeedTwin said:
Mercedes main dealer snapped off the locking tab on the filler flap on the second service...... Quite how they manage that i have no idea........ Then on the next service they 'forgot' to change the oil - i only checked out of curiosity to see ho much they put in and it was as black as you like.....
needless to say i'd never go back to that MB centre
If it is a diesel it will be black as anything after 30 seconds. needless to say i'd never go back to that MB centre
jamoor said:
A lot of this can be solved with being smart with software but the motor industry refuses to get out of the stone ages.you can eliminate the grandad but having numbered service spaces where you park your car and the mechanic knows it’s arrived and parked using anpr
You can eliminate job 2 by using the above as the car enters the service bay the printer prints the paperwork using anpr or its on a tablet.
It boggles the mind how inefficient their processes are .
Sorry but it’s clear from this you’ve no idea how much is involved in a service advisor’s day... You can eliminate job 2 by using the above as the car enters the service bay the printer prints the paperwork using anpr or its on a tablet.
It boggles the mind how inefficient their processes are .
It’s one of the most complex (and under valued) jobs in the dealership-a skilled advisor is worth their weight in gold. A crap advisor who cannot manage time efficiently nor communicate well with either colleagues or customers is a nightmare. The service department spins around these guys.
Edited by itcaptainslow on Monday 24th February 18:54
itcaptainslow said:
jamoor said:
A lot of this can be solved with being smart with software but the motor industry refuses to get out of the stone ages.you can eliminate the grandad but having numbered service spaces where you park your car and the mechanic knows it’s arrived and parked using anpr
You can eliminate job 2 by using the above as the car enters the service bay the printer prints the paperwork using anpr or its on a tablet.
It boggles the mind how inefficient their processes are .
Sorry but it’s clear from this you’ve no idea how much is involved in a service advisor’s day... You can eliminate job 2 by using the above as the car enters the service bay the printer prints the paperwork using anpr or its on a tablet.
It boggles the mind how inefficient their processes are .
It’s one of the most complex (and under valued) jobs in the dealership-a skilled advisor is worth their weight in gold. A crap advisor who cannot manage time efficiently nor communicate well with either colleagues or customers is a nightmare. The service department spins around these guys.
Edited by itcaptainslow on Monday 24th February 18:54
Why do you need an advisor to call you to tel you the car is ready when you can jaust get a push notification. Or if it needs work send a notification for approval with a video of the problem.
I’m sure software can dynamically manage a mechanics time too, if a job took too long and it’s for a customer that’s due soon assign. It to another mechanic.
Amazon do this all day. If dealership look to eliminate individuals they will improve services and decrease the cost
Sheepshanks said:
lyonspride said:
..... Would have been a much faster job with a 2 post ramp though.
On a lift in a garage these jobs are a breeze - different kettle of fish when you're rolling around on the drive, your hands are freezing, and t's starting to rain and going dark!Really grates to pay a garage for pads and discs though. Got stung by a Honda dealer on daughter's car - ouch!
jamoor said:
itcaptainslow said:
jamoor said:
A lot of this can be solved with being smart with software but the motor industry refuses to get out of the stone ages.you can eliminate the grandad but having numbered service spaces where you park your car and the mechanic knows it’s arrived and parked using anpr
You can eliminate job 2 by using the above as the car enters the service bay the printer prints the paperwork using anpr or its on a tablet.
It boggles the mind how inefficient their processes are .
Sorry but it’s clear from this you’ve no idea how much is involved in a service advisor’s day... You can eliminate job 2 by using the above as the car enters the service bay the printer prints the paperwork using anpr or its on a tablet.
It boggles the mind how inefficient their processes are .
It’s one of the most complex (and under valued) jobs in the dealership-a skilled advisor is worth their weight in gold. A crap advisor who cannot manage time efficiently nor communicate well with either colleagues or customers is a nightmare. The service department spins around these guys.
Edited by itcaptainslow on Monday 24th February 18:54
Why do you need an advisor to call you to tel you the car is ready when you can jaust get a push notification. Or if it needs work send a notification for approval with a video of the problem.
I’m sure software can dynamically manage a mechanics time too, if a job took too long and it’s for a customer that’s due soon assign. It to another mechanic.
Amazon do this all day. If dealership look to eliminate individuals they will improve services and decrease the cost
Who is going to chase jobs throughout the day?
Who is going to liaise with customers about additional work required?
Who is going to deal with customer concerns and complaints?
Who is going to deal with a warranty claim or that manufacturer goodwill you’re asking for?
Who is going to arrange and allocate your loan car, plus deal with all the paperwork?
Who is going to arrange the drivers who come and collect/deliver your car when you book a collection slot?
Who is going to tell the valeters to clean your car? (Or not to clean it!)
I could go on...
Seriously, it is not apparent to the outsider how much work goes on in a service department and how well a good service advisor will manage their workload and the customer experience. Key phrase-good. Every one of these actions is a chance to either enhance the relationship with the customer or completely and utterly cock it up.
Assuming the technician does his job correctly, the service advisor pretty much makes or breaks the customer experience. Quite a few of the complaints on here centre around the SA, therefore highlighting my point further how vital it is to have good ones.
jamoor said:
itcaptainslow said:
jamoor said:
A lot of this can be solved with being smart with software but the motor industry refuses to get out of the stone ages.you can eliminate the grandad but having numbered service spaces where you park your car and the mechanic knows it’s arrived and parked using anpr
You can eliminate job 2 by using the above as the car enters the service bay the printer prints the paperwork using anpr or its on a tablet.
It boggles the mind how inefficient their processes are .
Sorry but it’s clear from this you’ve no idea how much is involved in a service advisor’s day... You can eliminate job 2 by using the above as the car enters the service bay the printer prints the paperwork using anpr or its on a tablet.
It boggles the mind how inefficient their processes are .
It’s one of the most complex (and under valued) jobs in the dealership-a skilled advisor is worth their weight in gold. A crap advisor who cannot manage time efficiently nor communicate well with either colleagues or customers is a nightmare. The service department spins around these guys.
Edited by itcaptainslow on Monday 24th February 18:54
Why do you need an advisor to call you to tel you the car is ready when you can jaust get a push notification. Or if it needs work send a notification for approval with a video of the problem.
I’m sure software can dynamically manage a mechanics time too, if a job took too long and it’s for a customer that’s due soon assign. It to another mechanic.
Amazon do this all day. If dealership look to eliminate individuals they will improve services and decrease the cost
Plus I still need to pay my bills
itcaptainslow said:
jamoor said:
itcaptainslow said:
jamoor said:
A lot of this can be solved with being smart with software but the motor industry refuses to get out of the stone ages.you can eliminate the grandad but having numbered service spaces where you park your car and the mechanic knows it’s arrived and parked using anpr
You can eliminate job 2 by using the above as the car enters the service bay the printer prints the paperwork using anpr or its on a tablet.
It boggles the mind how inefficient their processes are .
Sorry but it’s clear from this you’ve no idea how much is involved in a service advisor’s day... You can eliminate job 2 by using the above as the car enters the service bay the printer prints the paperwork using anpr or its on a tablet.
It boggles the mind how inefficient their processes are .
It’s one of the most complex (and under valued) jobs in the dealership-a skilled advisor is worth their weight in gold. A crap advisor who cannot manage time efficiently nor communicate well with either colleagues or customers is a nightmare. The service department spins around these guys.
Edited by itcaptainslow on Monday 24th February 18:54
Why do you need an advisor to call you to tel you the car is ready when you can jaust get a push notification. Or if it needs work send a notification for approval with a video of the problem.
I’m sure software can dynamically manage a mechanics time too, if a job took too long and it’s for a customer that’s due soon assign. It to another mechanic.
Amazon do this all day. If dealership look to eliminate individuals they will improve services and decrease the cost
Who is going to chase jobs throughout the day?
Who is going to liaise with customers about additional work required?
Who is going to deal with customer concerns and complaints?
Who is going to deal with a warranty claim or that manufacturer goodwill you’re asking for?
Who is going to arrange and allocate your loan car, plus deal with all the paperwork?
Who is going to arrange the drivers who come and collect/deliver your car when you book a collection slot?
Who is going to tell the valeters to clean your car? (Or not to clean it!)
I could go on...
Seriously, it is not apparent to the outsider how much work goes on in a service department and how well a good service advisor will manage their workload and the customer experience. Key phrase-good. Every one of these actions is a chance to either enhance the relationship with the customer or completely and utterly cock it up.
Assuming the technician does his job correctly, the service advisor pretty much makes or breaks the customer experience. Quite a few of the complaints on here centre around the SA, therefore highlighting my point further how vital it is to have good ones.
And if you dont incentivise him to work faster and do poor quality work, it can work well as he doesnt need to be a salesman - because he isnt. Refer to my earlier comments re, "motivate people to do the wrong thing and they will". Main dealers are full of people motivated by perverse incentives to do the wrong thing.
Easy for independants to take work off main dealers.
Limpet said:
Given all these big bills with good profit margin factored in, what are these places going to do when they are primarily flogging electric cars, which simply don't need the level of maintenance that a conventional ICE powered car needs?
A minor service becomes a simple roadworthiness inspection and pollen filter change. A major is the same, plus a brake fluid change. These places are surely going to end up doing warranty work and very little else, which is not going to sustain the number of people and the premises they have today.
They will need to radically adapt or get even better at telling customers their car needs stuff that it actually doesnt. Probably the latter.A minor service becomes a simple roadworthiness inspection and pollen filter change. A major is the same, plus a brake fluid change. These places are surely going to end up doing warranty work and very little else, which is not going to sustain the number of people and the premises they have today.
monkfish1 said:
itcaptainslow said:
jamoor said:
itcaptainslow said:
jamoor said:
A lot of this can be solved with being smart with software but the motor industry refuses to get out of the stone ages.you can eliminate the grandad but having numbered service spaces where you park your car and the mechanic knows it’s arrived and parked using anpr
You can eliminate job 2 by using the above as the car enters the service bay the printer prints the paperwork using anpr or its on a tablet.
It boggles the mind how inefficient their processes are .
Sorry but it’s clear from this you’ve no idea how much is involved in a service advisor’s day... You can eliminate job 2 by using the above as the car enters the service bay the printer prints the paperwork using anpr or its on a tablet.
It boggles the mind how inefficient their processes are .
It’s one of the most complex (and under valued) jobs in the dealership-a skilled advisor is worth their weight in gold. A crap advisor who cannot manage time efficiently nor communicate well with either colleagues or customers is a nightmare. The service department spins around these guys.
Edited by itcaptainslow on Monday 24th February 18:54
Why do you need an advisor to call you to tel you the car is ready when you can jaust get a push notification. Or if it needs work send a notification for approval with a video of the problem.
I’m sure software can dynamically manage a mechanics time too, if a job took too long and it’s for a customer that’s due soon assign. It to another mechanic.
Amazon do this all day. If dealership look to eliminate individuals they will improve services and decrease the cost
Who is going to chase jobs throughout the day?
Who is going to liaise with customers about additional work required?
Who is going to deal with customer concerns and complaints?
Who is going to deal with a warranty claim or that manufacturer goodwill you’re asking for?
Who is going to arrange and allocate your loan car, plus deal with all the paperwork?
Who is going to arrange the drivers who come and collect/deliver your car when you book a collection slot?
Who is going to tell the valeters to clean your car? (Or not to clean it!)
I could go on...
Seriously, it is not apparent to the outsider how much work goes on in a service department and how well a good service advisor will manage their workload and the customer experience. Key phrase-good. Every one of these actions is a chance to either enhance the relationship with the customer or completely and utterly cock it up.
Assuming the technician does his job correctly, the service advisor pretty much makes or breaks the customer experience. Quite a few of the complaints on here centre around the SA, therefore highlighting my point further how vital it is to have good ones.
And if you dont incentivise him to work faster and do poor quality work, it can work well as he doesnt need to be a salesman - because he isnt. Refer to my earlier comments re, "motivate people to do the wrong thing and they will". Main dealers are full of people motivated by perverse incentives to do the wrong thing.
Easy for independants to take work off main dealers.
At a small independent, sure, this is a good approach, but at a main dealership/large independent/specialist dealing with 30, 40, 50 customers a day, having the techs deal directly with the customers constantly just wouldn’t work. It’s essentially inefficient-someone isn’t doing something you’re paying them for their skill to do.
If it did work, I’m sure every dealership would be at it!
Regarding the motivation point-I do agree the way dealership staff are incentivised is moving very much in the wrong direction.
itcaptainslow said:
monkfish1 said:
itcaptainslow said:
jamoor said:
itcaptainslow said:
jamoor said:
A lot of this can be solved with being smart with software but the motor industry refuses to get out of the stone ages.you can eliminate the grandad but having numbered service spaces where you park your car and the mechanic knows it’s arrived and parked using anpr
You can eliminate job 2 by using the above as the car enters the service bay the printer prints the paperwork using anpr or its on a tablet.
It boggles the mind how inefficient their processes are .
Sorry but it’s clear from this you’ve no idea how much is involved in a service advisor’s day... You can eliminate job 2 by using the above as the car enters the service bay the printer prints the paperwork using anpr or its on a tablet.
It boggles the mind how inefficient their processes are .
It’s one of the most complex (and under valued) jobs in the dealership-a skilled advisor is worth their weight in gold. A crap advisor who cannot manage time efficiently nor communicate well with either colleagues or customers is a nightmare. The service department spins around these guys.
Edited by itcaptainslow on Monday 24th February 18:54
Why do you need an advisor to call you to tel you the car is ready when you can jaust get a push notification. Or if it needs work send a notification for approval with a video of the problem.
I’m sure software can dynamically manage a mechanics time too, if a job took too long and it’s for a customer that’s due soon assign. It to another mechanic.
Amazon do this all day. If dealership look to eliminate individuals they will improve services and decrease the cost
Who is going to chase jobs throughout the day?
Who is going to liaise with customers about additional work required?
Who is going to deal with customer concerns and complaints?
Who is going to deal with a warranty claim or that manufacturer goodwill you’re asking for?
Who is going to arrange and allocate your loan car, plus deal with all the paperwork?
Who is going to arrange the drivers who come and collect/deliver your car when you book a collection slot?
Who is going to tell the valeters to clean your car? (Or not to clean it!)
I could go on...
Seriously, it is not apparent to the outsider how much work goes on in a service department and how well a good service advisor will manage their workload and the customer experience. Key phrase-good. Every one of these actions is a chance to either enhance the relationship with the customer or completely and utterly cock it up.
Assuming the technician does his job correctly, the service advisor pretty much makes or breaks the customer experience. Quite a few of the complaints on here centre around the SA, therefore highlighting my point further how vital it is to have good ones.
And if you dont incentivise him to work faster and do poor quality work, it can work well as he doesnt need to be a salesman - because he isnt. Refer to my earlier comments re, "motivate people to do the wrong thing and they will". Main dealers are full of people motivated by perverse incentives to do the wrong thing.
Easy for independants to take work off main dealers.
At a small independent, sure, this is a good approach, but at a main dealership/large independent/specialist dealing with 30, 40, 50 customers a day, having the techs deal directly with the customers constantly just wouldn’t work. It’s essentially inefficient-someone isn’t doing something you’re paying them for their skill to do.
If it did work, I’m sure every dealership would be at it!
Regarding the motivation point-I do agree the way dealership staff are incentivised is moving very much in the wrong direction.
Good to know you agree re incentives.
jamoor said:
Why do you need an advisor to call you to tel you the car is ready when you can jaust get a push notification.
I got a text from the VW dealer that services the wife's car to tell me it was ready to collect - only problem was the text arrived the day after the service, so I'd already collected it.They sent a video too, and that told me the console bushes were tearing. Oddly it hadn't been mentioned by the service advisor, I presume because the car was under warranty. Had a bit of a "discussion" with the service manger, and he got them changed.
I go back to my point of having a good SA-as part of their qualities they need some technical knowledge. They don’t need to necessarily be able to replace a water pump themselves, but they need to know how it works and what happens if it fails.
I speak from experience of having done the job myself, then been a service manager!
Unfortunately, the corporate culture at many dealerships now is to implement many of the sales department processes and techniques into the service department, and incentivise the service advisors on upsell in a similar way. Even worse, they’ll “performance manage” them if they don’t hit the targets. The big push when I was last in the industry was service plans-Jesus I hated the things.
I totally understood the customer retention side of things, however my point to the upper management when they pushed these (harder than necessary!) was why not retain your customers by making them want to come back, rather than locking them in and forcing them to...?
Proud to say my dealership was in the top ten of the marque’s dealerships in the country for CSI responses!
I speak from experience of having done the job myself, then been a service manager!
Unfortunately, the corporate culture at many dealerships now is to implement many of the sales department processes and techniques into the service department, and incentivise the service advisors on upsell in a similar way. Even worse, they’ll “performance manage” them if they don’t hit the targets. The big push when I was last in the industry was service plans-Jesus I hated the things.
I totally understood the customer retention side of things, however my point to the upper management when they pushed these (harder than necessary!) was why not retain your customers by making them want to come back, rather than locking them in and forcing them to...?
Proud to say my dealership was in the top ten of the marque’s dealerships in the country for CSI responses!
You can view the service advisor's role rather like front of house in a restaurant.
They don't need to be great cooks themselves, and sure you can go to a restaurant where you place your order with the chef but they tend to be small and not very scalable, or you can go all high tech and order your food and have it delivered to your table without human contact but it's not the most satisfying experience.
Equally, I'm sure that those who work in the restaurant business will roll their eyes at customers who complain that they can make it better themselves and for a fraction of the cost, or the person who considers himself a bit of a gourmet and deserves special treatment because of that.
They don't need to be great cooks themselves, and sure you can go to a restaurant where you place your order with the chef but they tend to be small and not very scalable, or you can go all high tech and order your food and have it delivered to your table without human contact but it's not the most satisfying experience.
Equally, I'm sure that those who work in the restaurant business will roll their eyes at customers who complain that they can make it better themselves and for a fraction of the cost, or the person who considers himself a bit of a gourmet and deserves special treatment because of that.
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