It takes a lot for me to endorse a product, but today I was fortunate to sit in on a webinar where I learned about Repair Shop Solutions, a vehicle multipoint inspection process that blows the doors off anything I have seen in the past. My only regret, why didn’t I think of this!
Joe Marconi - autoshopowner.com
For a sample of one of our finished inspections - CLICK HERE
Quick Highlights:
* Works on any tablet, mobile device or PC, anywhere - no expensive hardware to buy, no software to download
* Photos added from a camera, PC, tablet or phone let the customer see what you're working on
* Integration with Mitchell and RO Writer shop management systems (more coming)
* No long term contracts, No startup fees
* No limits, multiple inspection forms for each job
* Can be used as a checksheet for jobs done like air conditioning, diagnostics, Etc. (Sample)
One of the most important tools used in the auto repair business is a vehicle inspection. The inspection is used to validate needed work and explore other items that may need attention.
The mechanics inspection allows the shop to determine the vehicles condition and advise the customer of needed repairs and maintenance. If the customer chooses to follow the mechanics recommendations found during the inspection, we can lessen the chance of breakdown, increase reliability and help retain the vehicles resale value.
Management trainers across the country preach that the mechanics should do a "Good" and “Thorough” inspection, which means that all items are checked thoroughly and not just skimmed over. However, there has never been a good way to check to see that the inspections were good and thorough without going over them a second time with another employee.
Typically, a mechanic is asked to do an inspection on every oil change service and sometimes on new customers to establish a “baseline” of the vehicles condition. In most cases, the inspection is a sheet of paper, sometimes a two part form that is handed to the mechanic and returned to the service writer filled out. It usually consists of check marks noting items are ok, marginal or needs attention. There will normally be a few handwritten notes from the mechanic as well.
Problems with this type of inspection:
The paperwork gets dirty.
The handwritten notes are barely legible, similar to reading a doctors notes.
Spelling can be embarrassing.
The inspection sheet is usually given to the customer with either no second copy retained at the garage or if there is a second copy, it is attached to the repair order and filed away in storage with the information hard to get to or never looked at again.
When the car is brought in for the next service (3-4 months later), there is no recorded list of items the car needed and the mechanics notes are somewhere in storage.
The customer has the last copy of an inspection and compares it to the one he gets today, wondering how items recommended last time fixed themselves or brakes actually grew in thickness since the last visit.
The mechanic could overlook items that he does not like to do.
The mechanic could overstate problems on items that he does like to do.
The shop owner has no easy way to see if the mechanics are doing a proper inspection.
Solutions:
Online inspections through a web portal.
Inspection is printed by the service advisor or the customer, it never sees dirty hands.
All communication is legibly printed and easy to read, notes are consistent.
An online copy is easily retrieved at any time by the shop, customer or mechanic.
An online copy of the last inspection could easily be referred to which can aid the mechanic with the current inspection in progress.
Shop owners could access reports that show trending (overstating or understating of items) for individual mechanics. Data and notes would be consistent. No more vague explanations, they would be clear and concise.
Explanations could read “Brake fluid is dirty and has excessive moisture content, needs to be replaced” rather than “Brake fluid is bad”.
Shop Owners and Managers have the ability to create from scratch several different inspections, or use a pre-populated template to get started. Available inspections could be anything from a simple 15 item "Courtesy Inspection", "35 Point Inspection" done with most services, to a "Comprehensive Inspection" with 150 items listed.
During a normal process, either the Technician will start a new inspection from scratch or the Service Advisor can start one and assign it to a specific Tech. Once the inspection has been performed at the workstation, it can be printed, emailed or saved to a hard drive locally.
Product Features:
Inspections can be designed by the shop or chosen from a list of most common forms.
Forms can be customized by the shop and even include their logo.
Inspections can be started from either the Service Writer or the Technician.
Multiple types of inspections are available for each car, Quick, 35 Point, Comprehensive, or whatever you choose.
Inspections are done using any internet connected device, PC, laptop, tablet, even a smartphone.
Consistent inspections done the same way in the same order each time.
Color coded checkboxes to indicate Good, Marginal or Needs Attention.
When a checkbox is marked either yellow or red, a simple drop down of choices appears for easy explanation and consistent data on wear or failures.
Once finished with the inspections, it is presented in pdf format for easy printing, email or storage.
Dashboard section for the Managers and Shop Owners allow them to view in real time which cars have been inspected and each inspection can be viewed online from any device.
Reporting section for Managers and Shop Owners allow a quick or in depth view into individual mechanics habits to insure they are doing the inspections properly and not just “filling it in”.
Quick reports show the Owner how many inspections have been done by month, tech, manager, etc. The reports can also include how much work was left undone.
Here's a quick overview of our process:
Reports:
Our patented reports are available to help you manage your inspection process and insure your customers are getting a "Good/Honest" inspection everytime. The Mechanics Performance report shows you how many inspections were done by each tech, how many times they recommended each service and their percentages of recommendation rates. It allows a shop manager to easily identify habits that lead to lost sales or over selling. Here's a sample: And a quick video:
Our patented "RO Completion" report allows managers to see in real time unsold work, sales percentages from the inspection processes and it quickly shows what each mechanics average repair order is worth. This report also helps identify service advisor habits by showing an advisor that may be selling a higher percentage of work for one mechanic and a lower one for another mechanic. this can help identify when an advisor does not believe in a mechanics recommendations.
The inspection is used to validate needed work and explore other items that may need attention.
