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Waiter’s Gonna Wait

jimmy123456789

jimmy123456789

Jackass
Joined
Jul 16, 2020
Member Number
2312
Messages
140
Every shop I’ve worked in in the past always had this idea that somehow work can be done faster if the customer is waiting on their vehicle vs if it’s a drop off. I can understand a waiter vehicle taking priority over a drop off, but the repair takes the same amount of time whether the customer is standing over my shoulder watching, sitting in the waiting room, in another state or halfway across the world.




It was almost like they were expecting me to just rush through and half ass things in order to get the customer out as fast as possible, and I feel that that’s the wrong approach. It caters to customers “fast above all else” mentality and gives them ample room to complain if something takes more than 30 minutes (on a 2 hour job, mind you). In my opinion, waiters gonna wait, I don’t care if you’re waiting or not, the job still takes the same amount of time.




Before when I’d be rushed by a service writer I’d intentionally slow down and work slower to show them the error of their ways and try to make the “the job takes the same amount of time regardless of whether the customer is here or not” lesson into their heads. Finally got through to some, but others refused to listen. I told every service writer I worked with to underpromise and overdeliver, not overpromise and underdeliver. Telling a customer that a 2 hour job can be done in 30 minutes only pisses them off more when it ends up taking 2 hours vs telling them a 2 hour job will take 3 hours and then being done in 2. Makes the shop and the tech look better instead of making the service writer look like they stepped on their dick and promised something they couldn’t make happen to appease impatient customers.




What do you guys think? How do you/your shop handle waiters? And have you dealt with service writers and managers who think that work can somehow be done faster just because a customer is waiting on their vehicle?




BTW, I NEVER advise a customer to wait on their vehicle because too many shops have the wrong attitude towards waiters. Drop it off, we’ll call you when it’s done or when we have a diagnosis and estimate.
 
Never ending battle....we are "first come, first serve"....you ALWAYS have that one writer who thinks they can pish the guy through because hes camped out at the counter staring at them...*truck done yet?" :homer:
 
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If you are doing things as fast as possible all the time then it wouldnt matter. I always try to work efficiently but could hustle a little more if the (in your case service writer) asks for it. I would think you would want to kiss your service writers ass whenever possible since they are directly responsible for your workload and quality of jobs you get

Maybe you should come up with a list of little known things mechanics could do to improve thier productivity... things like planning ahead when making trips to the tool box and things like that
 
My one coworker and I have the opposite problem. We regularly destroy the book time by a large margin, and then the service writers make us "marinate" the car for the full (or close to) charged time. So.... 2hr job done in 30 minutes... Yeah... That car is sitting in your bay/hidden outside/parked under another car your waiting for parts for, etc. Huge pain in the ass. Their reasoning is so that the customer doesn't bitch and question why they got charged for 2hrs, when the car was only in the shop for 30 minutes.

On a side note... FAWK waiters, they are the devil. Almost always late, sometimes early, rarely on time. Doesn't matter when they show up, they want in and they want in NOW. We run a tech-by-tech schedule....ie:I get a paper at the end of every day, telling me what's on the schedule for me tomorrow. So, I plan my day accordingly for that 10am waiter,........that doesn't show up until 11....... The next day........ So it slows productivity down drastically.
 
I've never seen people expect the repair to be quicker or in a shotty way. I have seen them expect to be moved to the front of the line.

Here is what I do expect: If I have an appointment for an oil change at 10:00, I expect to rolling the fuck out of there at 10:45. If I have called ahead for TREs to be replaced, I expect the parts to be on site when my shit shows up and a spot on the alignment schedule held open when that fucker should be complete. If I scheduled a tune up and service, plugs, belts, hoses, etc need to be on site when I show up for my appointment. If I come in unexpectedly on the hook, my shit may have to sit for a minute while the people who had their shit together get sorted out. I expect all work to be completed in a way that returns the repair or service area to factory condition or better.

Now take a guess how often my expectations are met by a shop?
 
:flipoff2:

3B0423AB-584F-4161-93BB-56EDE01790B0.jpeg
 
I position myself strategically by the door leading to the service bay so I can keep an eye on Trevor doing one-hits over in the corner, and the old crusty mechanic pouring used Mercedes oil into the Domestic new oil vat. And pounding on the rim of my wheel to give it a balance. And not putting the oil drain cap back on. And lollygagging around looking at their phone or other shenanigans pulled by those under 38 years old.
 
Your "overpromise" is a poor example. Too often if you tell someone it'll take 3 hours (when in reality you know it'll take 2), then when the customer receives the vehicle, they'll wonder what shortcut you took, and, whether or not the car was repaired correctly. .. A best practice is to be HONEST with the consumer.. If it'll take 2 hours, tell them 2 hours. But add the caveat, that (insert appropriate hiccup here - such as, a broken exhaust manifold bolt) so that if it does take longer, they'll not be disappointed. It's less about the over/under promise, and more about the continued communication between advisor and customer.

Furthermore, from a customer perspective, it's less about whether they chose to 'wait', or 'catch a ride home' or whatever. Often it's simply a matter of logistics, whereby the ride home is more of a PITA than waiting. Especially if they've got one day off, and a shitload of other errands to run after you're done.

edit; furthermore, it's not your job to upsell the work, or, downsell it either. It's the Advisor job to keep the customer happy. It's your job to fix the car correctly, the first time. Remember, YOU make the company profit. You create bill-able hours. And if you can honestly do the job quicker than posted time, good for you, but don't slow down to teach the advisor a lesson, as it'll cost you bonus/whatever. The most common thing I've seen is Advisors whom are scared of the customer, and simply don't have the social skills to keep a dialog open - for fear of disappointing, or pissing off customer. The second most common thing I've seen is Advisors being pushed to upsell questionable services (we need to flush out your brake fluid lines, blinker fluids, etc.) and feeling like the industry itself is corrupt, yet needing the job so they don't want to quit.
 
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Just saw this exact post on another forum...weird.
I guess sometimes you really gotta vent
 
2big bronco said:
If you are doing things as fast as possible all the time then it wouldnt matter. I always try to work efficiently but could hustle a little more if the (in your case service writer) asks for it. I would think you would want to kiss your service writers ass whenever possible since they are directly responsible for your workload and quality of jobs you get

Maybe you should come up with a list of little known things mechanics could do to improve thier productivity... things like planning ahead when making trips to the tool box and things like that
Click to expand...

SMACK!!!:lmao::lmao::lmao:
 
Proof in the pudding parts replacers are a bunch of drama queens. :flipoff2:
 
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I can't believe I got suckered into another "flat-rate" post.

If I want to read this shit I'll go to r/entitledpeople.
 
Thefishguy77 said:
A local shop has their rates sign. 90/hr Normal shop rate,
120/hr if you watch & 200/hr if you try and help. :lmao:
Click to expand...

250/hr if you tried to fix it first.

On a thread related note, one of my biggest pet peeves is people that overspromise how long something is going to take. Whether its Amazon, mechanic the dentist or whatever, I wish they could just be honest.
 
I did renovation work for the majority of my career.
When a customer asked how long something would take, or what it would cost, I would tell them that in the best possible case, with no surprises when I open up the walls/floors/ceilings, no issues with materials, or other unpredictable calamities on either of our parts....$xxx is your price, and it will take X days. Then I would tell them that this is a reno, I have no idea what I will find as work progresses, and I will keep them advised of any and all issues that may arise.

I never had any complaints.
 
jimmy123456789 said:
Every shop I’ve worked in in the past always had this idea that somehow work can be done faster if the customer is waiting on their vehicle.

Yes, I'm sure that the shop managers and service writers whole heartedly believed that repairs took less time if the customer was waiting in the building. Maybe they just hoped their technician would keep his nose to the grind rather than dicking the dog.


It was almost like they were expecting me to just rush through and half ass things in order to get the customer out as fast as possible, and I feel that that’s the wrong approach. It caters to customers “fast above all else” mentality and gives them ample room to complain if something takes more than 30 minutes (on a 2 hour job, mind you). In my opinion, waiters gonna wait, I don’t care if you’re waiting or not, the job still takes the same amount of time.




Before when I’d be rushed by a service writer I’d intentionally slow down and work slower to show them the error of their ways and try to make the “the job takes the same amount of time regardless of whether the customer is here or not” lesson into their heads. Finally got through to some, but others refused to listen. I told every service writer I worked with to underpromise and overdeliver, not overpromise and underdeliver.

I bet you really showed them, those pesky service writers. You are so wise, have you ever considered moving on up to a writing position or even shop manager? You'd be the key that these places need to succeed. For sure they didn't know that a job takes the same time whether the customer waits or not.


Telling a customer that a 2 hour job can be done in 30 minutes only pisses them off more when it ends up taking 2 hours vs telling them a 2 hour job will take 3 hours and then being done in 2. Makes the shop and the tech look better instead of making the service writer look like they stepped on their dick and promised something they couldn’t make happen to appease impatient customers.

"Yes sir, this is a 2 hour job. Ill put my best tech, Jimmy### on it and he'll be sure to get it done in 3."

Honesty is key, you are right my man.



What do you guys think? How do you/your shop handle waiters? And have you dealt with service writers and managers who think that work can somehow be done faster just because a customer is waiting on their vehicle?

I think you should try being on the other side of the coin and manage/write for a premadonna such as yourself. Possibly at that point you can come to an understanding of how the real world works.



BTW, I NEVER advise a customer to wait on their vehicle because too many shops have the wrong attitude towards waiters. Drop it off, we’ll call you when it’s done or when we have a diagnosis and estimate.
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Imho
 
Are you quicker for a waiter if you're paid flat rate? If you're paid hourly do you take longer on the waiters?
 
So from the customer side I hate it when:

You call ahead to ask availability for a drop in, then 20 minutes later when you get there they somehow are now backed up 4 hours and "Have been all day"

You're told something needs to be replaced and they just think that you'll sit there while the part gets ordered, delivered, blah. If it aint critical tell me how long it will take and much notice and I'll schedule something
 
Jimmy numbers should take another approach, The Golden Hour. It's very important that he emphasizes the importance of the client’s time and tackle the repair(s) within an hour-
 
jimmy123456789 said:
Before when I’d be rushed by a service writer I’d intentionally slow down and work slower to show them the error of their ways
Click to expand...

I clicked on this thread and started reading without bothering to look who posted it. I was thinking to myself "man, this sounds like the shit jimmynumbers would whine about" then when I got to the above quoted remark finally looked over to see who the OP was... LOW AND BEHOLD! :rolleyes:
 
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