Fixed Operations
Bodyshop: Delivering The Car On-Time
By Dave Dunn
The number one consumer complaint after having a car repaired at the body shop is that the car was not ready when promised. Delivery time debacles are a constant source of irritation to car owners and a driving force in low CSI at most car dealerships. Many are the reasons for this difficulty in processing the repair in a reasonable period of time. I will examine a few of the reasons.
Some of the reasons for long process time are inherent in the nature of the work itself. The car is smashed and it is impossible to always diagnose unseen damages. The unseen damages require that parts be ordered in many cases, and consequently, there are unforeseen delays in getting the car put back together.
Many delays, however, can be traced back to poor job planning. In a word: management. What are some of the factors that cause delays and what can be done about them?
1. Poor scheduling methods: Generally, bodyshop managers do not control scheduling. When the customer authorizes the repairs, the body shop manager makes the same fatal mistake. The manager usually says, "when would you like to bring your car in?" To which the car owner replies, "how about Monday?" In this case, the bodyshop manager must learn some new scripts. Perhaps he can take control of the scheduling by giving the customer an either-or technique. He could say, "I can get your car in either this Wednesday or the following Thursday, which would you prefer?" Why should the bodyshop manager change the focus from Monday to midweek? Typically the tendency to allow customers to bring in their cars on Monday only creates an impossible situation. He cannot start on every car that is dropped off on Monday if he have more cars coming in than you have available technicians. Consequently, the car sits for a few days until a technician is available. The car may have been promised as a four day job but if it sits untouched for two days your promised delivery date is impossible. Most shop managers try to trick the system by building a cushion into the promised date. Hence a job that really only should take four days will be scheduled with the customer being told it will take eight days. While this may solve the bodyshop promise date problem, it does nothing for customer service and process time. In properly managed shops, the bodyshop manager is always monitoring scheduling. He looks at his available manpower resources and compares them to the demand for services and schedules accordingly. He should look at the man-hours he has available per day and match up the corresponding reasonable amount of work to bring in each day.
2. Metal Shop Accountability: I am amazed at how many dealers complain about bottlenecks in their paint shops. They blame their paint shops for not being able to get cars out. The reality is that the paint shop is often symptomatic of a poorly-managed metal department. Metal shops and metal men must have some accountability set for them. Generally, the crash job is assigned to a metal man first. The shop manager may say something like, "here is your next job and it must be back to the customer by Thursday." The metal man works on the car along with other jobs and has the car ready for the paint shop on Wednesday afternoon. The paint shop gets the car on Wednesday afternoon with very little time to perform their work and yet a deadline of Thursday for delivery to the customer. The painter now must decide whether to work late Wednesday night or miss a delivery time. The reality is that our paint shops are often receiving the car too late to do the job right. Bad blood often develops between the paint shop and the metal shop. The paint shop is always blamed for the late delivery and the paint shop blames the metal shop for not getting the car to them on time. The solution to this dilemma is to create a deadline for the metal shop. We call it "Specific Metal Shop Out-Times." Here's how it works. When the bodyshop manager assigns the job to the technician, he gives the metal man a specific deadline for his task. Instead of saying the car must be done Thursday, he tells him that the car needs to be ready for the paint shop by Tuesday at 3:00 PM. The metal man needs to be accountable to a specific time relative to his department. (not some general time that someone else will be forced to live up to) In every shop we have implemented this, the morale has improved between departments and delivery time has improved.
Bodyshops are being judged by insurance companies today on their cycle time.
Our customers often evaluate their experience based on our promised delivery dates.
Let's start managing our metal departments and we will see a drastic improvement in CSI and in real cycle time.
Dave Dunn is the owner of Dave's Auto Body in Galesburg, Ill., and the founder of Masters School of Autobody Management in Santa Barbara, California. ddunn@dealeronline.com
