Bodyenergyshop Discount Coupon Code

Part one of a two-part series

I have been involved in this great industry for more than 30 years. In that time, I worked for a large group of consolidaron, dealer shop and a couple of small independent groups. All ot these repairers fix cars very well. They also have faced many issues on a daily basis that they really shouldn't have had to. These issues include poor repair quality, low morale, bad CSI scores and poor cycle times.

The one underlying cause of all these issues is employee quality and performance. Universally, the one thing all of these shops did was not hire the right people and/or put people in the wrong positions. Unfortunately, these mistakes are status quo in much ot the collision industry and have been for years. Do you have any idea what it costs to train employees only to lose them to another shop or be forced to fire them yourself after investing time, money and effort into training? If not, you should.

In the history ofthe industry, the pool of qualified candidates for all collision shop positions has been relatively small, especially in the past 10 years or so. In the average collision market, many of the qualified, or unqualified employees for that matter, have been ''recycled" - going from one shop then back to another over and over.

In light of the recent economic conditions, more technicians and other qualified personnel have been finding their way into the market due to layofE or shop closings. This has produced, in some markets, a surplus of available, qualified candidates. This is a situation most of us are not used to and may have some difficulty navigating.

Here are some tips on how to hire the right people, put them in the best possible situation for success and keep them as part of your team for many years.

Change your thinking

Your staff, your employees, are the most important asset you have. They are a reflection of your shop and your business principles. In most cases, your staff ultimately is what makes a customer decide to use your shop instead of another one

Consumers today have many choices when it comes to getting their cars fixed. Most DRPs offer several local options EO a customer when offering their programs. The customer may initially choose your shop based on its location in relation to their home or work, bat they will make the decision to use you for the repairs based on the performance of your people.

Think about this. You choose to go to a restaurant that you heard through friends was fantastic. They raved on and on about it during your last get together. You make reservations, get all dressed up and go. When you arrive, no one greets you, or worse yet, the hostess greets you angrily (as if you are a distraction to her "important" cell phone call to her boyfriend). You brush off her rudeness initially, only to wait for what seems forever to get seated, even though you had a reservation. Once seated, you are graced by a waiter who is in a hurry, handling several tables more than he/she is capable of. You don't get drinks for a half hour and by the time you order your food you have been in the place for two hours. In this scenario, even if the food is fantastic, would you go back again? Probably not.

It's easy to see how not having the right staff, handling the right amount of volume, improperly or hastily trained, could virtually ruin your business. How many tunes have you witnessed similar situations in your shop - customers not being greeted properly by your customer service rep/estimator, waiting long periods for the service they had an appointment for, or just not being treated as well as they should.

Specific job descriptions

Does your shop or shop group have detailed job descriptions for every position in your company? If not, start today to make it step one in the process of hiring and retaining the best and brightest employees. Job descriptions serve several important functions. Most importantly, they outline your company's expectations for your employees by position.

When an employee is hired, that person needs to be given 3 copy of the job description for his or her prospective position. The job description outlines the requirements and duties of the position succinctly. Each individual job function is outlined clearly and completely in the body of the document. Employees, after having read the document, are generally required to sign the form, stating they understand what is expected of them in their positions.

Not only must the employee be aware of all the responsibilities of the position, you need to be as well. You can use the job description as reference during an interview with a prospective employee. Once the employee starts with the company, the employee will clearly understand your expectations and will have little reason not to comply with your protocols. If the employee doesn't comply, you will have some recourse to reference during a review. If an employee is not performing to your expectations, you can refer to the job description and point out the areas where you would like to see improvement. On the right is a basic job description for a customer service manager.

Job descriptions also can be important tools in the event of a legal dispute between your shop and an employee.

As you can see, the description clearly states the basic duties of a person in this position. Again, you should have one for every position in the shop.

Descriptions can be as detailed as you would like. As a rule, they are not required by any laws I am aware of To me, they are extremely important tools in beginning to better handle your hiring needs. You can develop them easily by sitting down and outlining all of the duties you would expect a person to perform in any one of the positions in your shop. I suggest spending a couple hours putting these together right away if you do not have them currendy.

Position benchmarking

Every shop or shop group has one or more "superstars" that are "picture perfect" employees. They are always on time or early; they approach each task with a zest and energy that is unbelievable. All your customers love them. How do you hire and train more people like this? Wouldn't it be great to have an entire staff of superstars?

It's possible. Keep in mind, not all personalities are the same. No amount of training or prodding is going to change a person's personality. Pay close attention to your prospective employee during an interview to try and pick up on the person's personality. Use common sense and your job description as a reference. If you are hiring a customer service rep, you will need someone who is outgoing, and bubbly. A shy, demure, soft-spoken person may be a better fit for a position that does not require public contact or interaction.

Do not be in a rush to hire someone because you just need a "body" there. This common mistake likely could cost you thousands in lost customers or possibly a DRP contract.

How do you fill your shop with superstars? Benchmark the best.

Look closely at all your high-performing staff members. Write down all the things they do that put them in the superior category. This list will become your benchmarking list for that particular position.

Once an average employee reaches one of the benchmarks for superior performance in their position, reward them. This reward doesn't have to be monetary. It can be time off, a free dinner or one step in a plan for advancement to a higher position. Develop a benchmarking list for all positions and discuss the list with potential new hires during an interview. Not only will this help motivate your current employees to excel, it also will show prospective employees that you reward riiose who perform well in your company and in turn, make your shop more desirable to prospective employees.