Creating workflow systems to drive cash flow is like building a superhighway and it takes a focused, intentional effort to build a highway you can drive 70 MPH for hours
In parts one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven of the Workflow to Cash Flow series we learned about driving profits, creating cash flow, cash flow reserves and measuring ROI to reinvest into your business to bring even greater increase.
Creating workflow systems to drive cash flow is like building a superhighway and it takes a focused, intentional effort to build a highway you can drive 70 MPH for hours. It takes the same amount of effort to build your “Workflow to Cash Flow Superhighway.” In the end, building highly efficient, profit-driven, and customer-educational “canned jobs” will payout great dividends.
Canned jobs have multiple contexts of function beyond saving time. Below is a list of what you should be expecting or experiencing from your canned jobs:
- Saves time for advisors having to type professional high value for what is or was done to the customers’ vehicles.
- Triggers legitimate additional labor and parts relevant to the vehicle system’s current needs to elevate your final product the customer.
- Creates built-in higher levels of technician/shop efficiency.
- Creates higher volumes of Gross Profit (GP) dollars.
- Educates customers on preventative maintenance (PM) services of need, time and mileage intervals.
- Attached vehicle specific system disclaimers about the operation and possible continued issues.
- Identifies additional warranties beyond your regular warranty.
Let’s look at what some of these points could look like:
Point 1: Old story (labor time guide value expression) versus enhanced story
Example: Reseal a “wet valley intake manifold”;
• Old Story = R&R Intake Manifold: w/AC add .3, w/PS add.2 = $575
• New Story = Customer OK’d to reseal the lower intake manifold gaskets as needed including changing the oil and filter as required. Work Performed:
— Drained the engine coolant and oil and removed the needed brackets, hoses, belts, fuel supply lines, injector and/or rails as needed and the upper/lower intake manifolds. Cleaned the gasket surfaces and flushed the intake valley of debris. Cleaned the throttle plate with throttle plate cleaner. Rodded out the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) passages as needed.
— Reassembled with new gasket kit, thermostat, listed hoses and clamps, High Temp Heavy Duty sealer and other parts listed. Changed the oil and filter where needed and flushed the cooling system (see below Pkg). Serviced the cooling system with fresh coolant PH Balance and pressure tested (see below Pkg). No leaks. Started and ran till normal operation temp and road tested. Re-inspected and no leaks at this time. See below for related injector sonic cleaning and/or tune-up parts replaced at the same time as needed. Installed lube sticker. =$575
Both sold for $575 in labor, but:
- Which one will your customer see the real value of what was done?
- Which one helps educate your new non-automotive advisor learning automotive systems and gives them language to use with your customers?
- Which one helps educate your younger techs in an overall process of what to do for the operation?
- Which one greatly reduces advisor AND technician time writing or typing out a good story for what was done. Typing this level of value can take about 5-7 minutes of uninterrupted time for each labor line. Four labor lines RO average and you are close to 30 minutes for each RO. Canned jobs speeds this up greatly!
Point 2: Triggers additional labor and parts to elevate professionalism and quality to the repair.
The No. 2 auto repair shop constraint is forgetfulness. “Whoops! Forgot to add those parts, order those parts, add that labor, type out a disclaimer, add additional warranty for the part or service, etc.”
Your canned jobs should trigger the needed parts for the operation being done. All of them. Create a master “wet valley intake reseal” canned job for all makes and models. Then once you do a job on a GM, Ford or Dodge, save it for that year, make and model.
The canned job should also trigger additional labor lines such as Lube, Oil & Filter and cooling system services. Since you will be part way to replacing sparkplugs on most intake reseals this would be the time to suggest doing a “tune-up” and save your customer dollars by doing it now.
Disclaimers are a great way to take a normal “staged’ repair process. Fix the obvious broken vehicle system now, but it may have short-lived another part or system needed to be done later.
Example for coolant leaks:
PLEASE NOTE: Coolant leak repairs can be a several-stage process to stop all coolant leaks. After the initial coolant leak repairs are done it can happen that additional leaks will become evident due to the system that may have been overheated or weakened a seal or gasket that will now have full pressure applied. That weakened seal or gasket may or may not start leaking right away. Customer is to monitor the coolant level and if it is going low, deeper diagnosing and repairs will need to be performed.
Your canned jobs should trigger additional sales for you by way of reminding you what else is needed. The CompuTrek Canned Jobs typical yield another 15-20 percent raise in sales from the built-in triggers and increased efficiencies. Take the time to build your canned jobs so, eventually, estimating multiple labor lines can be done in a matter of minutes versus taking an hour or more.
I spent 2,500 to 3,000 hours or more creating the CompuTrek Canned Jobs, a superhighway of cashflow. I used them in my shop and enhanced them even further over the last 14 years of coaching all different kind of shops. Want to learn even more about canned jobs? Email be about attending our complimentary Canned Job Training webinar.
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** Forward this “Aftermarket Matters Weekly” to another shop before July 1, and cc’ Coach Dave (copy and paste the email below) and CompuTrek will email you Repair Order Disclaimers for FREE!
Dave Schedin can be reached at 800-385-0724, dave@computreksystems.com, and www.computreksystems.com. A complimentary 30-minute discussion is available for the asking.
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