Key Highlights
- Anthony Bodine advocates for continuous improvement, emphasizing that a shop is never "done" and always has room to enhance efficiency.
- Key strategies include raising the average repair order (ARO), eliminating wait times, and attracting customers willing to travel for quality service.
- Bodine recommends planning ahead, clear communication with customers, and scheduling flexibly to maximize technician productivity.
- Focusing on doing more of what works, rather than adding new services or locations, helps reduce costs and prevent burnout.
- His success demonstrates that optimizing existing operations can lead to higher profitability and a more sustainable business.
Anthony Bodine is never “done.”
According to him, there’s always room for improvement and his shop, Protech Automotive Services in Johnston, Rhode Island, gets better every single day. That’s because Bodine has figured out a key to success—improve what you’re already doing rather than adding more.
“You can always find reasons why numbers aren’t there, but reality is every shop has things that work against them and hurt efficiency and there’s always room for improvement,” Bodine says. “It’s never done.”
Another location? More space? Additional services? Those are all well and good for some people, but all Bodine sees is additional headaches and costs.
“We try to maximize what we’re doing here,” Bodine explains.
If there are inefficiencies—leaking technician time, for example—that’s only going to follow you to a second location.
Backstory:
Bodine’s lifelong passion for cars and entrepreneurial spirit made it a no-brainer that he would someday open his own shop. After going to school for business, he was able to do just that in 2010 when he opened Protech Automotive Services. He says that if you’d have talked to him back then, he would have been certain that he would have opened an additional location or two by now. But these days, he has an entirely new perspective on running a business and he realizes that maximizing what he and his team are currently doing is the best plan for him right now.
Problem:
Years ago, Bodine had a packed parking lot every single day, which sounds great, but the reality was it was causing burnout.
“We had so many cars—high car count—everyone was stressed. We weren’t making money,” Bodine says.
They were taking in everything and packing the schedule full. It resulted in overwhelmed techs that were breezing through inspections and grabbing the low-hanging fruit. More cars don’t always equal more revenue, Bodine learned, and he knew he needed to do something.
Solution:
Years ago, Bodine would brainstorm what he could do to bring in more revenue and alleviate stress. What about doing rental cars? Maybe adding detailing or windshields? In the end, he always went back to doing more of what they were already doing in a more efficient way.
“We already have a building and equipment; we’re running on fixed costs,” he notes. “If we increase ARO or output without adding a second part of the business, wouldn’t it be easier?”
Easier said than done, right? Bodine shares a few secrets to his success in making more out of what he already has:
Raise ARO
Bodine knew he needed to promote quality over quantity, meaning it was better to see fewer vehicles per day and give those a thorough inspection which would hopefully lead to higher AROs. They use DVIs and communicate clearly with their customers to let them know exactly where their cars stand, which has resulted in a higher ARO.
Drop Waiters
Unless it’s a special circumstance, Bodine doesn’t allow waiting appointments. Everything is drop-off so techs don’t have to jump off of what they’re already working on to get to an appointment. They’re up front with their customers about this and they offer loaner vehicles. Bodine adds that the loaner vehicles are an added expense but it’s worth it in the end because it helps with technician efficiency.
Find the Right Customer
Rather than attracting any work they could, Bodine and his team started trying to attract the right customer by spreading out their marketing.
“The further out we market, the less volume you see, but the ones that you do see the value because they’re passing seven other shops to get to yours.”
Customers that are driving half an hour to get to your shop want to get everything they can take care of at that appointment rather than making another trip. Bodine says the ARO he sees from customers that come from outside the immediate vicinity of their shop is 20% to 30% higher.
“Attracting the right customer has been huge for us. Higher average RO, lower volume, better customers.”
Think Outside of the Box
Shops all have slower periods. The week kids go back to school, for example, is a time when Bodine sees a decline in vehicles coming in. Rather than just waiting it out, he decided to add on fleet customers. The fleets that he works with have the same slow period that he does, so it works out perfectly. They bring their vehicles in to be serviced at that time since they’re less in demand and Bodine is able to keep his typical workload.
Plan Ahead
Whenever a technician has to stop—for whatever the reason—it kills efficiency and revenue. Bodine does whatever he can to keep his team moving and one of the ways he does this is by planning ahead for the jobs that they know are coming in. For example, his team always reminds customers to bring in their registrations and both license plates if they’re coming in for state inspections because so many customers forget and have to leave and come back. He also orders parts ahead of time for vehicles that come in regularly and he knows what needs to be done.
Clear Communication
One big bottleneck Bodine noticed was customer approvals. An inspection and the estimate were complete, but the customer often wouldn’t answer the phone to approve work for three hours. The vehicle, parts, and technician would just be sitting stagnant waiting on a yes or a no. The way that Bodine has gotten around this is by communicating a timeline to customers about when they can expect a phone call and to ask whether or not it’s a good time. If they’re in a meeting at that time, Bodine’s team will adjust the timeline to what works for the shop and the customer.
“Keep them in the loop and we’re not waiting on a customer,” Bodine says.
Schedule with Purpose
Bodine says that scheduling is one—if not the biggest—pain point for any shop. He says he and his team are constantly looking at the schedule to see what they can to be as efficient as possible. For example, if halfway through the day they’re all caught up and the day is slowing down, they’ll call people in and let them know they can bring their vehicles in early. Bodine says that if the schedule is light on Wednesday, he knows that his team has already called people that have appointments on Friday to bring their vehicles in the next day. They also only do waiters for special circumstances and, if they do allow a waiter, they do it first thing in the morning or right after lunch so the technician doesn’t have to stop what they’re working on.
Aftermath:
By making adjustments and maximizing what he was already doing, Bodine has been able to cut down on car count and raise his ARO. Six years ago, Protech Automotive Services was averaging 575 cars per month with an ARO of roughly $300. Today, the monthly car count is 325 with an ARO of $850 with the goal of working up to 375 cars per month and an ARO of $900 by the end of 2026.
Takeaway:
Bodine says you need to be honest with yourself and dig deep. Look at your numbers and see where there’s room for improvement. If you’re unsure, compare numbers with other shops. If your ARO is half of what everyone else’s is, there’s a place to start.
“Your real true competitor is inefficiencies in your own shop,” Bodine says.
