Dec. 9, 2019—Ask a room filled with shop owners if digital inspections should be done each and every time, you’ll probably get a room full of nodding heads. Is that the reality, though?
Mike Risich, founder and CEO of Bolt On, doesn’t believe it is. When asked if he believes digital inspections are happening on each and every vehicle, he’s quick to respond:
“They’re not. It’s one of the biggest human behavior challenges.”
Risich says that there are situations where it’s unnecessary or impossible to perform an inspection. For example, a customer that rolls his or her tire in to be checked detached from the vehicle. However, there are only a few circumstances that it is alright to skip the inspection. For the most part, follow the 300 percent rule: perform a digital inspection on 100 percent of the vehicles, present it to 100 percent of the customers, 100 percent of the time.
Risich says that in his experience, this rule has made shops more profitable by building trust with customers.
Why It Works
Digital inspections prove to the customer that a repair is actually needed. The proof is right there in front of them, which shows that the shop isn’t just trying to upsell. Plus, the digital aspect is appealing to today’s tech-addicted consumers, Risich points out. It may take more time than a handwritten estimate, but it pays off in the long run, he explains.
The Need for Consistency
Many go in with the best intentions. Most people plan on doing digital inspections each and every time, but obstacles soon pop up that make it difficult. The shop gets busy, for example. What’s the harm in missing a few or doing a rushed one? It turns out, it could be the difference between a customer coming back or not, says Risich.
Picture this: a customer comes in on a day that the shop isn’t very busy. The technician performs a thorough inspection and alerts the customer to all of the issues his or her vehicle has. The customer, impressed, returns a few months later to a busy shop. The inspection was either rushed or not performed at all. That customer is going to think that they’re only worth what they have time for, explains Risich. If you have time to do it on a slow day, they’ll think you’re only after their wallet if you don’t do it when you’re busy. Consistency breeds loyalty, explains Risich.
Making it Happen
It’s difficult to monitor every single thing that happens within a shop, so how can a shop owner ensure that his or her staff is doing it each and every time?
Risich steals a phrase that he heard from Barry Barrett.
“Inspect what you expect,” he says.
What he means is that you need to pay attention and make sure that there’s follow-through. That doesn’t mean you have to be on the shop floor at all times. There are tools within digital inspection software, like Bolt On’s, that track these KPIs. It can track the number of inspections per tech, for example. Not only is that useful for the shop owner, it’s also good for the tech to see the direct correlation between the inspections that they perform and the time that they turn.
“He should be able to see that in his paycheck,” Risich says.
To be successful with this, Risich points out that it’s important to point out the good, as well as the bad. Don’t just focus on the fact that inspections are not being performed. When they are, show the business difference it makes. One way to do this is with a morning huddle.
