AutoFix AdvisorCast

Michael Doherty [00:00:01]:
This is the Autofix Advisor Cast, powered by Worldpack. Welcome to another episode of the Autofix Advisor Cast with your host Michael Dougherty, sponsored by WorldPak and WorldPak Training Institute. Be sure to check out WorldPak.com for the latest in auto parts distribution and WTITraining.com to explore training programs that can and will take your career to the next level. Also, don't forget to mark your calendars for the 2026 WorldPAC STX taking place in Washington D.C. it will be a can't miss event. Service Advisor Nation welcome to another episode and I hope that you are doing well. Earlier in my career, and I would say earlier I would define that by the probably first, second, third year as being a service advisor. And at that point it was really in the dealership setting.

Michael Doherty [00:01:03]:
I was working for a Audi dealership at the time in North Carolina. And what I was running into was the technicians were coming back to me after a job was dispatched. And at that time, to be totally honest, I wasn't dispatching like I was or am now working at an independent shop as a service advisor. It was set up way differently, vastly differently. So my primary job was to build and maintain client relationships. And that still is to this day. But when the work order would come to me from the technician, it would already have parts on it that were supplied by the parts department. It would have labor on it supplied by the technician.

Michael Doherty [00:01:46]:
And then it was my job to call the client and of course with using client guided sales, make them understand and hopefully they, you know, wanted to do some business with us that day or that week or whatever. But I was running into roadblocks with the technicians where after a job was approved, the work order was sent back to the technician. The technician would come up and say, hey, you know, we've got a broken bolt, we've got a tie rod that is seized that we've, you know, got this vehicle on the alignment rack. Now, things of that nature that weren't always comfortable to call a client back after recommending work and the client buying work, purchasing work, and then having to call them back and let them know, hey, it's going to be another 2, 3, $400 between parts and labor to do some of these things. And at that point I had determined that a lot of those things were unfortunately, I believe to be uncontrollable variables. You know, rust, tie rod adjusters. On a lot of the Audis there was what was called a long bolt, which is at the upper front position. And Upper rear position, control arm assembly, and it kind of slid through that upper arm and made sure that they were, you know, secured.

Michael Doherty [00:03:03]:
But that bolt was also notorious for not coming out. And the technician would go through several drill bits and on top of additional labor and parts for the client, again making those phone calls afterwards. So I try to figure out, you know, how can I make those uncontrollable variables, controllable variables? And for the ones that were uncontrollable variables, it was focusing on the lesson learned from that first experience or second experience kind of building in my head, hey, this isn't the first time this happened with this year make and model vehicle. Not the second time it happened, not the third time. So I got in the habit of kind of making a mental log, if you would, of which vehicles. And again, this was Audi specific at the time, but this transfers over to varying makes and models these days. But just at that moment when I was working at the Audi dealer, that's what we worked on, was Audi and nothing else. So being in the independent world, we work on a vast variety of other vehicles, but again, focusing on the lesson learned and continuing to grow and make those things controllable variables to a degree.

Michael Doherty [00:04:10]:
And what I mean by that is, so if we had a vehicle that had preexisting rust, letting the client know in advance when I'm speaking to them about what's going on with their vehicle, especially if there's suspension work that we're going to be doing, engine work, et cetera. Hey, Mr. And Mrs. Jones, I'm sure you're aware, but this vehicle has pre existing rust and it is possible that a bolt or bolts or hardware may break. We're not going to use heavy hands going into the repair. But just a heads up, we may be calling you back to let you know there might be some additional work needed if those things don't cooperate and come apart as planned. And also, you know, letting the technician know, hey, before you start this work, could you, you know, start spraying down those bolts, those areas of, we'll call it preexisting rust with a penetrating oil. Let it sit for a little while, let it soak in, you know, give it the best chance to not have, you know, an issue there.

Michael Doherty [00:05:04]:
And at the same time, you know, again, you know, uncontrollable and controllable variables. But again, for me, it was trying to figure out how to take those uncontrollable variables and make them more of a controllable variable. So it wasn't a surprise to the client in the write up. And that is years and years of just again, repeat, repeat, repeat process. But we can take that knowledge and apply to again other makes and models and vehicles. And I found less unsatisfactory phone calls with the clients if we let them know about it in advance. And that was a good thing. So at the same time, you know, creating opportunities, you know, creating opportunities to show them transparency, you know, the clients, tell them in advance things that are going on.

Michael Doherty [00:05:48]:
And I actually had a conversation with my coworker, service advisor, other service advisor last week. I said, hey, when's the last time we mentioned to a client proactively, again, doing, you know, creating opportunities, doing a proactive, you know, sunroof drain cleaning? And she kind of looked at me and she goes, I don't think I've ever done that. And I said, yeah, me either. So we started going back through client service histories for upcoming service reservations that next day and kind of, you know, looking down the list of what they've been in for before and things like that, and we just, we couldn't find any. So, you know, again, creating opportunities not only for the shop but for the client because, you know, at some point in time, water intrusion is going to happen from debris buildup. Where we live in North Carolina, there's a lot of, you know, just things flying around in the air. Pine straw, pine leaves, pine cones, all that stuff. But all that debris just, you know, driving and sometimes the car just even sitting, you know, just builds holes up, passageways for water.

Michael Doherty [00:06:49]:
We find a lot of times we open the hood of a vehicle, the cowl, you know, the cowl is just piled with debris. It kind of looks like a mini beaver dam. And you know, for vehicles that we're going to be doing engine work on anyways, a lot of the BMWs for valve covers replacement, you got to take the cowl apart to get to the backside of the valve cover where it meets the firewall. You know, we're cleaning that debris out for the client as a courtesy. But if we're not going to be doing engine work, you know, again making the recommendation, hey, we'd recommend removing this beaver dam to allow water to, you know, drain properly and you know, even go to the extent now in the future to recommend, you know, sunroof drain cleanings proactively if they've never done it, because again, at some point in time it's going to clog up. When it clogs up, it's an inconvenience. You know, they're getting Dripped on or their feet's getting wet or the foot's getting wet, the footwell's got standing water and you know some something's going to happen. And also, you know, there's vapor barriers behind doors.

Michael Doherty [00:07:44]:
That's not, I would say really proactive. But you know, if you're going to be in the area, you know, doing a window regulator or inner door handle assembly removal, replacement window motor, etc. You know, being very careful to reinstall the vapor barrier correctly. If the car is a certain age, I've always used the rule of thumb, if it's more than eight years old, it's not an expensive part. I'm going to recommend a new vapor barrier to the client. And sometimes we've seen going into door panels, someone's been in there before, there's missing bolts, somebody has used a two part epoxy, somebody's put duct tape over the vapor barrier. I mean if you've got the ability to, if your point of sale system allows you to take pictures of those things again building the storyline, letting the client know, hey now be a good time to replace this to prevent X, Y or Z from happening. So you know, just stuff like that.

Michael Doherty [00:08:34]:
So again, taking some of these what we consider uncontrollable variables and trying to make them controllable variables. Also at times when earlier in my career when they were uncontrollable variables, you know, trying to, I would say when I'm on the phone with the client expressing these things that you know, that we've encountered that we didn't know about. Again building along my career of being a service advisor, when you're speaking to them about that, that don't go into it, they're going to be mad at you, don't go into it that you know, this is something that you know that you've caused. You know, be very clear, be very transparent in what you're explaining to them and you know, have confidence at that time. Especially because you don't want them thinking that it's something that you caused. And sometimes they will, you know, a client will accuse the shop of breaking apart or whatever. So again that's where the turning it from an uncontrollable into a controllable variable in the beginning often helps, especially with suspension work, things of that nature. Letting them know again, pre existing rust, anything you see or can remember that might have been an issue on that car, previous vehicle for a client that could be an issue with this car.

Michael Doherty [00:09:47]:
Just be upfront about it and you know, the Calmer you are, the clear you think. And that comes across the board on everything that you're explaining to a client about their vehicle. The calmer you are, the clearer you think. And as you're talking, you're thinking and you're also listening, you know, listening. Again, we follow the, we got two ears, one mouth. So when the client is talking, listen, but also be thinking about what your response is going to be and you know, again, for those uncontrollable variables, focusing on the lesson learned and continue to grow. Again, a lot of it's teamwork. I had a great podcast not too long ago with Chris Cotton, the owner of Auto Fix.

Michael Doherty [00:10:30]:
And we got talking about, you know, the front, the back, the technicians, the service advisors. And he was mentioning to me about he had a technician that wasn't filling out the DVI correctly or at all and sending it back up front to the service advisor. And the service advisor didn't make any adjustments and that vehicle left without having, you know, courtesy check or a DVI performed. And, you know, the conversation he's having with his co workers, employees, whatever about that, you know, stop how to, how to prevent that moving forward. And, you know, it comes down to accountability, accountability for your team. You know, if a team member, if you see that they forgot a step, reminding them, you know, kicking the ticket back, going and having that conversation again. It can be a conversation and not an argument. It's how you present it to one another from a coworker standpoint.

Michael Doherty [00:11:20]:
Again, if you go back there, yeah, you didn't do this right. It's going to be an argument if you go back, hey, look, I know you had eight cars today. I think maybe you missed this one. I think it was just a mistake. Could you pull the car back in and do the DVI before I call the client? The size of the group doesn't matter that you're working with. The teamwork does. Again, the size of the group doesn't matter. The teamwork does.

Michael Doherty [00:11:48]:
Cohesion, synergy, working together, communication, comprehension of communication when you're speaking to one another. Again, the understanding, making sure each party knows why of what you're talking about, not just xyz. And assume that they're going to understand. You're breaking it down. Again, the comprehension of that, but all great things. Also, on the creating opportunities front, you know, a lot of shops have the ability and have local business connections with sublet vendors, painting, wheel repair, windshield repair, things of that nature. And, you know, being the best as you can to your clients is a one Stop shop, I think is very important. You know, it's easy to say, no, we don't do that.

Michael Doherty [00:12:42]:
And, but here's who we'd recommend or, you know, or just even know, we don't do that. And some shops don't even give a referral. But if you've got a good relationship with some vendors in the area that perform that work, the best time to make those notations is when the service advisor is doing the vehicle check in and, you know, you're noting dents, dings, wheel rash, whatever. Again, thinking about, you know, maybe the client isn't aware that you can offer those services for them or have those services done. And again, if you're set up with sublet vendors for wheel repair, if you're going to be doing tire work anyways and the wheel has to be dismounted, you know, you know, mentioning to the client, hey, are you interested in having that curb rash replay or repaired while we have your vehicle? And here's a, here's a price point for that. Excuse me, just gonna grab a drink real quick. If you're doing a walk around and you know, encounter a cracked windshield or impact damage on a windshield, you know, maybe having the conversation with the client, hey, while the vehicle is going to be here for a day or two for some repairs, do you want to get in touch with your insurance company and see if they want to send somebody out to have that replaced while the car is going to be sitting around in the parking lot for a day anyways or two days? You know, again, maximizing time for them, but also showing them again, the value, value in what you're offering them. You know, just because it's something that you normally wouldn't do in house if you have sublet vendors or again, the car is going to be there for a couple days.

Michael Doherty [00:14:09]:
Things that you might be able to help them with that will also make their car look better aesthetically. I've had a lot of times where clients ask us if we do paint and body work, we do not do that service. However, there is a great company not too far down the road that does painting repairs, minor, minor body damage. You know what I mean by that is somebody backed into a trailer hitch inadvertently. If somebody scraped a curb with their lower front bumper, you know, these are things that they're doing with the body panels still on the car. And it's worked out pretty good over the years. We've had a pretty good relationship with that individual. And again, it's something that if the car is going to be there For a couple days, you know, looking at it and offering the client the option if you can, you know, and letting them know you can maybe help them out with that if they're interested.

Michael Doherty [00:15:00]:
And what I also have found is for clients that have vehicles that they're just a primary driver and nobody else drives the vehicle, it's astonishing. They are totally unaware of the passenger side of the vehicle. They never go over to it, they never walk around it. For the most part, some of the enthusiasts that have cars do. But nine times out of 10 people that are one driver, vehicles, they do not know really what exists on the passenger side of the car. So again, that's where the pictures, it's important to take pictures at time of vehicle check in documentation, wheel rash, dense dings, you know, a mirror cover being cracked or broken. Again, at time of vehicle check in to prevent, you know, the. It wasn't like that.

Michael Doherty [00:15:46]:
Which I'm sure every auto shop has had the experience. When someone comes to pick up their car, they come back in and say, hey, you know, can I borrow you a second? And they point out something on their car and say, well, this wasn't like that. And having the confidence in the conversation, again, not the argument, but the conversation showing them the picture and the time of that picture taken, that yes, it was preexisting when the car came in. And hey, you know, if you'd like to a referral for getting that fixed or if you want to leave it with us, we can maybe help you facilitate that with a local vendor. Again, having that conversation, again, it builds transparency. You were being honest with them. So, you know, again, just that again, could be an uncontrollable variable made a controllable variable very quickly. And again, building trust with your client, building value in what your business offers.

Michael Doherty [00:16:34]:
And again, coming from the mindset of helping, helping the client out, building and retaining client relationships. So, you know, all great things. Also, a quote that I saw the other day that I felt was very important to our industry. And I know it's often easy to forget and maybe not due to, you know, coworkers. I hope no one's doing it to clients, but sometimes co workers, we tend to have coworkers that get under our skin or poke at us when we're having a bad day, but this quote really resonated. It said, treat all people with respect. Don't reserve your best behavior for special occasions. And that is very important.

Michael Doherty [00:17:12]:
That pertains 100% to our industry, the automotive industry. So again, treat all people with respect, don't reserve your best behavior for special occasions. So Service Advisor Nation, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for tuning into another episode of the autofix Advisor Cast. Again, our great sponsor Wolpack, thank you for your partnership and I hope everybody has a great upcoming week and upcoming holidays to spend with their family as well. We're nearing Thanksgiving over here in North Carolina and again, create opportunities, make clients happy, value in what you're offering. Working with sublet vendors to maybe accommodate some requests for clients that you normally wouldn't do or offering. You know them those services that they may not know that you can get done for them if their cars are for a couple days, maybe waiting on a part or it's on the lift and you're waiting on a part, et cetera. But again, really just building that relationship, showing them that you care and it is going to work out fantastic for you.

Michael Doherty [00:18:15]:
So again, Service Advisor Nation, this is Michael Dougherty signing off for the autofix Advisor Cast. Have a great one. Thank you so much. Hey, thanks for listening to the autofix Advisor Cast. If you're ready to take your shop to the next level, check out our sponsor WorldPAC and the WorldPAC Training Institute WTI. Big thanks to them for their sponsorship. Follow the podcast on social media for more insights and subscribe so you never miss an episode. Oh, and tell your friends we want to help the industry grow and help advisors love their jobs.

Michael Doherty [00:18:47]:
Again. See you on the next Autofix Advisor Cast.