Blog
Short, practical notes on running service, parts and body shop departments that customers come back to.
CDK Press Release
It is with great pride we announce that CDK global has approved our Fixed Performance Margin Plus manufacturer warranty reimbursement software to interface with their dealership base under the Partner Program. This assures your dealership data is safe and secure when using our program that helps dealerships get retail pricing on warranty repairs from the manufacturer.…
ATES Technician Mentor Program
One of the largest concerns facing the automotive industry is the shortage of Technicians. Many qualified technicians have left in retirement or have moved on to other industries that also have needs such as fleets or oil fields. Adding to this concern is very few young technicians have chosen to enter into a market with…
Growing Technicians
One of the largest concerns facing the automotive industry is the shortage of technicians. Many qualified technicians have left in retirement or have moved on to other markets that also have needs such as fleets or oilfields. Adding to this concern is very few young technicians have chosen to enter a market with so many…
ATES The Surgical Approach
I consider surgeons to be the utmost professionals in our society. The title of surgeon carries with it an immediate respectability. When we’re talking about taking a surgical approach in our dealerships it only makes sense if we desire to reach the respectability of a surgeon. Professional Processes Could you imagine if your surgeon met…
The Future of Technician Income
Technician income is on the rise and the current shortage of available technicians is as well causing concerns for most dealerships across the country. Dealers have become aggressive offering more per flat rate hour and I’ve seen sign-on bonuses as high as $20,000. New technicians coming into the Automotive industry is low quickly elevating the…
Developing Your Standards
Those who hope to achieve success in life understand your standards hold a critical part in any achievement. Isn’t it interesting as critical as standards are towards achievement so little time is spent understanding and developing them? We are so caught up with the concerns of the day and dealing with current issues there isn’t…
Gary Allegretto
Introducing Gary Allegretto! Gary started his career in 1980 at Ed Mullinax Ford in Amherst Ohio. He worked his way through the Variable side of the dealership, including new and used car sales, and finishing in F&I. Gary continued his career by moving to the Fixed Operations side of the dealership. He started as a…
What is Your Primary Focus?
I’ve had the privilege of visiting thousands of dealership service departments throughout the United States. The most successful have common characteristics and today I would like to illustrate one. Many have heard me say how important customer pay effective labor rate is along with repair order count. I’ve had countless training sessions illustrating the importance…
What are your estimators leaving on the table?
Perhaps one of the largest improvement and training exercises that can be accomplished is estimating “in the shop”. This physically means taking the estimating software to the car to write the estimate or supplement right at the car. There is no other 100% effective way to operate today. If your estimators are still walking back…
The Customer Is Right.
I’m not going to be bold and say the customer is always right. Frankly, they are not always right however, without them you have no business. Let’s rephrase that and say the customer is important. We could even say the customer is critical and be correct. What I find amazing is how little interaction there…