Repair Shop Advice

Archive for September, 2016

Trouble Hiring Automotive Techs? You’re Not Alone!

September 30th, 2016

It’s getting harder and harder to attract technicians. We hear this from our customers all the time, so we decided to dig a little deeper into the problem. Our goal: to determine the source of the problem, so we could offer some suggestions on how to address it.

We found three major reasons that hiring is so difficult:

#1 – A study by tools manufacturer RIDGID in late 2014 found that only 6% of high school students hope to have a career in the skilled trades.  That six percent has to be split between plumbing, HVAC repair, welding, and countless other skilled trade professions – along with all of the automotive repair facilities in the United States.

This is leading to a shortage in skilled automotive technicians entering the field.  Worse, it’s indicative of a continuing challenge going forward, as older technicians retire and fewer young ones have an interest in replacing them.

#2 – Auto technicians are much more likely to be happy with their current job than most other people.  A payscale study way back in 2008 found that auto technicians were ranked the 8th happiest employees, and many of the jobs with happier employees were jobs of passion, like Clergy, Professional Actors and Special Education Teachers.  Even today, Auto Mechanics, on average, report being “very happy” with their jobs – much happier than most other employees.

This makes it difficult to attract great technicians to your shop.   Difficult however, does not mean impossible.  A previous post provides an infographic with suggestions on how to attract skilled technicians to your independent auto repair shop, and we’ll be covering these techniques more in future posts.

#3 According to a 2015 Manpower Group study, Skilled Trades Workers were the most difficult jobs to fill globally for the fourth year in a row.  They were also the most difficult jobs to fill in the US.  The second most difficult job to fill in the US was a technician role; these are defined as production/operations, engineering, and maintenance roles.  Collectively, these two job types describe the type of person you’re looking to hire for your shop.

If you’ve been wondering if all shops are having the same problems as yours – unfortunately, they are.  That makes it more important than ever that you’re giving your hiring efforts the time and energy they deserve.  If you’re hiring, that’s probably because you’re short-staffed – that means you’re probably already working overtime just to keep things running.  But it’s impossible to have a high-performing shop without great technicians.  Just a few months of staff shortage can really damage your reputation, both to customers and prospective employees.

 

Stay tuned for more information on how to attract and hire great technicians, or email us at Team_RSW@RepairShopWebsites.com and ask us for the link to our most recent webinar about the topic.

Honest & Trustworthy Mechanics are what you get at Ken Symer Automotive in Santa Barbara, CA!!

September 27th, 2016

What kind of mechanic talks you out of getting repairs when you’re at their shop?? An honest mechanic like Ken Symer at Ken Symer Automotive, THAT’S WHO! Give Josh or Ken a call today at 805-966-4461 or drop by shop at 421 N Nopal St, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. You can always visit with the friendly Great Dane and Black Lab while you wait!

Truck AG & Auto, Serving the Highway 377 area since 1982.

September 23rd, 2016

Stop by Truck AG & Auto 875 East South Loop Stephenville, TX 76401 and schedule your vehicle maintenance today!  Not only can you pick up your automotive parts and supplies but can get your vehicle serviced in the same shop!  Our services include car & truck care, inspections, emissions, brakes, engines, transmissions, 4x4s, A/C &  heating, diagnostics, fleet service, and much more.  Call us at (254) 965-4403 today to see what we can do for you.

How to Recruit Great Technicians

September 23rd, 2016

For several years now, finding qualified automotive technicians has ranked as one of the top challenges for independent repair shops. One of the most important ways to increase your pool of applicants is to build a solid job description that promotes the benefits of working at your shop.

Click on the infographic below to view some of the most common workplace benefits of independent repair shops.

Honest – Local – Trustworthy – Reliable | AutoClinicTexas

September 22nd, 2016

Family owned & operated AutoClinicTexas has been happily serving the residents of Spring, Texas and The Woodlands, Texas since 1993. You’ll be hard-pressed to find the same level of expertise that our auto mechanic specialists provide! We have years of experience working on both domestic and import vehicles of all makes and models. Our services include car & truck care, inspections, emissions, brakes, engines, transmissions, 4x4s, A/C &  heating, diagnostics, fleet service, and much more. Visit our shop conveniently located at 3118 Sawdust Road Spring, TX 77380 or call us at 281-367-4384. We look forward to meeting you!

Lindsey Bimmer Service European Auto Repair | Your Personal European Tech!

September 20th, 2016

Lindsey Bimmer Service European Auto Repair in Cedar Park, TX is the right place to get your European car fixed! Servicing Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes, Mini, Porsche, Volkswagen! Call  512-296-4631 or visit our shop at 2003 North Bell Blvd. They look forward to meeting you in the 78613 area!

Trust Commonwealth Auto Repair Service for all your car maintenance needs!

September 20th, 2016

Commonwealth Auto Repair Service offers the best in auto repair services.  They can handle anything from the most basic filter replacements, oil changes, brake replacements to more involved electronic diagnoses and engine repairs.  Come visit the shop at 3053 US Highway 25 E Middlesboro KY 40965 or give them a call at (606) 248-7171  to schedule your next vehicle tune up today!

Honest, Thorough and fast repairs at Auto Repair Specialties!

September 19th, 2016

Come visit Auto Repair Specialties at 2533 NW Division St Gresham, OR 97030 if you are in need of a knowledgeable and trustworthy mechanic.  They have you covered working on everything from oil changes, factory scheduled maintenance, brake replacement, to engine and transmissions repairs.  Give them a call today (503) 667-8135 to see what they can do for you!

The Importance of Website Content

September 15th, 2016

In an earlier blog post, we discussed how your website visitors will generally decide whether it’s worth staying on your page in 10 seconds or less.  If you’ve heard this before, you might be thinking that the most important things on your website are those on the screen when the website first loads – and you would be correct.  It’s imperative that customers can immediately figure out what services you offer, where you’re located and how to contact you.

You might also be thinking that there’s little value in having pages and pages of website content if people make decisions so quickly – surprisingly, that’s not accurate.  There are two major reasons it helps to have a site that is full of automotive service content.

#1 – Getting Found Online

Your customers might need your service, but they’re unlikely to hear about you until they search for auto repair shops nearby and Google returns your site. Because of this, what matters to Google is often even more important than what matters to your customers.

If a customer in Charleston, South Carolina needs their brakes replaced, they may search for “auto repair Charleston”, and your home page will be among the returned results.  But they may also search for “brake pad replacement nearby” or “squealing brakes 29401”.  In these cases, Google wants to send these customers to a page that talks about brake pad replacement, or the sound they’re having.

If your website has pages focused on providing this information, your shop’s website is going to be one of the first results returned in Google.  To truly perform its best, your site needs pages of content for any of the phrases that people search for when their car isn’t performing well.  This content is the difference between being seen occasionally in a Google search, and being seen by almost everyone that could use your services..

#2 – A Professional Image

Once people decide that your company is worth further consideration in those first ten seconds, they may go explore your website for more information.  If there are only a few short pages on the site, they may not leave convinced that you can do exactly the repair they need.  But if you go into detail on how brakes work and all of the brake repairs your shop offers, they’ll be much more likely to assume you certainly have their problem covered, and put you on their short list.

It’s important to note that potential customers might decide whether to stay on your site in 10 seconds or less, but they might not make the final decision of who to call until they do some more research.  In order to make a customer’s short list, you’ll need to pass both the “first-scan” test and have enough information about their specific problem to seem like a reputable option to get it fixed right the first time.

To learn more about what types of content you need on your site to maximize the number of leads you receive, call us at 1-866-665-1605 or email us at Team_RSW@repairshopwebsites.com.

Professional Email Addresses Bolster Your Shop’s Sales

September 9th, 2016

At first glance, it may not seem worth the hassle to switch to a professional email address if you already have an email address that you’re using for shop business.  A professional email address will end with the same domain as your website – for instance, if your site is www.masterautorepair.com, your email might be frank@masterautorepair.com, or sales@masterautorepair.com instead of masterautorepair@gmail.com or frankjackson423@hotmail.com.

Here are three major reasons why it is worth making the switch:

  • Make a Professional First Impression – One of the most common reasons to use a professional email address is that it makes your shop look more established. The most profitable customers could be trusting you with thousands of dollars’ worth of repairs (not to mention their credit card information), and to those customers a professional image means the company is more likely to be experienced with everything from vehicle repair to data security.
  • Keep Your Customer’s Attention ­– If you’ve gotten an online quote request from a potential customer, there’s a good chance you’ve responded to that request by email. But just like you, customers often receive too much email to read all of them.  If your email is coming from a free online service like gmail.com or from an internet service provider like comcast.com, there’s a good chance the customer won’t notice your name and will delete it, thinking it is spam.  If that email is from sales@[yourshopname].com, they’ll know exactly who you are.
  • Market Your Shop – If you own a business, you know that every interaction you have is an opportunity to get your shop’s name out there. But one of the most powerful ways to do that is to have your shop’s name embedded in your email address.  Each time someone asks how they can contact you, you’ll be providing your email address, your web address, and your shop’s name all at once.

To learn more about how a professional email address can benefit your shop, contact us at 1-866-665-1605 or email us at help@repairshopwebsites.com