Employee Accountability Enhancement

[Waxman]

My employees are great but they miss the final touches sometimes that I always try and remember to put on a fresh detail.

What is your system for keeping these final inspection items from falling through the cracks?

I've set the bar pretty high in terms of quality workmanship and when we fall short of this standard I get some ornery customers. BOY O BOY!

TIA.

WAXman

 

[Mr. Clean]

There's nothing wrong with high standards and it only takes minimal "extra?" effort to get it right. We have similar issues to where nothing leaves the shop until I've signed off (obvious limitations). I'm going to increase the training program to include a technician's check list and stress the points that I and customers focus on.
My position is that if a vehicle looks like it was cleaned, it's still dirty. Clean should look like it just came from the factory, save wear & tear and some stains.
I guess what it boils down to is to just keep hammering away at the fine points and stressing that the world is full of 99ers, but we're a 100 per cent shop.
If it were easy.......
Good luck,
MC

 

[Waxman]

Thank you for that input. Very useful.

I have adopted the 'continuous training' mindset, as well as the idea that complaints are opportunities to improve the process and the employees (and me).

I created a job sheet with a checklist. It is okay so far.

I have changed and augmented some tasks to make them better.

It is a process and I am getting better at not losing sleep over complaints, but it is humbling.

 

[pitzerwm]

slightly on point, when I ran a check cashing business, as you can imagine, on the 1st, we were always slammed. I developed procedures and insisted that the employee learned my procedure before trying their ideas. You can speed up a procedure, you can not speed up random.

Franchises are successful because they have procedures and consistency for everything.

 

[jfmoran]

This has been a constant battle for the twenty+ years that I have been in this business (especially if you are a perfectionist, which most good detailers are). My dad's mantra when I was growing up was "do something right, or don't do it all!" I'm haunted by that saying everyday of my life.

I believe in sytems and checklists and quality checks and have done it all. The first thing that one must have is an "eye" for details and the truth is not many "detailers" have this. It can't be taught, you either have it or you don't. Finding that guy or gal that has it is key. The second, is they must care about the quality of work that leaves the shop, this is even harder to find. The truth is they will never care as much as you do unless they have some sort of skin in the game. "Good enough" will always be "good enough" for the average or even the best of employees, with few exceptions. Hammer away, but be realistic that you will never achieve 100% satisfaction with your customers, there will always be something that slips thorugh the cracks or the customer that just can't be pleased. Don't lose sleep over the 1%, focus on the 99%.