In our world there is a constant search for “better.”

Better personnel, better systems, better procesess, better sales…you get the idea.

Is there “better” out there in Fixed Operations?

Sure. In recent years software and computers have made getting every conceivable report possible and as easy as a press of the button.

Software applications like ASR Capture from Reverse Risk is a prime example. Here is an application that does nearly everything that old school managers did by hand 20 years ago. It tracks and compiles every Multi-point Inspection and tells the Service Manager at a glance what is happening in Service Drive.

There have been strides made in vehicle repair. In the Dealership today we repair more vehicles with software than we do with metal. It’s the evolution of the computer chip combined with software engineering that made that possible.

What about the Dealership? Has there not been a serious industry wide upgrade to facilities over the past 20 years? The Customer has been the beneficiary of new waiting rooms and amenities like wifi and espresso coffee makers.

Better and better.

You know what has remained the same?

The Multi-point Inspection.

Do you know why?

Because it still remains the Number One Tool a Service Department has to ensure Excellent Service to the Customer. (Besides the well trained Service Advisor)

The reason it has remained a mainstay in Fixed Operations is because it works.

It works for the Customer. They get a safe and reliable vehicle. They get consistent service. They get a report on the condition of everything from the windshield washer fluid to the air in the tires.

It works for the Fixed Operations. They get an opportunity to sell repair work while providing a safe and reliable vehicle. It helps them provide a consistent product called Excellent Service!

It works for the Dealership. It reduces the liability factor. It increases the amount of Customer contacts. It increases the amount of opportunity to demonstrate to the Customer that the Dealership is the right place to not only Service the the vehicle it is the right place to buy the next vehicle.

Some in this industry have said that “Multi-points are dead” and “old school won’t work in the new school attitude we have nowadays.”

Really? Customers don’t want safe and reliable vehicles? Service Advisors don’t want opportunities to sell needed services so Customers can maintain their vehicle? Dealerships don’t need revenue…or Customers?

I would like to see a Service Manager explain to 75 year old Granny that there is no need for a complete and thorough Mult-point Inspection…in a waiting room…full of Customers.

Hey Mr./Ms. Service Manager! Looking for a way to stress the Dealer Principal?

Just go into their office and announce that you will singlehandedly increase their exposure to Liability and Risk by not completing a thorough Inspection on every vehicle that comes into the Service Drive. Think they will embrace that idea?

So here are the Top 10 Reasons Why Multi-point Inspections are Important.

1. The word “Liability” has not been removed from the dictionary. Every time a vehicle comes in to the Service Department there is a risk of Liability. A properly completed Multi-point Inspection reduces that Liability.

2. The word “Responsibilty” has not been removed from the dictionary. Dealerships not ony have a responsibility to the Customer, they also have a responsibility to the manufacturer. This responsibility is to provide the Customer with a safe and reliable vehicle.

3 thru 7…They have not made a Lifetime-No Replacement Necessary Brake Pad, Tire, Wiper Blade, Serpentine or Drive Belt or Air and Fuel Filter. (Here is a little tip…they’re not going to anytime soon).

8. They have not made a vehicle capable of fixing its own oil leak, replacing a cv boot, removing a rock from a caliper or rotating its own tires.

9. They have not made a vehicle capable of completing its own Safety Inspection. There is no doubt that the Vehicle Managment Systems we have today can check a lot of systems. Airplanes have one of the most sophisticated management and monitoring systems on the planet. Ever notice an pilot walk around the outside of the plane and take a look?

10. Oil has not been re-invented. It has been reformulated to be sure, but it wears out. And because everybody drives differently, it wears out at different intervals.

Bonus Reason!

People have not stopped finding ways to drive with little or no regard to how the manufacturer thinks they should drive! (Ever removed a bush, bike, furry animal, piece of concrete, chunk of wood, dead furry animal, lost watch, family heirloom or some other flotsam from the front seat, rear seat, grill, undercarriage, windshield, gas tank, engine compartment or wheel well?)

Better sometimes is left well enough alone.

Got Training? Call 888-553-0100 and find out how Service Advisor Training will dramatically improve 2011 in your Dealerships Fixed Operations. Or send an email to lbuchholz@dealerprotraining.com.