View Poll Results: What times do you prefer a service shop to be open?
7 am, early so I can drop off before work, close at 5
5
17.24%
Early doesn't matter, but late would be cool so I can stop and get stuff done while I wait.
6
20.69%
At night so I can drop off and have it ready for work in the AM (parts store dependant)
4
13.79%
7 am and close late so I don't have to rush to pick it up
17
58.62%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 29. You may not vote on this poll
Service Shop Time Poll
Thread Starter
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Logistics Pro
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,881
Likes: 84
From: Wake Forest, NC
Service Shop Time Poll
Hey Guys,
This may be best in the "General Discussion" however, I hang out here, so I'm posting it here.
I'm considering some "career" options and I started thinking about some things. I've noticed that some shops, mostly performance oriented, referenced here don't open till 10 am and are often open later until 7 or 8 pm. I think I talked about this with the guys at swamps and they said guys liked to come by and get things done to their trucks after work.
It's multiple choice, so you can pick more than one. Keep in mind that some of the options depend on parts availability, so the overnight or 24 hour type repair may not be practical for some or all repairs.
I'm sure the 24 hour shop would be popular because breakdowns can happen anytime, but may not be entirely practical or more so profitable.
What is the concensus? Got a couple of options here. Any comments welcome too!
This may be best in the "General Discussion" however, I hang out here, so I'm posting it here.
I'm considering some "career" options and I started thinking about some things. I've noticed that some shops, mostly performance oriented, referenced here don't open till 10 am and are often open later until 7 or 8 pm. I think I talked about this with the guys at swamps and they said guys liked to come by and get things done to their trucks after work.
It's multiple choice, so you can pick more than one. Keep in mind that some of the options depend on parts availability, so the overnight or 24 hour type repair may not be practical for some or all repairs.
I'm sure the 24 hour shop would be popular because breakdowns can happen anytime, but may not be entirely practical or more so profitable.
What is the concensus? Got a couple of options here. Any comments welcome too!
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 26,966
Likes: 50
From: Texas
Is the question regarding a performance type shop or general repairs? I think the most important thing is quick turn around. If you find a safe location then an early morning drop box can work instead of opening early. The key would be to have the vehicle ready by the end of the day, or sooner.
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 42,561
Likes: 423
From: Long Island USA
I voted #2 - I don't commute to work, so I don't have to get up early, but I have been in the position where the shop closed too early.
But then again, the last time I had someone do any work on my vehicles, they were under warranty
But then again, the last time I had someone do any work on my vehicles, they were under warranty
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 123
Likes: 0
From: Fayetteville, AR
Dear Chris--
It wouldn't matter to me *what* the shop hours were, as long as the proprietor was talented, honest, and had his employees well in hand. Evidently, two out of these three are fairly commonplace, but I keep holding out for the trioka!
It seems to me, from reading your posts that you have the first two items pretty well mastered, so I say to focus on surrounding yourself with compadres & comadres (i.e., those who you would trust to raise your own children) and invest the necessary attention into making, stating, and enforcing good policy, the kind that makes sense to YOU.
If you do decide on that career change, I expect you to be wildly successful!
Respectfully submitted,
Mark
It wouldn't matter to me *what* the shop hours were, as long as the proprietor was talented, honest, and had his employees well in hand. Evidently, two out of these three are fairly commonplace, but I keep holding out for the trioka!
It seems to me, from reading your posts that you have the first two items pretty well mastered, so I say to focus on surrounding yourself with compadres & comadres (i.e., those who you would trust to raise your own children) and invest the necessary attention into making, stating, and enforcing good policy, the kind that makes sense to YOU.
If you do decide on that career change, I expect you to be wildly successful!
Respectfully submitted,
Mark
Thread Starter
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Logistics Pro
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,881
Likes: 84
From: Wake Forest, NC
Hey, thanks Mark.
You are right, you can sum up what you said as trust. It is really the number one thing that when customers are surveyed they look for in a shop. Cost is something like #6 IIRC.
Yeah, this is just something I noticed lately, and it may really depend on each individual location. Some places open at 7 ish, some 10 (seems a lot of performance places open later and stay later). Wasn't sure if it really mattered? I've never been a super early type of person, and as comments have it, being able to drop off in a mail slot or whatever is probably just as acceptable as having a person as long as it's done and done right by the end of the day when possible (of course an engine or something might be an exception).
You are right, you can sum up what you said as trust. It is really the number one thing that when customers are surveyed they look for in a shop. Cost is something like #6 IIRC.
Yeah, this is just something I noticed lately, and it may really depend on each individual location. Some places open at 7 ish, some 10 (seems a lot of performance places open later and stay later). Wasn't sure if it really mattered? I've never been a super early type of person, and as comments have it, being able to drop off in a mail slot or whatever is probably just as acceptable as having a person as long as it's done and done right by the end of the day when possible (of course an engine or something might be an exception).
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 26,966
Likes: 50
From: Texas
At least that's how it works in my mind., but it sounds like the other performance shops are doing it this way.
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Senior User
Joined: Sep 2006
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My shop hours are 8-5. I'm usually there before 7am getting the days books in order and finsihing up other paper work before the day starts. I've noticed a few regular customers have cought on to it and have dropped their vehicle off earlier instead of using the night drop box.
I try not to keep my techs there after 5pm as they have a family and life as well. They do what they can to get the work out by then and there's times we have to stay late, but I try to keep that for emergency type situations. Either way, you have to adjust to what the customer base wants. Thankfully, I'm in a rural setting and my main accounts (farmers) are old school and are up early and work till dark. I usually have their jobs done the next day pending parts and they pick up the next morning.
I try not to keep my techs there after 5pm as they have a family and life as well. They do what they can to get the work out by then and there's times we have to stay late, but I try to keep that for emergency type situations. Either way, you have to adjust to what the customer base wants. Thankfully, I'm in a rural setting and my main accounts (farmers) are old school and are up early and work till dark. I usually have their jobs done the next day pending parts and they pick up the next morning.
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Post Fiend
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 10,007
Likes: 4
From: Central Florida
As an installer, I prefer a customer to drop off the vehicle at night or before we opened and we called when it was finished. I've thought about doing my own installation shop and starting in the wee hours of the morning or as early as dark and working until 6 or so. Customers could drop off their work vehicles, I would put in lights and such, they could pick them up and pay me as they go to work. Hopefully, they will go home, be tired, eat and go to sleep, staying out of my hair.
Some jobs I didn't mind the customer being around, some jobs I let the customer help. However there are those jobs you have to do somethings customers shouldn't see. Such as cutting wiring harnesses open, the foul language while fishing wires, cussing them for not washing the underside of their truck before bringing it to you, finding things you wish you hadn't in their vehicles, ect.
Some jobs I didn't mind the customer being around, some jobs I let the customer help. However there are those jobs you have to do somethings customers shouldn't see. Such as cutting wiring harnesses open, the foul language while fishing wires, cussing them for not washing the underside of their truck before bringing it to you, finding things you wish you hadn't in their vehicles, ect.
Post Fiend
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 5,955
Likes: 9
From: Ohio
The local dealership near me is open 24/7 (not the delaership part, but the repair part) and they call it night owl service. I love it because the two times i have dropped off my truck their, i dropped it off at like 5 pm and then at like 830 am the next day, it was done. I know that time frame is dependent on whether they have the parts, but i feel that the night owl service is pretty tight
Thread Starter
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Logistics Pro
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,881
Likes: 84
From: Wake Forest, NC
they have a big advantage in having a built in parts department. I would wager the dealershipo is the only one that could pull off 24/7 unless an indepedent had a special agreement with a parts store like carmax does locally car quest.
New User
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
From: amarillo tx
i have a windshield installiation buisness aimed at the truck driving industry that i run 24-7. i keep about 25-30 pieces of glass on hand at all times. these pieces of glass range from $20.00- 200.00. it took me 2 years to build up my stock so that i had at least 2 pieces of glass for any truck that i ran across ( and i still don't have all of them ) but it has served me well. now if i tried that with an automotive windshield buisness, i might as well open a warehouse for all the glass that i would have to stock. and that would be the only problem i see to opening a mechanics shop 24 hrs is parts. if it were me and i was thinking of doing this, i think that i would start out with appointments. talk to the owner first, see what he wants to build his truck up to, order the parts (50% down to cover the parts non refundable) and set him up with an appointment to have them installed. this works quite nice for me when i need to get a specialty piece of glass that i don't normally carry.
