admin's blog

Share and Share Alike

Social media is all about sharing with those around you, more than once over time. Sort of like a teacher would teach their students about one topic, you don’t learn it all in one day! Over time, how kind that teacher is affects your opinion on them. They begin to become your favorite, and if you could choose- that’s the only class you would attend!

Too Hot to Handle: High Exhaust System Temperature Lamp

When a Diesel Particulate Filter regeneration process begins, the High Exhaust System Temperature HEST lamp illuminates and exhaust gas temperature may reach 1500 degrees F. That's hot enough to ignite and/or melt materials and burn people.

The main function of the HEST lamp is to alert the operator of extreme high exhaust system temperatures. It also common practice for the lamp to illuminate on and off during normal vehicle operation while the engine completes a regeneration process.

The Price Matrix

Mitchell1’s manager is not just a tool to keep track of your customer’s repair orders. It’s a powerful profit machine- when used correctly. Have you ever set up your price matrix? The Price Matrix panel in Standard Tables allows you to apply markups to parts as they are added to orders and to inventory items. These markups can be structured based upon the item cost to create a tiered pricing structure.

Tractor-Trailer.net or Medium-Truck.net

How to Print the Spec Tables You Need

Sometimes, all you really need to complete a job are the specifications. However, trying to remember the specifications on the way back to the job after looking them up can be a challenge. Was that torque specification 20 ft. lbs. or 20 in. lbs.? Granted, you could write them down. Nevertheless, Tractor-Trailer.net and Medium-Truck.net make printing out specification tables easy. This not only saves you from trying to remember the specifications, it also eliminates the possibility of writing down the incorrect specification. 

Our Top 7

Over the years I have had the opportunity to work with various service repair facility managers. There are thousands of businesses that fail everyday because they can not demystify the problems in business they are facing. If you are living from day to day with no savings you could be dangerously close to failing. There have been a lot of discoveries along the way, so I would like to share what the industry suggests are the top 7 reasons why most most service repair facilities fail.

Get reviews on Google

Customers and businesses both benefit when a business is reviewed on Google. Customers can make informed decisions based on information from people they trust. Businesses can strengthen their relationship with customers by directly engaging with reviewers on Google.

To encourage reviews for your business:

No Tricks Needed to Fix It Right the First Time

Have you ever diagnosed a car while blindfolded? Or fixed a vehicle with one arm tied behind your back?

It would be a neat trick. And that’s kind of what it would be like to try to diagnose and repair a complex, modern car without a good resource for repair information at your fingertips. Luckily, there are great tools available to help you. Check out our new video showing how SureTrack® — the expert-based diagnostic module in ProDemand™ — helps technicians fix cars faster and with more confidence.

Explaining the value of a car

We have all seen it before, customers often try to put off car repairs as long as possible. Explaining all of the benefits associated with making the repair immediately helps your customers understand it's in their best interest to act on your recommendations now better than later. This will save them time and money and the headache of having to have the car towed; it will also increase their loyalty to your repair facility because they will be grateful for your concern.

Front Load Repair Tickets

When customers call to make an appointment, or they walk into your shop you should immediately look at their history in your Mitchell1 management system. Talk to them about previous services they have had in the past and potential repair recommendations they will need in the future, inquire about their desire to have the work completed as soon as possible.

Building Your Business through Good Customer Communication

Have you heard the saying, “Fix the customer, not the car?” This comment appeared on Mitchell 1’s automotive shop management forum and it brought home the importance of customer service in the automotive industry. Of course it’s important to fix the car, but if the customer is not happy they’re probably not going to return in the future or refer others to the shop.

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