The ongoing parts shortage, and the related issues it has caused the automotive repair industry, have become all too common news headlines over the last couple of years.
In a National Auto Care updated report, released in February 2022, detailed how big an issue the shortages would be throughout last year and into this one, stating, “2021 was a challenging year for industries across the country … (and) the outlook for 2022 is going to be more of the same. The supply chain is now broken in those final miles, between getting part from the dock to the parts department door.”
Though nothing new, part shortages are still a major point of frustration for both shop and customer, and successfully navigating those shortages can mean the difference in a happy customer and a one-star review.
So how can your shop end up on the positive side of that dilemma? Ratchet+Wrench spoke to two industry professionals to see how their operations were handling and navigating the shortage.
Get Creative
Victor Broski, a 30-year industry vet and service adviser for Newport Motorsports in Costa Mesa, California, says his shop is currently scheduled for a week and a half to two weeks out due to varying circumstances. To their credit, customers have largely become more educated on part shortages—at a bare minimum, most know that shortages are still happening. Because of that, many customers that come through Broski’s shop are able to grin and bear it.
“The customers seem to be working with it,” Broski says. “If it’s a week away, that’s what I tell them, and they usually say, ‘Well, I guess that’s what we’ve got to work with.’”
Despite that, Broski says there are customers at his shop who still ask for an immediate turnaround on their vehicle. At that point, getting frustrated won’t help anyone, Broski says, laughing it off and explaining clearly to the customer why that isn’t possible is the best approach.
“They want the part now. We have to let customers be customers,” he says. “It’s my job as the service adviser to be a resource to them and to go out of my way to help them. It’s my job to help educate them on the part shortage.”
A few years back, Newport Motorsports implemented a new scheduling tactic that intentionally leaves Mondays and Fridays light on scheduled work. Though it was meant primarily to help manage the workload caused by accidents over the weekend, the reduced work on Mondays and Fridays now helps with shortage-induced backfill and keeps the shop running efficiently.
“If we’ve got four cars that break down over the weekend, we can work on those. If none come in, we can work on cars that have been there for a while.”
For routine services, Broski asks a customer to pick a time two weeks out on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
“If there’s something else, I can always sneak them in on a Monday or Friday,” he says.
Finding ways to structure vehicle intake and planning workdays around consistent trends in your shop can help increase efficiency and overall productivity.
Build a Relationship
Those creative strategies will only get you so far on their own. Having a relationship with customers, especially regulars, will go a long way toward getting them on board with new ideas and strategies to manage part shortages.
“That’s the biggest thing in our business: Trust. Hopefully, they trust that you’re being upfront with them,” Broski says. “If you share with them that you understand their concerns, their frustrations and that you’re also dealing with it, they seem to understand it.”
Greg Skolnik, owner of Motor Works Inc. in Rockville, Maryland, has been in the business for around 35 years and has gone through several parts shortages and other obstacles in his tenure. This pandemic-spurred shortage has been tough in a lot of places, though for his shop, which specializes in Honda, Toyota and Subaru, it hasn’t been insurmountable.
“This is happening in all sectors. The general public seems to be very aware that there are supply issues and that things are going to take longer. They already know this, and when we talk to them, they’re usually sympathetic as well.”
He says his customers are patient and understanding with him and his shop in large part because he’s been patient and understanding with them in the past, which he says has helped his shop develop a feeling akin to the 1980s sitcom “Cheers.”
“You want to go where everybody knows your name. That’s our shop—we want to know who these people are,” Skolnik says. “To manage their expectations, more than anything else, comes down to that relationship. We have many, many, many long-term clients, and that relationship is what we’re focusing on.”
That relationship building has to extend beyond just your customers, too. Making sure your employees and staff feel respected and are able to lead balanced lives. In a similar way to how Broski’s shop intentionally has light loads on Monday and Friday, Skolnik’s shop is only open four days a week.
“We’re doing it to balance our lives and be responsible to our employees,” Skolnik says.
That, he says, is attractive to potential employees and gives his current team an incentive to do the best work they can every day, which boosts the overall company culture.
“It’s crucial,” he says. “You have to find people that can adapt and are friendly and genuinely want to help people and who understand your business culture. The people at my shop get it.”
When his employees do their best work, Skolnik says, that gets noticed by the customers. That translates to trust that the shop is doing the best it can at all times, especially in the midst of a part shortage.
“That relationship is what’s going to make or break it,” he says. “Focus on the client as a person, treat them like you would want to be treated, and you’ll be fine.”
Keep Pushing
Unfortunately, supplies of parts and other materials probably won’t return to “normal” for quite some time—several industry analysts expect that shortages on new vehicles and parts could last well into 2024.
As the industry has already done many times over the last several years, shops will have to continue to adapt and find creative ways to manage workflow. As long as shops are honest and upfront with customers, most will understand.
“Some of them don’t like it. Some of them want to bring the car in tomorrow,” Broski says. “Those are the tough ones but trying to see their side always helps. Let them be customers, let them be frustrated.”
