Are Your Workshops Performing To The Max?

Module of the Quarter – Workshop Performance

Introduction:

An aftersales department is the heart of an automotive business. Ensuring it operates efficiently and meets targets can be challenging, especially if your organisation has multiple workshops, as this often involves a lot of administrative work.

Workshop controllers face many challenges daily. While many managers can access data that highlights these challenges, they may struggle to develop genuine solutions. This is where our Workshop Performance module comes in. Our Workshop Performance module is part of our IgniteAftersales solution.

This blog will focus on four common issues that aftersales managers typically encounter, along with the solutions and benefits provided by our Workshop Performance Module.

Common Problems Faced by Aftersales Departments:

Problem:

“I can’t see a complete picture of what’s happening in each workshop”

Module Solution:

The Group Workshop Dashboard will display an overview of each brand location and highlight key metrics, including hours awarded, revenue, hours attended, hours clocked to jobs, allowed idle time, idle hours, and various percentage metrics such as efficiency, productivity, and utilisation.

Result:

Access to accurate, real-time automotive analytics allows aftersales managers to identify trends within the group and determine where to concentrate their efforts each day. For instance, if one workshop is demonstrating lower-than-expected productivity, the manager can respond quickly and effectively without waiting for instructions.

Image above shows sample Group Workshop Dashboard

Problem:

“I am uncertain about the performance of individual technicians across all business locations.”

Module Solution:

Our Workshop Performance module will generate group and location league tables, allowing managers to quickly identify technicians who are struggling with their efficiency, productivity, and utilisation percentages, as well as those who are excelling.

Additionally, you can take a deeper look with our Technician Enquiry reports, which highlight the value each technician has contributed to the business.

Result:

This intel will allow your management teams to identify individuals who may require additional training or support, as well as those technicians who frequently deal with more complex tasks.

This report also establishes clear benchmarks for performance at each of your locations, fostering a competitive spirit among technicians. It ensures that managers can recognise and reward top performers while also addressing any issues that may be contributing to underperformance.

Image above shows sample Technician League Table Report

Problem:

“I’m unsure if time is being used efficiently within each workshop or if improvements can be made.”

Module Solution:

Our Workshop Performance module generates an Idle Time analysis report. Each technician has a designated allowance for idle time - your aftersales managers need to monitor whether employees exceed this allocation.

This report highlights any inconsistencies or irregularities. It provides a breakdown of hours spent in various categories, including training, report preparation, road tests, staff meetings, team breaks, vehicle movement, and supervisory responsibilities.

Result:

Analysing idle hours in this way allows you to allocate time more effectively, ultimately generating more revenue for your business. For instance, if you notice a high number of hours spent on moving vehicles, you might consider assigning that task to a different type of staff member. This would free up skilled technicians to focus on more specialised work. As a result, you will increase your utilisation rates and ensure that your valuable employees are dedicating their time to tasks that deliver a return on investment.

Image above shows sample Technician Performance Report

Problem:

“My workshop is falling behind on invoicing leading to a struggle to meet end-of-month targets. Time is wasted chasing the finance team for manual updates to try and close the gap.”

Module Solution:

Our Invoiced WIPs and WIP Hours reports provide your managers with a clear overview of outstanding invoices by location and technician. This creates an actionable list that allows managers to follow up without needing to manually seek updates from the accounts team.

By analysing open WIPs, managers can efficiently engage with technicians to ensure timely closing and invoicing

Result:

Your technicians and managers can confidently invoice throughout the month, which alleviates panic and reduces manual work at the end of the month.

By utilising additional reports within this module, managers can focus on utilisation percentages to maximise the amount of work completed each month, ensuring that locations stay on track to meet budget targets.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our Workshop Performance Module addresses many common challenges faced by automotive aftersales departments. By providing real-time automotive analytics, we empower your aftersales managers to take action, enhancing efficiency and productivity while helping to achieve targets. Whether it involves tracking individual technician performance, monitoring invoicing rates, or analysing idle time, our Workshop Performance Module is designed to streamline operations and drive success.

By incorporating automotive benchmarking capabilities, businesses can compare workshop performance against industry standards, identifying areas for improvement and ensuring competitiveness in the market.

If you would like to learn more about how our Workshop Performance Module can address the issues your aftersales department is facing, please get in touch or explore our IgniteAftersales solution page. You can also read further blogs on improving workshop efficiency here.