Lessons learned from the pandemic and how to apply them

Although it appears we’re on the backend of the pandemic, I’m sure it will have a lasting effect on all of us and our industry for years to come. For better or for worse, we are all touched by it in some way. Let’s listen to ATI’s Coach Team Leader, Mike Haley, explain what ATI clients have been doing during the outbreak.

As a performance coach for ATI, I have learned so much about the people I help, the resiliency of the automotive repair industry, and even a little more about myself. I would like to share some of these lessons, along with takeaways that are featured on ATI’s COVID-19 Checklist. It will help you prepare just in case we find ourselves in a similar situation in the future. 

In the beginning of the year, when we first learned about the virus, most of us had an opinion on what it could do to our business, employees, and family. We looked back to the pandemics of the past such as SARS (2002-2003), Swine Flu (2009-2010) and Ebola (2014-2016) as a point of reference. Fortunately, most of us came out of those pandemics unharmed with our businesses intact, except for a slight dip in car count or ARO. We quickly realized that the COVID-19 virus is much different in many ways and its impact would be much greater. Except for the tragedy of 911, I cannot remember a time in America’s history when the entire country was shut down. This virus has shut down not only the country but the entire world.  

So, what were your first thoughts when the authorities announced that they were shutting down the town, the county and eventually the state? Chances are, during this time, your shops were still filled with cars, customers were buying, and the technicians were busy. No one had yet called out sick with a fever or a dry cough. We all questioned, at some point, is this COVID-19 virus really a pandemic, is it really that dangerous, and how long it will last? Then reality set in and we wondered what we were going to do to protect our families and businesses. 

Lesson 1: Fight or flight?  

When humans see something that is a threat, their first response is either fight or flight. They quickly determine, do I stay and fight this thing I don’t fully understand, or do I run scared with everyone else and buy as much toilet paper as possible? I must have fielded 50 calls from shop owners asking if auto shops were an essential business. My answer: of course! Auto shops are needed to keep this country moving and to keep first responders and other essential workers on the road to do their jobs.  

Once when I was a young assistant manager at a parts store — it was snowing hard, no one was coming in the store, and we had about $78 in sales at 3 p.m. I asked the manager why don’t we just close? The response was no, we are an essential business and need to be here to assist the brave first responders and snow removal personnel. It was easy to convince me why we should stay open. The challenge was convincing the owner to stay open because his first response was flight. In today’s pandemic, you may feel the same way — especially if you have a compromised health condition and a family to consider. The important thing is to choose the correct response for your business, family and community.  

To stay open or shut it down was the hard decision that every owner had to make with very little information. Some owners involved their staff in the decision, some spoke with their coaches and 20 Groups. Others looked out front to see what the shop across the street was doing to determine what they should do. Whatever you decided at that time, you quickly learned that it had to be communicated to customers and your community. You had to use all your communication tools to let everyone know what you’re doing — especially if you’re open for business.  

Lesson 2: Who stays and who goes?  

With the COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control had very strict guidelines on contact and exposure. The safety and health of our employees and their families needed to be our top priority. We had to consider, who lives with a family member that has a compromised immune system? Who has infants at home and daycare issues? Any of these factors could trigger a flight response for employees and affect headcount. Then we had to take our best guess at determining the impact of the quarantine restrictions on car count over the following months. Depending on this answer, we had to decide whether to furlough, lay off, or run a modified schedule. Do we use math or our heart to make that decision? 

What I learned is that shops quickly determined a staffing plan that utilized their team in a way that made the most sense. In some cases, they got creative by splitting their staff into two teams and alternated their work schedules.  

Lesson 3: How long can I afford to do this?  

What do I have in cash and how long will it take me to access more? What is my new WIN number? Knowing I have deferred and renegotiated every expense possible, what is my new sales goal? Have I listened to all the financial experts and taken 3% of my gross sales and put that into a rainy-day account? Did I listen to my handsome and wise coach and keep three to six months of operating expenses in the savings account? Do I have a relationship with my neighborhood banker with a line of credit? What am I willing to give up to keep this business going? 

Lesson 4: How to provide touchless services?  

This was a head-scratcher for a few minutes when we were told not to touch the customers or their vehicles. But one of the things that makes this such a great country is we always find a way. Great forward-thinking owners and employees jumped into action and created the touchless processes we are using today. Taking advantage of our early bird drop-off system. Removing the seats in the waiting room. Creating sneeze guards at the service counter. All our tools that were used for keeping the customer’s vehicle clean were now used to keep the technicians and the customers safe. Wiping down everything the customers, advisors and technicians touched on the car. Dusting off the drop-off and pickup program we put to the side because it was a hassle. Offering to fill up the customer’s gas tank, pick up their groceries or pick up their carry out dinner as an added convenience to show the customer we genuinely care. Researching the ozone generator machine because ten years ago we thought nobody will pay for a service that kills germs and bacteria. And last, figuring out a touchless process for collecting money. Fortunately, the millennial generation helped us out with that by showing us the benefits of using Pay Pal and Venmo. Thankfully, credit card processing companies and POS companies stepped up with text to pay programs. 

Lesson 5: How do I keep feeding the machine?  

Except for essential employees, everyone else is at home and probably not thinking about car repair. Our marketing strategy had to change. Everyone was home scrolling on Facebook, so we had to focus our energy on social media. In the beginning, shops had to announce if they were open for business. Then, they promoted how they could service customers’ vehicles in a safe and convenient manner. Last, many of them got creative to increase car count — partnering with neighboring businesses, takeaways and adding value by engaging people with contests and other forms of entertainment.  

So, without knowing how the world has changed, and for how long, what can we glean from this? I know for me this experience just validated what I knew since I entered retail. People will pay for convenience. Dropping off, servicing, and performing an unrelated service is something customers crave. Really take a hard look at your drop-off and pickup program. It’s not just for the high-end manufactures. I also found customers enjoyed the after-hour offerings. Being able to drop off and pick up their vehicle on their timetable rather than the typical 8 to 5 offering we have always had. The ability to rid the vehicle of harmful germs and bacteria would be helpful for customers that suffer from compromised immune systems and during flu season.  

Other good practices and services to keep include partnering with your vendors and other small businesses to co-market or fundraise for the community. Continue to give the customers multiple ways to communicate and pay with you. It will quickly become a busy world again, and the systems you currently have in place could really make a difference for a customer.  

Regarding staffing and scheduling, consider alternative work schedules. Could you transition to a four-day work week, change your hours of operations, or stagger shifts? I challenge every shop to evaluate the way you used to conduct business versus how you’re doing it today to improve your shop operations and services for your customers. 

These last few months have taught me you cannot prepare for everything. But you can be better prepared than you were yesterday. If you enjoyed this article and would like a copy of ATI’s COVID-19 Checklist, simply go to www.ationlinetraining.com/2020-07 for a limited time.