The Dr. Independent ServiceA Matter of TrustShop TalkName The Dr. Independent Service
Location Fountain Valley, CA
Number of shops 1
Years in business 18
Employees 19
Sq. footage 20,000
No. of Bays 24
Volume 30-35 per day
Average repair cost $440
Annual Revenue
$2.9 million, parts and labor
William Shakespeare once asked, "What's in a name?" If he had lived 400 years later and worked in the luxury car field, he'd answer: "Everything."
Part of the enjoy-ment of luxury car ownership is being able to make exclamations about the options in the new "Benz," how to upshift the Beamer sooner for a quicker takeoff or the benefits of driving the Volvo to Aspen next year.
Similarly, the choice of servicing these vehicles hangs on name and reputation. Luxury vehicle owners aren't going to trust just anyone with their babies. Creating and sustaining that trust has been job one for The Dr. Independent Service for 18 years.
In 1988 Jerry Fair, who had no experience in the auto repair business, opened Volvo repair specialty shop Dr. Volvo Independent Service. Volvo of North America eventually took the shop to court over trademark infringement.
FROM TOP:
1. Luxury vehicle owners don't trust their vehicles to just anyone. The Dr.'s waiting area makes them feel right at home with this showroom-style space.
2. The Parts Department is well-equipped to locate the exact part needed for each repair.
3. Large, clear signage on the front of the Dr.'s building proclaims the shop's dedication to luxury import vehicle service.
4. All of the shop's employees were handpicked for their specific competencies, such as Master Technician Jaime Rios, shown here.
5. After service, each car gets special attention from detailer Amador Pineda.
(All photos: The Dr. Independent Service)
After two years of federal court hearings, Fair decided to drop Volvo from the name in 1997. No matter; by that time, Fair had established a solid business that would eventually add, at customer request, Lexus repairs in 2002 and BMW and Mercedes repairs in 2004.
Fair's recipe for success is relatively simple (on paper at least): Build a shop-client relationship founded on openness, honesty and credibility. Fair places a special emphasis on customer relationships because, he says, auto repair is a people business. His shop strives to create a service experience - he tags it "The Extraordinary Experience" - beyond what a dealer or anyone else could provide.
Facilitating this experience starts with making every employee adept at customer service. Fair handpicked all 20 current shop employees both for their technical competency and their ability to relate to customers. The shop regularly works on developing people skills.
The Dr. holds two-hour bimonthly meetings where all employees discuss customer service. Employees take part in role-playing and problem identification and solving. They also study training CDs and get customer service advice from guest speakers. The shop sends its four service consultants to seminars with "High Achievers" and "Elite" presentations.
To make sure these lessons and skills stay in place, key employees have all been made stockholders - a reward the business jokingly calls "golden handcuffs." On average, current employees have been with the Dr. for 10 years.
When customers arrive at the shop, Fair says they can expect dealer-like amenities, such as loaner cars and free hand car washes. The Dr. also provides a complimentary "service station" to check tire pressure and all fluid levels and conditions. Fair says this service is critical today because full-service gas stations have largely disappeared from the American landscape.
Also crucial to the shop's success is possessing the up-to-date repair information necessary to service luxury performance vehicles. As a result, technicians have access to every available piece of diagnostic and repair software. Giving his shop a competitive edge, Fair says techs aim for
nothing short of "perfection." They have their work cut out for them: In a
10-mile radius surrounding
the shop are 110 other repairers who also service BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and Volvo lines.
If impressive profits are a sign, they appear to be hitting their target dead on. Last year, the business brought in $3.3 million and has aggressive plans to double that number in the next five years without a major expansion; Fair says his current 18 hoists will support this goal. The shop plans to hire 10 more employees to handle the extra work.
That goal presents quite a challenge. Based on its current performance, The Dr. can be trusted to meet it.
- By Tim Sramcik
