Night shift - When this New York dealership began servicing vehicles around the clock, its repair business boomed

摘要

Seven years ago, Courtesy Ford in Syracuse, N.Y., outgrew its service area. The dealership's 18 service bays were constantly filled, and some customers had to wait three days or more for appointments. But with no land available to expand the 12,000-square-foot service department, the store's managers decided to expand something else: their hours. Instead of opening at 8 a.m. and closing at .7 p.m. on weekdays, the dealership started opening at 7 a.m. on Mondays and stayed open around the clock until 7 p.m. Friday. On Saturdays, the technicians would stay until 5 p.m. "When people contacted us, we could always fill appointments because we had the night shift," says Peter Detor, general manager of Courtesy Ford. "People don't wait three to four days." The changes boosted their service orders to 85 or more per day from about 60, says Kevin Aud, Courtesy Ford's service manager. Those additional orders helped the bottom line as sales of Ford vehicles - particularly trucks - slowed. Around-the-clock service has increased the dealership's service absorption rate - defined as the percentage of the store's operating costs covered by the service department - to 90 percent. "It allows you to sell fewer cars to become profitable," Detor says. "When sales are slow, it allows you to stay in business."