Boating Industry

March 2017

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March 2017 | Boating Industry | 25 [ Service by the Numbers ] www.BoatingIndustry.com works for an hour, the productivity rate is very low. "They might be 100 percent productive, but not generate one penny of cash because you told them to move in and out of boat shows and do policy work and change the oil on the company truck," said Spader. The maximization of productivity and efficiency together make profi- ciency. To achieve a high proficiency rate, efficiency should be the techni- cians' responsibility – how fast they get the job done, how efficient they are to get it done under the billable hours. Productivity should be the manager's responsibility – making sure the work is there. This collaboration builds an effective and profitable service department. "As long as the manager is keeping the work flowing and the work com- ing in for the techs, then that gives them the ability to be on the clock or on a work order as much as absolutely possible. We strive for as close to 100 percent productive each day as we can and the best way we can schedule that," said Chris Olsen, director of service and storage at Seattle Boat Company. "Pro- ductivity is all about having the work there. Efficiency is all about having the techs getting it done." It's vital to not just track these numbers, but to do so daily. This allows the department to catch issues quickly and make corrections accordingly, without leaving dollars on the table. "If you notice that you have a technician that's been declining in how efficient they are each day, then you can have that individual chat with [a manager] and say 'I notice you're not quite punching out as much work as you usually do. Is there something going on? Is there a tool you need? How can we correct the issue,'" said Olsen. "You can really spot that right away instead of a month later … and it takes longer to correct. And by that time, you've already missed a lot of billable hours." Another key metric is the service department's customer service index scores. Those numbers are what will determine how successful the business can be retaining customers. Seattle Boat Company tracks its service CSI and Dealerships like Eric's Outboard (left) and Seattle Boat Company (right) track efficiency and productivity daily. BY BRIANNA LIESTMAN

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