Position Highlight: Service Coordinator & Shop Foreman
Service Coordinator: Supporting Service Techs
The service coordinator is one of the positions we find that few service departments have but need! Once we’ve explained the role, almost every shop ends up hiring a service coordinator. In most dealerships, service techs are required to do things like sweep the floor, empty oil and drain old filters, find and wash their equipment, etc. In the service departments we consult with, we recommend that a service coordinator take care of these job duties.
Why would I want to have a service tech, who can generate $80 or more per hour, do a job I can hire someone for $14 to do? In most shops, one service coordinator can support 5 techs and their cost is built into the service jobs. This means they are a cost-neutral hire. Also, at some point, a service coordinator will have the ability to be the next low-level tech when the service department needs to grow.
Shop Foreman: Managing Workflow
The shop foreman is a position that has somewhat been abandoned and replaced with a service manager. The shop foreman works with either the service manager or service writer to assign work orders to techs. They are responsible for the workflow and the safety of those working on equipment or staging it to be worked on.
Most shops that have 3 or fewer technicians don’t have a service manager, but instead have a shop foreman who works with a service writer, creates estimates, calls customers who have questions on complex repairs, and coaches and mentors the “B” level service techs. Because a shop foreman is normally a strong “A” technician, they are still expected to turn a wrench for at least 5 hours per day and handle the other aspects of their jobs during the other 3 hours.
In the dealerships we consult with, the shop foreman receives a bonus on each hour produced by each tech if the average efficiency of all techs is 85% or higher. For a shop to reach its highest potential, a shop foreman is a must-have position.
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