What Roofers, Auto Repair Shops and Grocers Should Have in Common

You might not think the three have much in common, but roofers can learn a lot from the other two about speed of service.

By Greg Hayne

You drop your car off at the service shop early Monday morning. By Monday afternoon the repair shop calls and says, “Your car is ready, we think we will have your bill added up by end of the day on Wednesday. Why don’t you stop by Thursday morning to pick up your car?” Would that be OK? No?! But 3 days to prepare your invoice isn’t THAT BAD!

Let’s try again.

It is Sunday morning and you and the family are headed home from church and your spouse says, “Say, Honey, let’s stop at the grocery store on the way home so I can pick up a few things I need for dinner tonight.”   You agree, pull into the grocery store parking lot and shop for the items you need. When you go to check out a sweet girl at the register smiles brightly and hands you a claim check that says, “Our current wait time for bill preparation is 3 hours.” You smile, nod, and the two of you go back to the car and drive down the street to Starbucks, get some lattes and read the paper until it is time to go back for the bill and your food. When you arrive back at the store, you stand in a different line, give them your claim check, wait while they go get your food, pay your bill and finally head home.

It’s a typical trip to the grocery store. Right? By now you’re probably saying this is ridiculous. There is no way you would put up with such crappy service! Let’s see, you don’t want to wait 3 days for the dealership to prepare your bill for your car and you aren’t willing to wait 3 hours for your groceries?

So, Mr. Roofer, just how long does it take for you to get your invoice for leak repairs to your customer? You do realize, don’t you, that knowledgeable building managers treat your invoice as a “communication” document as much as a request for payment.   If the “leak” was due to a problem with an HVAC unit, they want and NEED to know that NOW, not in 3 days.   Even if it isn’t, they have your service request in this pile on their desk… the pile that they want to go away. Do you really think it is a good thing for your invoice to spend hours, much less days (or weeks) in that pile?!

What, Mr. Roofer, you say your situation is different? Really? Yes, I agree. Last time I checked, the “average” grocery store had over 42,000 different items in it and when you take your food up and put it on the belt some kid who is still in high school INSTANTLY gives you an itemized invoice. How many items do you put in that repair truck? It should be easier for you to get your invoices out instantly.   You have fewer items, you have more highly skilled people.

Professional building managers are demanding the same level of performance you expect from your auto repair shop and your grocery store. They are looking for what you did, quickly, correctly and completely, the first time.   So, if you are not providing that speed of service, you need to take a hard look at your systems, technology and personnel. You have competitors providing that level of service. They are the contractors who have more work then they can keep up with, which is due to strong processes, software and a dedication to service.

To learn more about creating speed of service, visit http://haynecoachinggroup.com/. Let's talk.