Ever notice how work tends to slip when not closely monitored, or, in other words, there’s no feedback loop to keep on top of what’s happening?
Fortunately, one of the most critical functions in the dealership, your vehicle reconditioning, if automated, should be providing this monitoring and reporting. Like AI, software-driven reconditioning makes this complex, multi-step job run more smoothly, faster and more efficiently, but human oversight remains essential.
Here are four areas within any reconditioning workflow that slow the progress of your used cars from acquisition to frontline-ready to online now.
Approvals
Delayed approvals create workflow delay, unbillable time losses and frustration. Wherever your UCM is, are you pushing diagnostic and inspection data to their phones in real time so the decision to repair and move the vehicle to the frontline or wholesale can be made in minutes, keeping the recon line moving efficiently? Delays here erode profitable time-to-line workflow efficiencies, contributing to margin erosion.
Parts Delays
Consider your options: Is waiting for an OEM part delivery, or sourcing an aftermarket version today from a local vendor the better choice for your recon workflow? If the cost for special delivery is considerable, do you instead choose to wait for lower-cost regular delivery while the vehicle waits? Which option contributes more toward time-to-line efficiency and sale-ready vehicles?
Other delays happen when you require the tech to come to your parts counter to access commonly needed recon parts, such as filters and brake pads. Parts should have those products delivered to the technician’s bin soon after the initial inspection is completed.
Shops that assign parts deliveries to a single owner who can best ensure that certain parts are ordered and delivered, coordinated with the technician’s needs, will stop these delays and the erosion of associated workflow efficiency and costs.
Handoffs
This is a baton-pass step every recon department should practice. In the race of your recon workflow, don’t let vehicles move from one step to another unless the owner of that step clears the prior step. The last result you want here is vehicles moving forward down the line that must be pulled because a step in your process wasn’t entirely completed; in other words, someone dropped the baton and lost too much time.
Step accountability built into recon software helps prevent these costly slowdowns.
Rechecks
Rechecks, or extra touches, required along your recon flow slow progress, eat time and cost money. This happens when the first pass wasn’t cleared, and the baton was dropped.
Here are a few ideas that top stores do differently to avoid these flow disruptions:
1. They assign every step to a particular individual who owns that step; they don’t tolerate shared responsibility that promotes error and oversight.
2. Transparencies built into their workflow make clear the delays or efficiency blockers in their process, so managers can attack the real cause promptly.
3. They conduct brief daily recon huddles to address issues, resolve conflicts and ensure that what’s blocked is known to the step owner and the status of the resolution.
4. Their measurement of recon speed and efficiencies is measured by days-in-step to focus priority on fixing what’s eating up their day’s production. Great management manages by objectives. Recon workflow speed is an essential measurement for GMs to visit daily. Consistent time-to-line speed ensures production efficiencies that contribute to healthier sales margins.
About Rapid Recon
Reconditioning workflow automation from Rapid Recon is the industry standard in time-to-line inventory turn and speed-to-sale vehicle revenue enhancement for automotive retailers. Benchmarking data based on 13 million vehicles processed uniquely positions Rapid Recon to advise dealers on how to improve their store’s profitability. Used by more than 2,000 dealerships, Rapid Recon ensures the accountability of processes, property, and people. Hence, dealers know answers quickly, find assets anywhere, and sell vehicles promptly to grow dealership profitability. www.rapidrecon.com CALL US: +650‑999‑0497