Automotive News Canada - August 2020 - v2 - F4

FIXED OPS JOURNAL

LEARNING ON THE JOB

Fixed ops leaders find out what their teams are made of in hard times
to reexamine processes, protocols and procedures. As a result, many
made improvements that will make them more profitable and put them
in a better position to serve customers in the future.
Unfortunately, operating in crisis mode often offers little time for
reflection. So I asked a few fixed ops folks to share one revelation about
their operations, their team or themselves brought to light by these
difficult times.
Scott Gregg, service director at
Tucson Subaru in Arizona, told me
his faith in his staff has been
renewed. He says he knew his
people were good, but the
challenges the pandemic brought
to the service drive made him
appreciate them even more.
"The way everyone has pitched in
and pulled together to overcome all
the obstacles and the way things
have changed day to day has really
just blown me away," Gregg says. "A
few people were nervous, of course,
but no whining, no complaining.
Just roll up our sleeves and get it
done is what I got from each and
every one of them.
"I've always counted my
SCOTT GREGG, service
blessings, but I count them double
director, Tucson Subaru
now for sure."
Francisco Melendez, service
manager of Universal HyundaiGenesis in Orlando, also gave credit to those working alongside him.
"The one thing I have learned from myself and the team is the
creativity that has come to light from everyone to make sure that the
customers feel at ease while knowing that we are taking all precautions
during our current pandemic," he says. "Our main goal is for the
customers to know that we have adapted to the 'new normal' and that
we have all kinds of new, different options to service their vehicle
without feeling that they are risking their health or their loved ones."
But leave it to Bob Cawley, fixed operations director at Horne Auto
Group near Phoenix, to sum it up perfectly. He's been in the car
business since the late 1980s and is an ordained minister.
"It's all about people and process," he says. "If you get those two right,
they will carry you through the hard times."

he cover story for this issue of
Fixed Ops Journal is a great
example of the old saying about
making lemonade out of lemons.
dan.shine@crain.com
It has been well documented
Fixed Ops Journal
how the coronavirus pandemic has
editor
adversely affected business in dealership
body shops and service and parts
departments. Some customers continue to delay getting their vehicles
serviced for a variety of reasons.
There is a reluctance to interact with others and to have dealership
employees inside their vehicles.
For the most part, dealership fixed operations have done a good job
keeping techs busy by offering customers pickup and delivery service
and options for touchless interactions with advisers and cashiers, as
well as sanitizing vehicles after the work has been done.
And as our story beginning on Page 10 shows, some dealership
service departments used the slowdown in business as an opportunity

DAN
SHINE

"The way
everyone has
pitched in and
pulled together to
overcome all the
obstacles and the
way things have
changed day to
day has really just
blown me away."

The Fixed Ops Journal Forum is back
Our 3rd annual conference will be virtual.
Theme: Moving Forward in the Year of the Pandemic
When: Tuesdays, Oct. 6, 13, 20 and 27 at 2 p.m. EDT
Cost: No cost to attend, but registration required
Information: autonews.com/fojforum

PAGE 4

AUGUST 2020

http://www.autonews.com/fojforum

Automotive News Canada - August 2020 - v2

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