April 28, 2025 • 21 mins
Show Notes:
Does the way your CSRs answer the phone, communicate with & onboard your customers seem to be inconsistent?
Are the visual cues in your production areas as clear & concise as what you would find in a hospital ER or industrial plant?
Are your Google or CSI reviews suffering due to delayed deliveries, poor communications or inconsistent quality?
The problem is simply the lack of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). This episode unravels the critical role of SOPs in shaping up your business, impacting everyone from your technicians to your most valuable asset - your customers. Discover the massive difference standard procedures can make in controlling the quality in your repairs and how this minor, yet significant change can reap major benefits.
But it's not just about your collision repair business. SOPs are a game-changer across industries, from small enterprises to corporate juggernauts. Get practical insights on how to create and implement effective, easily understood SOPs that can streamline your operations and elevate customer satisfaction.
This week, I'm re-sharing a ton of resources, tips, and methods, from an earlier episode, to get your SOPs up and running. And most importantly, learn why it's essential to have your employees on board with your SOPs from the outset.
Let's switch gears and drive your business to its full potential. Grab pen & paper and take some notes... you're NOT going to want to miss this episode!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So what am I missing?
How do I fix this?
What your shop is missing issimple.
It's something called standardoperating procedures, or SOPs,
as more commonly referred to.
Sops can replace the chaos inyour shop with consistency,
quality and reliability in yourrepair process.
The fix is fairly simple inconcept, but it'll take some
(00:21):
work and some commitment tocreate and implement in your
shop environment, but absolutelyworth the effort on many levels
.
This week, I want to help youthrough what this process will
look like for you, what SOPstruly are, why they're important
, whom does it impact in yourbusiness and what's involved in
how to accomplish this necessaryupgrade to your shop.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Welcome to the MindWrench Podcast with your
host, rick Sellover, where minoradjustments produce major
improvements in mindset,personal growth and success.
This is the place to be everyMonday, where we make small
improvements and take positiveactions in our business and
personal lives that will make amajor impact in our success,
next-level growth and quality oflife.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Hey, what's up everybody?
Welcome to the MindWrenchPodcast.
I'm your host, rick Salova.
Thanks so much for stopping in.
If you're a returning listenerand haven't done so already,
please take a minute and clickthe follow or subscribe button
and then rate and review theshow.
When you rate and review theshow, the algorithms for Apple,
spotify, google Podcasts,iheartradio, amazon Music and
(01:38):
all the other platforms will seethat it's valuable and show it
to more people that have neverseen it before, and hopefully it
can help them too.
I would really, really, reallyappreciate your help, sharing
this word with your friends andfamily as well, and if you're a
brand new listener, welcome.
I hope you find something ofvalue here that helps you in
your personal or professionallife as well.
Please make sure to click thesubscribe or follow button so
(02:00):
you never miss another episode.
All right, did you noticeanything there at the beginning
of the show?
You know what I'm talking about, right?
Yes, I changed the intro music.
As a matter of fact, I changedthe outro music on the last
episode.
Did you listen all the way tothe end and catch that?
Okay, be honest, did you loveit, or at least like it, or did
(02:22):
you hate it?
Please let me know, you can textme right in the episode or hit
me up on social media, but youropinion matters.
I'd really like to know Fulltransparency.
A couple months back at theAASP Illinois event, I was
talking with my buddy, mikeAnderson, and he shows me this
really cool app.
He's been playing with that.
You just give it a coupleprompts and a couple personal
(02:43):
facts.
He's been playing with that.
You just give it a coupleprompts and a couple personal
facts and AI will make a song inany style you want in probably
less than 30 seconds.
It was really cool.
He showed me on it.
He did a couple of them realquick.
So of course I had to downloadthe app and try it myself.
So this is my first stab at it.
So what do you think?
If you're interested in tryingyour hand at it, download Suno.
(03:06):
I'll leave a link for it in theshow notes.
It's a fun app to play with andyou'd be surprised at the
quality of the songs it'll makewith just a couple little
prompts.
Anyways, speaking of MikeAnderson, I'll be celebrating my
200th Mind Wrench episode verysoon.
That's right, 200.
That's a big number for me.
(03:27):
I still can't believe I wasstuck with it this long.
I mean, I started this way backin the beginning of COVID, but
now I just love doing it so muchthere's probably no end in
sight for me.
Anyways, I had the chance tointerview my hero in this
industry, mr Mike Anderson, thefounder of Collision Advice and
the Spartan 300 Groups, for my100th episode a few years ago.
(03:48):
So then, when I called Mike andI asked him if we could do
another interview for my 200th,there was absolutely no
hesitation.
He said of course, sir, I'd behonored, so make sure you don't
miss this one coming up in a fewweeks.
You know it'll be great withMike and full of great
information.
(04:09):
So as I was thinking of what Iwanted to share in this week's
episode, it dawned on me that,for one reason or another, I've
been involved in severalconversations and discussions
that revolved around SOPs,standard operating procedures,
how crucial they are to acompany's success, the
importance of the role they playin the collision shops these
days and how the best of thebest shops all seem to have a
very robust playbook of SOPs forall areas of their business,
(04:33):
and then, sadly, how there'sstill a large sector of repair
shops not utilizing these tools.
So got me thinking hey, wait, Ihave addressed the subject
before a while back.
Now sounds like a great time toreshare the information for
those who obviously missed itthe first time around.
So this week I want to resharemy episode 140, why your Shop
(04:55):
Needs SOPs.
So let's roll back to September23 and really listen to this
fact-packed message.
And really listen to thisfact-packed message.
How many different ways have youheard someone in your front
office answer the phone?
Jake's Body Shop how can I helpyou?
Or Jake's Mary speaking, orthis is Jake's.
(05:18):
Or maybe even a simple hello,what can I do for you?
Sound a little familiar.
Let's walk back to the metaldepartment.
Here we see one car partiallydisassembled with a mixture of
removed and new parts inside andon top of the vehicle, no parts
cart, while the vehicle in thenext stall has parts on a cart
(05:44):
but no spark deflection paper inthe door opening as the tech is
welding in a rocker.
Hey, do you smell somethingburning?
And maybe the SUV in the nextstall has that freshly installed
and cut in hatch being removedbecause no one bothered to check
to see if it was the correcthatch before cutting it in.
And now that job will sit whilethe correct hatch, hopefully,
is ordered.
I'm sure the painter will bejazzed about that.
One right.
And we're not even looking atthe variations in panel repairs
(06:07):
yet.
Let's just skip past the paintdepartment, where one painter
waits until the car is in abooth with two coats of color on
it before checking the colormatch, while the other painter
has his sprayouts done beforethe job even gets taped up.
Nope, we're skipping right pastthat.
Let's head right back to thedetail area, where some jobs get
vacuumed while others just getblown out with an air blower.
(06:27):
Certain cars get the paintedareas wheeled and finished with
an orbital polisher and somedon't.
No particular rhyme or reasonjust depends on how the detail
guy feels that day.
Are you noticing somethingmissing here, like consistency
or quality control or anythoughts of customer
satisfaction?
Or maybe you're on a fence witha DRP that you don't want to
(06:49):
lose?
Does this sound even in theslightest bit like your shop, or
maybe someone else you know'sshop?
It's okay to admit it.
No judgment here.
The fact is there are literallythousands of shops that operate
in this fashion every singleday and have for decades.
But that doesn't make it rightand it also doesn't make it
(07:13):
sustainable in today's collisionrepair business model, nor in
the all-important customerexperience does it.
So what am I missing?
How do I fix this?
What your shop is missing issimple.
It's something called standardoperating procedures or SOPs, as
more commonly referred to.
Sops can replace the chaos inyour shop with consistency,
(07:37):
quality and reliability in yourrepair process.
The fix is fairly simple inconcept, but it'll take some
work and some commitment tocreate and implement in your
shop environment, but absolutelyworth the effort on many levels
.
This week I want to help youthrough what this process will
look like for you, what SOPstruly are, why they're important
(07:59):
, whom does it impact in yourbusiness and what's involved in
how to accomplish this necessaryupgrade to your shop.
Standard operating procedures,or SOPs, are not something new.
They've been used in mostindustries for decades, although
not as common in the collisionrepair business as one would
think.
I could not find any hard dataor any hard numbers on this, but
(08:22):
based on my experience in thefield over the past 20-30 years,
I would venture to guesssomewhere between 80 and 90
percent of non-MSO shops do nothave any SOPs in place, which is
somewhat alarming when comparedto many other fields.
If you want a great example ofwhat SOPs look like.
(08:43):
Just look at any medicalfacility that you enter,
especially like an emergencyroom or a clinic.
Every wall, every cart, everystation and every room has
multiple SOPs posted, and staffare trained extensively on how
to follow these instructions toa T.
When you're dealing withpeople's health and safety, you
(09:04):
can't afford randomness orinconsistency in procedures.
Right, but wait, with all thetechnology, safety features and
complexity of today's vehicles,are we not also dealing with
people's potential health andsafety concerns as well?
So that leads to the questionwhy aren't more shops putting a
set of SOPs in place for theirbusiness?
(09:24):
I mean, every fast food jointuses SOPs.
Big box store chains like HomeDepot, lowe's, walmart all have
SOPs in place, and none of thosehave any bearing on your health
or safety right.
At most manufacturing facilities, it's mandatory to have SOPs in
place, and from my experiencingworking with hundreds of shops,
(09:46):
I witnessed all the benefitsgained from making that change.
There is absolutely no goodreason to avoid creating and
implementing your very ownstandard operating procedures
for your shop.
So let's dive in, shall we?
Number one what are SOPs?
Well, they are prescribedwritten methods to be followed
routinely for designatedoperations and situations.
(10:08):
They are documented methods tohelp ensure consistency and
quality in work.
They are written instructionsto document, operationalize and
communicate processes and bestpractices, and they are a list
of essential tasks and how to dothe tasks for business success.
A well-thought-out SOP manualcan be produced and shared with
(10:29):
every employee as their ownliving document.
If you're looking for acompetitive edge for your
business or a more effectivejumpstart to your personal
development, I'll make yourfirst step super simple.
It is a fact that an incrediblenumber of the most successful
business owners, nearly half ofthe Fortune 500 companies,
top-earning professionalathletes, entertainers and
industry leaders likeMicrosoft's Bill Gates, former
(10:52):
President Bill Clinton, oprahWinfrey, richard Branson,
amazon's Jeff Bezos andSalesforce's Mark Benioff all
have one thing in common theyall have at least one coach and
some have several that they workwith on a consistent basis,
someone that helps guide, mentorand support them, challenge
them, help them set and achievegoals that move them forward and
(11:12):
then hold them accountable tofollow through, driving personal
and professional growth.
Working with a coach has manysubstantial benefits.
Just for an example, 80% ofcoaching clients report improved
self-esteem or self-confidencethanks to coaching.
99% of individuals andcompanies that hire a coach
report being very satisfied and96% would do it again.
(11:33):
If, deep down, you know it'stime to make those improvements
in your business, your personallife, that you've kicked down
the road year after year.
If you're tired of knowingthere's a better version of you
waiting to shine, but unsure ofhow to bring that version to
light.
If you're tired of wanting toenjoy a more successful business
but not sure how to start.
And if you don't want to goanother 12 months without better
(11:54):
results but you don't want togo another 12 months without
better results, but you don'twant to go it alone, then take
the first step.
It's super simple.
Sometimes talking to the rightperson can make all the
difference.
Go to wwwrixelovercom contactand I'll set you up with a free
consultation.
Call with me to see ifone-on-one coaching is right for
you.
What can good standard operatingprocedures do for your shop?
(12:15):
It can transform your shop froma world of chaos, missed
deliveries, inconsistent repairsand upset customers and bad
reviews online to a world ofsmooth operations, consistently
high quality work, better CSIscores and Google ratings,
reduce stress and on-timecompleted jobs delivered to your
customers.
(12:35):
They can ensure consistentresults on each repair.
They can minimize errors,reduce or eliminate rework.
They can support quality goals,ensure better CSIs.
They can save time and improveproductivity.
They can empower your workforce, reduce micromanaging and they
can reduce training costs andreduce rework costs.
(12:56):
Well, who are they for?
They're for everybody involvedin your business, not just your
techs.
They're for management andownership, to ensure proper
repairs are done consistently,regardless of technician or
location.
They're for your technicians inall departments Helps, drive
efficiency, productivity,reduces missed procedures, redos
(13:16):
, quality issues resulting froma missed or needed step and
accountability.
They're for your customers.
It ensures that their vehiclesare fixed correctly, no quality
concerns, no returns to the shopfor missed operations or parts
or re-dos, and increased CSI andcustomer experience.
And they're therefore themanufacturers helps ensure
(13:38):
proper repair methods arefollowed for customer safety,
integrity of their brand,reduced loss of new sales due to
poor CSX or CSI frominconsistent repairs.
So how many of these SOPs do Iactually need?
Well, while there's greatarguments to have an SOP for
every aspect of your business,like some industries do, I mean
(13:59):
you can create an SOP for howthe bathroom should be cleaned,
how to handle a canceled ormissed appointment or how to
maintain every individual pieceof equipment in your shop, but
there are some basics that youshould definitely have to start
with.
Number one customercommunications.
It would cover greetings,regular updates to customers,
explaining repair processes,addressing customer concerns.
(14:22):
Number two vehicle check-in orassessment.
It would cover things likecustomer interaction, vehicle
inspection and documentation,damage assessment, initial
estimate and so on.
Number three disassembly andrepair planning.
It would on Number three,disassembly and repair planning.
It would cover things likemeticulous disassembly and
define repair areas, othernon-related damage, visual grids
(14:44):
.
Number four parts department.
Define parts types.
Define the ordering, receiving,mirror matching and how to
handle returns.
Number five the metaldepartment.
It would help explain processflow, metal, aluminum, plastic,
repair processes, gritselections, sign-offs to paint,
things like that.
Number six paint department.
(15:06):
It would include things likesign-offs from the metal
department, prep, color matching, what an acceptable finish is
defined, ppe.
Seven reassembly, and that couldbe separate or that be part of
the metal or part of thedisassembly.
One, it's all up to you.
Number eight detail department.
I would define what thecustomer ready condition is,
(15:29):
pre-accident condition, presetson all the radios and
electronics, things like that.
Number nine final deliveryWell-defined outstanding handoff
to customer follow-up and callsto action.
Ten safety procedures.
You can detail all the safetyprotocols and measures that must
be followed in the body shop,things like personal protective
(15:51):
equipment, ppe, handling,hazardous materials, fire safety
, emergency response procedures.
There's many, many, many thingsthat you could have an SOP for,
but just covering the basics isa great place to start.
All right, already I get it.
So where do I even start?
What would even be a good firststep?
I'm glad you asked.
(16:12):
You can start by having a teammeeting with everyone involved
in your organization.
Let them in your organization,let them know your intentions,
let them know the reasons whythe benefits that everybody will
realize, not just you, and askthem to be part of the process.
That's probably the mostimportant thing.
You need their buy-in if youwant them to follow this new set
(16:32):
of instructions.
Emphasize how much theirexpertise is valued in creating
realistic working documents thatmake sense.
Don't be the boss that forcesthese things down their throats
and doesn't include input fromthose actually doing the work.
It'll never fly and it'll be atotal waste of time.
And don't try to tackle thisall by yourself.
You will be most successful ifyou gain some assistance from
(16:53):
someone who has access to theright resources, that's done
these before, like your paintrep or your jobber rep or a
coach or a consultant.
They can add tremendous valueto this process and help get it
done right in a shorter amountof time to boot.
You can find some SOP templatesif you search online.
You can always start withsomeone else's and edit it as
(17:14):
much as you need.
Many of the productmanufacturers have SOPs online
on their websites, both inprinted and in video formats.
3m has a vast amount of videoSOPs for every aspect of the
repair process.
Most all paint companies do aswell.
A quick online search orYouTube search can help you find
some.
Feel free to reach out to mefor help as well.
(17:36):
If you decide to just start fromscratch or a very basic
template, here's a few helpfulhints 1.
Describe the task in detail.
2.
Use pictures if available,because they are helpful.
3.
Stress safety is necessary.
4.
Have some of your employeeshelp in drafting those SOPs.
5.
(17:56):
Get a buy-in from all youremployees.
6.
Make sure intended employeesunderstand them.
7.
Set up a system to monitor them.
8.
Make sure to name the SOPaccordingly.
Also, I have a few suggestionsto keep what you're writing
effective, concise and easilydigestible for your team.
Write procedures from the enduser's perspective.
(18:18):
Try to keep these practicalfrom the point of view of those
that will actually be using them.
Keep them simple and on point.
Write concisely, clearly andfollow a step-by-step format.
Keep sentences brief.
Use simple or common terms.
Don't get creative here.
Don't confuse instructions withoverly technical words KISS.
(18:38):
Keep it simple, stupid.
Use precise wording.
Never use generalized termsthat don't define your meeting
Words like typical or general orusual or should.
Do not enforce any consistentdirection or execution of a
directive.
Make smart use of formatting.
If your SOPs consist of long,dense paragraphs, chances are
(19:02):
there's probably a better formatavailable to use.
Bullet lists are very effectiveif there are several parts to a
specific process and they aremuch easier to follow
successfully in that format.
Now, once you create a roughdraft, with or without the help
available through an outsideresource, have several team
members scrub through those SOPsto see if everything was caught
(19:23):
and in the right order.
Then make any edits necessary.
Before printing to a PDF, besure to have those with your
company name or logo on each one, the title, give it a
designated document number andthen add an index listing of all
the documents and their numbers, and then assign it a revision
(19:44):
date in the footer, as you'llneed to revise these
occasionally.
Then all you need to do isbuild a binder to hold all your
SOPs and produce enough of theseso each employee has their very
own.
This is also a great tool tohave when hiring new employees.
They will have access to theexact operations and processes
that you follow in your shop.
(20:04):
This prevents seasoned techsfrom defaulting to how they
worked at their last shop andprovides the correct path for
new-to-the-industry employees tofollow.
A great visual cue you can useis to post some of these SOPs in
a high-traffic area wherethey'll be seen on a consistent
basis.
Just print out your PDF, blowit up to poster size, laminate
(20:27):
it and post it on a wall or at acertain station, or on the
front of the booth or in theoffice for maximum effect.
Lastly, as I mentioned, thesewill have to be updated on a
regular basis so as processesevolve, products change,
technology advances and yourshop grows.
I just went through this withone of my clients, updating his
(20:48):
shop SOPs that we created awhile ago.
Sure, it took some time andeffort, but the results will be
a finer-tuned shop and an evenbetter customer experience.
Well, that's all I had for youtoday.
Thanks again for tuning in.
I really appreciate yoursupport and I hope you have a
great week.
I can always be reached atwwwrickselovercom, where you can
(21:11):
find all my social media linkspodcast episodes, blog posts and
much more.
So what am I missing?
How do I fix this?
What your shop is missing issimple.
It's something called standardoperating procedures, or SOPs,
as more commonly referred to.
Sops can replace the chaos inyour shop with consistency,
quality and reliability in yourrepair process.
The fix is fairly simple inconcept, but it'll take some
(00:21):
work and some commitment tocreate and implement in your
shop environment, but absolutelyworth the effort on many levels
.
This week, I want to help youthrough what this process will
look like for you, what SOPstruly are, why they're important
, whom does it impact in yourbusiness and what's involved in
how to accomplish this necessaryupgrade to your shop.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Welcome to the MindWrench Podcast with your
host, rick Sellover, where minoradjustments produce major
improvements in mindset,personal growth and success.
This is the place to be everyMonday, where we make small
improvements and take positiveactions in our business and
personal lives that will make amajor impact in our success,
next-level growth and quality oflife.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Hey, what's up everybody?
Welcome to the MindWrenchPodcast.
I'm your host, rick Salova.
Thanks so much for stopping in.
If you're a returning listenerand haven't done so already,
please take a minute and clickthe follow or subscribe button
and then rate and review theshow.
When you rate and review theshow, the algorithms for Apple,
spotify, google Podcasts,iheartradio, amazon Music and
(01:38):
all the other platforms will seethat it's valuable and show it
to more people that have neverseen it before, and hopefully it
can help them too.
I would really, really, reallyappreciate your help, sharing
this word with your friends andfamily as well, and if you're a
brand new listener, welcome.
I hope you find something ofvalue here that helps you in
your personal or professionallife as well.
Please make sure to click thesubscribe or follow button so
(02:00):
you never miss another episode.
All right, did you noticeanything there at the beginning
of the show?
You know what I'm talking about, right?
Yes, I changed the intro music.
As a matter of fact, I changedthe outro music on the last
episode.
Did you listen all the way tothe end and catch that?
Okay, be honest, did you loveit, or at least like it, or did
(02:22):
you hate it?
Please let me know, you can textme right in the episode or hit
me up on social media, but youropinion matters.
I'd really like to know Fulltransparency.
A couple months back at theAASP Illinois event, I was
talking with my buddy, mikeAnderson, and he shows me this
really cool app.
He's been playing with that.
You just give it a coupleprompts and a couple personal
(02:43):
facts.
He's been playing with that.
You just give it a coupleprompts and a couple personal
facts and AI will make a song inany style you want in probably
less than 30 seconds.
It was really cool.
He showed me on it.
He did a couple of them realquick.
So of course I had to downloadthe app and try it myself.
So this is my first stab at it.
So what do you think?
If you're interested in tryingyour hand at it, download Suno.
(03:06):
I'll leave a link for it in theshow notes.
It's a fun app to play with andyou'd be surprised at the
quality of the songs it'll makewith just a couple little
prompts.
Anyways, speaking of MikeAnderson, I'll be celebrating my
200th Mind Wrench episode verysoon.
That's right, 200.
That's a big number for me.
(03:27):
I still can't believe I wasstuck with it this long.
I mean, I started this way backin the beginning of COVID, but
now I just love doing it so muchthere's probably no end in
sight for me.
Anyways, I had the chance tointerview my hero in this
industry, mr Mike Anderson, thefounder of Collision Advice and
the Spartan 300 Groups, for my100th episode a few years ago.
(03:48):
So then, when I called Mike andI asked him if we could do
another interview for my 200th,there was absolutely no
hesitation.
He said of course, sir, I'd behonored, so make sure you don't
miss this one coming up in a fewweeks.
You know it'll be great withMike and full of great
information.
(04:09):
So as I was thinking of what Iwanted to share in this week's
episode, it dawned on me that,for one reason or another, I've
been involved in severalconversations and discussions
that revolved around SOPs,standard operating procedures,
how crucial they are to acompany's success, the
importance of the role they playin the collision shops these
days and how the best of thebest shops all seem to have a
very robust playbook of SOPs forall areas of their business,
(04:33):
and then, sadly, how there'sstill a large sector of repair
shops not utilizing these tools.
So got me thinking hey, wait, Ihave addressed the subject
before a while back.
Now sounds like a great time toreshare the information for
those who obviously missed itthe first time around.
So this week I want to resharemy episode 140, why your Shop
(04:55):
Needs SOPs.
So let's roll back to September23 and really listen to this
fact-packed message.
And really listen to thisfact-packed message.
How many different ways have youheard someone in your front
office answer the phone?
Jake's Body Shop how can I helpyou?
Or Jake's Mary speaking, orthis is Jake's.
(05:18):
Or maybe even a simple hello,what can I do for you?
Sound a little familiar.
Let's walk back to the metaldepartment.
Here we see one car partiallydisassembled with a mixture of
removed and new parts inside andon top of the vehicle, no parts
cart, while the vehicle in thenext stall has parts on a cart
(05:44):
but no spark deflection paper inthe door opening as the tech is
welding in a rocker.
Hey, do you smell somethingburning?
And maybe the SUV in the nextstall has that freshly installed
and cut in hatch being removedbecause no one bothered to check
to see if it was the correcthatch before cutting it in.
And now that job will sit whilethe correct hatch, hopefully,
is ordered.
I'm sure the painter will bejazzed about that.
One right.
And we're not even looking atthe variations in panel repairs
(06:07):
yet.
Let's just skip past the paintdepartment, where one painter
waits until the car is in abooth with two coats of color on
it before checking the colormatch, while the other painter
has his sprayouts done beforethe job even gets taped up.
Nope, we're skipping right pastthat.
Let's head right back to thedetail area, where some jobs get
vacuumed while others just getblown out with an air blower.
(06:27):
Certain cars get the paintedareas wheeled and finished with
an orbital polisher and somedon't.
No particular rhyme or reasonjust depends on how the detail
guy feels that day.
Are you noticing somethingmissing here, like consistency
or quality control or anythoughts of customer
satisfaction?
Or maybe you're on a fence witha DRP that you don't want to
(06:49):
lose?
Does this sound even in theslightest bit like your shop, or
maybe someone else you know'sshop?
It's okay to admit it.
No judgment here.
The fact is there are literallythousands of shops that operate
in this fashion every singleday and have for decades.
But that doesn't make it rightand it also doesn't make it
(07:13):
sustainable in today's collisionrepair business model, nor in
the all-important customerexperience does it.
So what am I missing?
How do I fix this?
What your shop is missing issimple.
It's something called standardoperating procedures or SOPs, as
more commonly referred to.
Sops can replace the chaos inyour shop with consistency,
(07:37):
quality and reliability in yourrepair process.
The fix is fairly simple inconcept, but it'll take some
work and some commitment tocreate and implement in your
shop environment, but absolutelyworth the effort on many levels
.
This week I want to help youthrough what this process will
look like for you, what SOPstruly are, why they're important
(07:59):
, whom does it impact in yourbusiness and what's involved in
how to accomplish this necessaryupgrade to your shop.
Standard operating procedures,or SOPs, are not something new.
They've been used in mostindustries for decades, although
not as common in the collisionrepair business as one would
think.
I could not find any hard dataor any hard numbers on this, but
(08:22):
based on my experience in thefield over the past 20-30 years,
I would venture to guesssomewhere between 80 and 90
percent of non-MSO shops do nothave any SOPs in place, which is
somewhat alarming when comparedto many other fields.
If you want a great example ofwhat SOPs look like.
(08:43):
Just look at any medicalfacility that you enter,
especially like an emergencyroom or a clinic.
Every wall, every cart, everystation and every room has
multiple SOPs posted, and staffare trained extensively on how
to follow these instructions toa T.
When you're dealing withpeople's health and safety, you
(09:04):
can't afford randomness orinconsistency in procedures.
Right, but wait, with all thetechnology, safety features and
complexity of today's vehicles,are we not also dealing with
people's potential health andsafety concerns as well?
So that leads to the questionwhy aren't more shops putting a
set of SOPs in place for theirbusiness?
(09:24):
I mean, every fast food jointuses SOPs.
Big box store chains like HomeDepot, lowe's, walmart all have
SOPs in place, and none of thosehave any bearing on your health
or safety right.
At most manufacturing facilities, it's mandatory to have SOPs in
place, and from my experiencingworking with hundreds of shops,
(09:46):
I witnessed all the benefitsgained from making that change.
There is absolutely no goodreason to avoid creating and
implementing your very ownstandard operating procedures
for your shop.
So let's dive in, shall we?
Number one what are SOPs?
Well, they are prescribedwritten methods to be followed
routinely for designatedoperations and situations.
(10:08):
They are documented methods tohelp ensure consistency and
quality in work.
They are written instructionsto document, operationalize and
communicate processes and bestpractices, and they are a list
of essential tasks and how to dothe tasks for business success.
A well-thought-out SOP manualcan be produced and shared with
(10:29):
every employee as their ownliving document.
If you're looking for acompetitive edge for your
business or a more effectivejumpstart to your personal
development, I'll make yourfirst step super simple.
It is a fact that an incrediblenumber of the most successful
business owners, nearly half ofthe Fortune 500 companies,
top-earning professionalathletes, entertainers and
industry leaders likeMicrosoft's Bill Gates, former
(10:52):
President Bill Clinton, oprahWinfrey, richard Branson,
amazon's Jeff Bezos andSalesforce's Mark Benioff all
have one thing in common theyall have at least one coach and
some have several that they workwith on a consistent basis,
someone that helps guide, mentorand support them, challenge
them, help them set and achievegoals that move them forward and
(11:12):
then hold them accountable tofollow through, driving personal
and professional growth.
Working with a coach has manysubstantial benefits.
Just for an example, 80% ofcoaching clients report improved
self-esteem or self-confidencethanks to coaching.
99% of individuals andcompanies that hire a coach
report being very satisfied and96% would do it again.
(11:33):
If, deep down, you know it'stime to make those improvements
in your business, your personallife, that you've kicked down
the road year after year.
If you're tired of knowingthere's a better version of you
waiting to shine, but unsure ofhow to bring that version to
light.
If you're tired of wanting toenjoy a more successful business
but not sure how to start.
And if you don't want to goanother 12 months without better
(11:54):
results but you don't want togo another 12 months without
better results, but you don'twant to go it alone, then take
the first step.
It's super simple.
Sometimes talking to the rightperson can make all the
difference.
Go to wwwrixelovercom contactand I'll set you up with a free
consultation.
Call with me to see ifone-on-one coaching is right for
you.
What can good standard operatingprocedures do for your shop?
(12:15):
It can transform your shop froma world of chaos, missed
deliveries, inconsistent repairsand upset customers and bad
reviews online to a world ofsmooth operations, consistently
high quality work, better CSIscores and Google ratings,
reduce stress and on-timecompleted jobs delivered to your
customers.
(12:35):
They can ensure consistentresults on each repair.
They can minimize errors,reduce or eliminate rework.
They can support quality goals,ensure better CSIs.
They can save time and improveproductivity.
They can empower your workforce, reduce micromanaging and they
can reduce training costs andreduce rework costs.
(12:56):
Well, who are they for?
They're for everybody involvedin your business, not just your
techs.
They're for management andownership, to ensure proper
repairs are done consistently,regardless of technician or
location.
They're for your technicians inall departments Helps, drive
efficiency, productivity,reduces missed procedures, redos
(13:16):
, quality issues resulting froma missed or needed step and
accountability.
They're for your customers.
It ensures that their vehiclesare fixed correctly, no quality
concerns, no returns to the shopfor missed operations or parts
or re-dos, and increased CSI andcustomer experience.
And they're therefore themanufacturers helps ensure
(13:38):
proper repair methods arefollowed for customer safety,
integrity of their brand,reduced loss of new sales due to
poor CSX or CSI frominconsistent repairs.
So how many of these SOPs do Iactually need?
Well, while there's greatarguments to have an SOP for
every aspect of your business,like some industries do, I mean
(13:59):
you can create an SOP for howthe bathroom should be cleaned,
how to handle a canceled ormissed appointment or how to
maintain every individual pieceof equipment in your shop, but
there are some basics that youshould definitely have to start
with.
Number one customercommunications.
It would cover greetings,regular updates to customers,
explaining repair processes,addressing customer concerns.
(14:22):
Number two vehicle check-in orassessment.
It would cover things likecustomer interaction, vehicle
inspection and documentation,damage assessment, initial
estimate and so on.
Number three disassembly andrepair planning.
It would on Number three,disassembly and repair planning.
It would cover things likemeticulous disassembly and
define repair areas, othernon-related damage, visual grids
(14:44):
.
Number four parts department.
Define parts types.
Define the ordering, receiving,mirror matching and how to
handle returns.
Number five the metaldepartment.
It would help explain processflow, metal, aluminum, plastic,
repair processes, gritselections, sign-offs to paint,
things like that.
Number six paint department.
(15:06):
It would include things likesign-offs from the metal
department, prep, color matching, what an acceptable finish is
defined, ppe.
Seven reassembly, and that couldbe separate or that be part of
the metal or part of thedisassembly.
One, it's all up to you.
Number eight detail department.
I would define what thecustomer ready condition is,
(15:29):
pre-accident condition, presetson all the radios and
electronics, things like that.
Number nine final deliveryWell-defined outstanding handoff
to customer follow-up and callsto action.
Ten safety procedures.
You can detail all the safetyprotocols and measures that must
be followed in the body shop,things like personal protective
(15:51):
equipment, ppe, handling,hazardous materials, fire safety
, emergency response procedures.
There's many, many, many thingsthat you could have an SOP for,
but just covering the basics isa great place to start.
All right, already I get it.
So where do I even start?
What would even be a good firststep?
I'm glad you asked.
(16:12):
You can start by having a teammeeting with everyone involved
in your organization.
Let them in your organization,let them know your intentions,
let them know the reasons whythe benefits that everybody will
realize, not just you, and askthem to be part of the process.
That's probably the mostimportant thing.
You need their buy-in if youwant them to follow this new set
(16:32):
of instructions.
Emphasize how much theirexpertise is valued in creating
realistic working documents thatmake sense.
Don't be the boss that forcesthese things down their throats
and doesn't include input fromthose actually doing the work.
It'll never fly and it'll be atotal waste of time.
And don't try to tackle thisall by yourself.
You will be most successful ifyou gain some assistance from
(16:53):
someone who has access to theright resources, that's done
these before, like your paintrep or your jobber rep or a
coach or a consultant.
They can add tremendous valueto this process and help get it
done right in a shorter amountof time to boot.
You can find some SOP templatesif you search online.
You can always start withsomeone else's and edit it as
(17:14):
much as you need.
Many of the productmanufacturers have SOPs online
on their websites, both inprinted and in video formats.
3m has a vast amount of videoSOPs for every aspect of the
repair process.
Most all paint companies do aswell.
A quick online search orYouTube search can help you find
some.
Feel free to reach out to mefor help as well.
(17:36):
If you decide to just start fromscratch or a very basic
template, here's a few helpfulhints 1.
Describe the task in detail.
2.
Use pictures if available,because they are helpful.
3.
Stress safety is necessary.
4.
Have some of your employeeshelp in drafting those SOPs.
5.
(17:56):
Get a buy-in from all youremployees.
6.
Make sure intended employeesunderstand them.
7.
Set up a system to monitor them.
8.
Make sure to name the SOPaccordingly.
Also, I have a few suggestionsto keep what you're writing
effective, concise and easilydigestible for your team.
Write procedures from the enduser's perspective.
(18:18):
Try to keep these practicalfrom the point of view of those
that will actually be using them.
Keep them simple and on point.
Write concisely, clearly andfollow a step-by-step format.
Keep sentences brief.
Use simple or common terms.
Don't get creative here.
Don't confuse instructions withoverly technical words KISS.
(18:38):
Keep it simple, stupid.
Use precise wording.
Never use generalized termsthat don't define your meeting
Words like typical or general orusual or should.
Do not enforce any consistentdirection or execution of a
directive.
Make smart use of formatting.
If your SOPs consist of long,dense paragraphs, chances are
(19:02):
there's probably a better formatavailable to use.
Bullet lists are very effectiveif there are several parts to a
specific process and they aremuch easier to follow
successfully in that format.
Now, once you create a roughdraft, with or without the help
available through an outsideresource, have several team
members scrub through those SOPsto see if everything was caught
(19:23):
and in the right order.
Then make any edits necessary.
Before printing to a PDF, besure to have those with your
company name or logo on each one, the title, give it a
designated document number andthen add an index listing of all
the documents and their numbers, and then assign it a revision
(19:44):
date in the footer, as you'llneed to revise these
occasionally.
Then all you need to do isbuild a binder to hold all your
SOPs and produce enough of theseso each employee has their very
own.
This is also a great tool tohave when hiring new employees.
They will have access to theexact operations and processes
that you follow in your shop.
(20:04):
This prevents seasoned techsfrom defaulting to how they
worked at their last shop andprovides the correct path for
new-to-the-industry employees tofollow.
A great visual cue you can useis to post some of these SOPs in
a high-traffic area wherethey'll be seen on a consistent
basis.
Just print out your PDF, blowit up to poster size, laminate
(20:27):
it and post it on a wall or at acertain station, or on the
front of the booth or in theoffice for maximum effect.
Lastly, as I mentioned, thesewill have to be updated on a
regular basis so as processesevolve, products change,
technology advances and yourshop grows.
I just went through this withone of my clients, updating his
(20:48):
shop SOPs that we created awhile ago.
Sure, it took some time andeffort, but the results will be
a finer-tuned shop and an evenbetter customer experience.
Well, that's all I had for youtoday.
Thanks again for tuning in.
I really appreciate yoursupport and I hope you have a
great week.
I can always be reached atwwwrickselovercom, where you can
(21:11):
find all my social media linkspodcast episodes, blog posts and
much more.
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