The following are general guidelines for opening a car service center in Belarus, but keep in mind that specific requirements may exist depending on the location and size of the business. Take advice from a lawyer or business planner during the process of opening an auto repair shop.
1. Conduct at least minimal market research:
o Identify the potential market and competition.
o Study the requirements and regulations governing the car service center in Belarus.
o Determine the target audience and demand for car service.
2. Develop a business plan or perform simple production and financial calculations:
o Determine the types of services you will provide, such as repair, maintenance, diagnostics, etc.
o Determine the equipment and materials needed to perform the work.
o Determine a budget for opening an auto repair shop, including start-up costs, renting space, purchasing equipment and supplies, paying staff, and other expenses.
o Develop marketing dynamics to attract customers
3. Register the business:
o Choose the form of ownership for your auto service center (sole proprietorship, LLC, etc.)
o Register the company according to procedures and requirements, obtain a legal address, current account
o Register in the Registry of Consumer Services and fulfill the requirements of Decree No. 7 on notification of the start of the type of activity
4. Find a suitable premises:
o Select a premises that meets the requirements for the car service center.
o Pay attention to the availability of parking and convenience for customers.
o Prepare the premises, repair the conduct and arrangement, if necessary.
5. Purchase necessary equipment, tools, and materials:
o Determine the necessary equipment to perform work in the auto repair shop such as tools, elevators, diagnostic equipment, etc.
o Obtain equipment from a reliable supplier or manufacturer.
6. Prepare documents and procedures
(A) Standards, procedures, and instructions for staff:
o Develop procedures for performing all key service processes including customer interaction procedures
o Define standards of appearance, standards of communication with customers, standards of selling service services over the phone, quality standards, standards of personnel evaluation, instructions for personnel behavior in various situations, etc.
o Establish systems of accounting and control of work processes
o Complete documented preparation of production for work safety (HSE, occupational health and safety, occupational health, ecology, orders, technical regulations, technology, metrology, personal data protection, etc.).
7. Hire and train staff:
o Determine the number and types of personnel needed to get started, allocate functionality based on upcoming workload, determine how and at what point the organizational structure should grow
o Perform a search and find qualified personnel
o Adapt probationary staff
o Implement a progressive financial and non-financial incentive system, move away from % of revenue.
o Train staff according to performance standards and quality requirements
o Define personalized productivity plans for staff for each month and week, define KPIs, give staff weekly feedback
o Implement annual staff interviews and performance appraisals.
8. Launch marketing campaigns:
o Identify 10 reasons why customers will go to you and not another service, create a unique selling proposition.
o Don't try to cover a lot of ground, find your niche.
o Create a website and social media connections to attract customers.
o Develop marketing materials such as brochures, flyers, and advertisements.
o Identify offers and promotions to attract new customers and encourage repeat visits.
9. Ensure quality and customer feedback:
o Emphasize quality workmanship and customer service. Implement regular monitoring of customer loyalty and satisfaction levels.
o Maintain proactive communication with customers and resolve issues that arise.
o Ask customers to provide feedback and testimonials.
10. Track financial performance:
o Establish a system to record financial performance.
o Regularly track revenues and expenses, as well as the profitability of the auto repair shop. Utilize an "auto repair shop financial calculator" to determine reserves and variances.
o Analyze performance metrics and make adjustments to operational processes as needed.
o Look for and eliminate losses - lost time, equipment and personnel downtime, financial overruns, accounts receivable, and more. Do workday photos, process audits, personnel evaluations (motivation, satisfaction, qualifications).

Remember that this material does not provide a complete list of all the requirements and procedures associated with opening a car service center in Belarus or in another country. To successfully launch and run your business, it is recommended to consult with experts and familiarize yourself with the legislative and legal regulations.
You can get advice on opening a service station by calling +375447788907

Automation in an auto repair shop

Friends, I want to share my thoughts on the issue of automation in the car service center. In this article we will not make an analysis of existing products. I want to show the directions for automation, which in my opinion can be in demand as an individual service and network companies.
The IT industry will sooner or later show more interest in the car service industry. Automation is not only document management or spare parts catalogs. It is possible to automate quite a large number of activities of service stations.
Directions for automation in the car service center.
1) Work with appeals
A) telephony (call routing + call recording + CRM (qualification of calls and calculation of conversion of calls to the record on personalities + docking with the database of clients and the log of load planning).
B) Chat bots (visit reminders, quality survey, providing background information, etc.). See separately*)
2) Automation of the load planning log of posts and receptionists
3) Document flow of the car service center
A) execution of documentation in accordance with the Consumer Services Regulations
B) load planning log
C) order flow board/order status
D) time standards
E) pricing and price lists
E) warehouse/parts and materials
G) management accounting and analytics
H) Accounting and Payroll
4) Security
- access control
- control of individual indicators
- organization of addressable storage
- inventory, etc.
- control of compliance with legal requirements
(metrology, HSE, environmental protection, etc.)
5) Automated (tablet) acceptance
6) Selection of spare parts (catalogs and linkage with suppliers' warehouses)
6) Chat-bots and voice bots. ( ***for chatbots functionality see separate publication)
Operational interaction with customers and employees through social network channels including chatbots.
7) Marketing
Promotion of service stations on the market, analysis of marketing activities
8) Personnel. Selection, testing, training and certification of service station personnel
9) Video surveillance
10) Quality and loyalty
A) telephone survey on quality
B) questionnaires and surveys of customers in their presence (survey systems, questionnaires, electronic books of references, etc.)
C) periodic quality control (in-process inspections/sheets, methodology and analysis)
D) external control/audit/ secret shopper, etc.
E) analysis of customer databases (identification of the share of regular customers, identification of those customers who have stopped being serviced, preparation of lists and contacts with those who have reached the next maintenance period, etc., control of implementation of recommendations, etc.).
11) Technology
Access to repair technology and reference information. Universal and special (branded) sources
12) Labor protection, fire safety
- Control of periodic briefing terms
- Control of periodic training and knowledge testing terms
- test automation
- control of testing terms of lifting mechanisms
- control of testing dates of ladders and ladders-benches
- control of periodic maintenance of equipment
- control of compliance with legal requirements (checklists)
13) Metrology
- control of verification terms of measuring instruments
- applicability of measuring instruments
14) Ecology
- control of fulfillment of legislative requirements
15) Hygiene
- control of fulfillment of legal requirements
For large service stations
16) Control of vehicles location on the territory of the service station (tags)
17) Management of traffic flows within the territory
18) time accounting of employees (terminals for access to work assignments, accounting of the beginning and end of work time, accounting of downtime and classification of reasons for downtime and service process stoppages)
For managing companies of network service stations
19) unified databases, automation, accounting
20) call-center
21) quality service
22) OHS service
23) training center/training platform
24) HR management center/ recruitment, testing, training, certification
25) Network analytics (automatic analysis of KPIs of network STOs with recommendations for corrective actions)
26) Network marketing
27) Knowledge bases and databases, processes, instructions and network standards
28) Security of network STOs (video surveillance, legal department)
29) Applications or personal offices for customers
- workshop services
- service costing
- maintenance schedule accounting
- customer communication channel with service station services (chats)
- service and repair log (order books)
- recommendations
- Databases (reference and training information, photo archive)
- service appointment
- insurance
- customer delivery and car delivery
- appointment reminder
- surveys (quality, etc.)
- marketing
- comments and suggestions book
- electronic banking
- store
- help/evacuation/consultation
- reviews and rating
- discounts/bonuses/points, etc.
- other

30) Expansion / opening of service stations / sale of service stations
- Search and evaluation of sites for service stations
- price monitoring
- search for equipment suppliers
- personnel search
- search and selection of automation
- legalization/preparation of documentation
- renovation and equipping of premises
- operating technology
- time standards
- staff training
- marketing/design/brandbook, etc
- audit
- business valuation
- equipment sale
- business sale
31) legal support of service stations
- DB of normative documentation on car service center
- legal advice
- pre-trial settlement
- representation of interests of the service station in court
32) other...

Author/Alexander Vizavitin

Bots in car service - trend 2019 - 2023!

In 2023 a special trend is Chat GPT based assistants and it's a revolution!
Bots in the work of medium and large car services, in my opinion - a necessity. This tool significantly expands the sales funnel, increases opportunities to improve the quality of service, and also saves money. How it.


A voice and chat bot can simultaneously receive hundreds of calls and appeals, answer typical questions, independently enroll customers for TO, fill the customer database and collect primary information about the customer, his appeal, problem. It will be able to advise on the cost of individual works, the content of routine maintenance, connect with various departments and specialists, easily perform a telephone survey on the quality of service with automatic filling of tables with the results of the survey, perform many other actions.


Also chatbots can be present in your external and internal communication channels (social networks) and connect in time when it comes to a given topic.
For example, within the company, a chatbot can take "guardianship" over a new employee, answering his questions, providing him with background information, regulations, instructions, tests and so on.
The possibilities are practically unlimited.


I tried to describe the most interesting bot functionality for any car service center:
Functionality
- Receiving requests and contact management (automatic secretary, informing about working hours, location, cost of standard hour, cost of standard works, contact phone numbers of responsible persons and so on).
- Interviewing the client, filling in the database (car - make/model, year of manufacture, engine type, gearbox type, date, time and reason for contact, Name, contact. Tel)
- Interviewing customers about the quality of service (3-5 days after repair).
- Issuing a list of recommendations on the past diagnostics, reminding about unfulfilled recommendations/works.
- Reminder of the forthcoming visit to the service station
- Informing about promotions
- Gratitude of service to customers, after payment with forwarding of recommendations after repair and declaration of warranty obligations
- Automatic recommendations by mileage or operation time
- Congratulations on the occasion of birthday, New Year, March 8, etc.
- Control over fulfillment of agreed service and repair terms
- Issuance of checklists to mechanics when performing routine work
- Collection of complaints and appeals, control over their status, automatic responses
- Automatic issuance of offers for missed customers
- Training of car owners on the peculiarities of the device and operation of cars (for new cars)
- Assistance to new employees in employment and adaptation
- Instructions for employees for special cases
- Monitoring employee satisfaction and motivation (automatic questionnaires)
- Training and certification of employees (training bot), tests, questionnaires (for knowledge of internal regulations, procedures, product knowledge, knowledge of narrow specialization, etc.)
- Labor protection (control of knowledge verification deadlines, OHS tickets, testing)
- Metrology (control over verification dates of measuring instruments, reminders about the need for periodic verification, automatic filling of verification requests)
- Analytics (KPI-bot), automatic control of KPI for manager/owner, automatic recommendations, notifications.
- Other functionality (at the customer's request)
- Directory of the head of service station with connected knowledge base
- Other
How to make a bot?
It takes minutes to create a bot without programming skills in 2023 using Chat GPT AI capabilities!

A specialized Chat GPT based assistant can be created without programming knowledge, interactively interacting with Chat GPT, the bot can learn from its expert content or databases and be multi-functional - open databases, open applications, analyze data, give advice, draw conclusions and on and on!

I will be glad if you can share links to your or other people's bots working in auto service.
Thank you!
With respect,
Alexander Vizavitin
https://sto-consult.pro

"It doesn't take long for an auto repair shop to go bankrupt" - I totally agree with this statement.
Dear friends, I can't get around the question of why some auto repair shops fail as a business and close down. It is clear that there are many reasons, but let's try to highlight a few of the most important ones.
Those who fail usually have a few common qualities or mistakes that led them to failure

1. Lack of understanding of the real costs of doing business.
Many who start this business do not have a financial plan, do not count the income and expense parts and do not realize what costs will be required not only to start, but also for the time it takes to reach a profit.
Many novice owners of business-autoservice invite to work specialists with experience and give them a generous percentage of the proceeds (40% or even 50%), while the owner does not consider the cost of labor fund, and does not understand at what level it should be kept to keep the profitability and profitability of the business has not fallen to zero.
Also, some managers of service stations (according to my observations) set the cost of work (the cost of standard hour) "from the ceiling", without any calculations of profitability. Sometimes, the cost of an hour of work leads to negative profitability of services. Some owners of service stations "shy" to have a high trade markup on spare parts or take in repair cars with customer spare parts, which generally kills all the profitability of the enterprise ...
The cost of an hour of work in conjunction with the average check and the number of cars serviced is the basis for the financial results of the car service center.
High rental rates and utilities at the beginning of the activity does not scare the newly minted businessmen, who are full of enthusiasm! But, after a few months, the problem of payments, lack of funds leads to deplorable results.
Even among experienced owners of service stations there are those who have not considered the profitability of their business, do not own the figures of the cost and revenue part.
Thus, financial illiteracy of business owners leads to cash gaps, shortage of working capital, problems with payment of salaries and taxes, etc.

2- Lack of goals.
If there are no goals, then there is nothing to strive for. Many people fail because they do not know how to plan, do not bring plans and goals to employees, have no idea how to ensure the achievement of plans.
I often hear from incompetent managers that "planning is impossible", "things change quickly", "life is not like theory" and other excuses for their incompetence.
A business owner should have not just a financial model of the business, but a financial plan for the year, quarter, month and week. The service station employees should know their production plan for the week, month and year. The manager must ensure the implementation of plans through marketing, optimization of revenue and expense parts, by improving the efficiency of staff (qualification, optimization of processes, etc.), control and encourage employees to achieve production plans through bonuses, increased rates and other tools.
3. lack of clear positioning in the market.
Some people believe that they need to work with everyone as much as possible. Therefore "multi-brand", therefore "do everything".....
As a result, it is impossible to organize effective marketing, it is not clear what kind of client to attract, who this client is, what he wants, and so on. In the work take everything "that moves", and therefore, there are problems with the technology of repair, qualification of performers of work, with the timing of repair, with the formation of stocks, pricing policy, etc....
I have met services that chose an unsuccessful niche (brand) and persistently tried to work in this niche with empty work stations, with high staff turnover. I don't think it's necessary to persistently dig where there is no water.....
It generally leads to poor performance, downtime, losses and closing or selling the business.

4. Inefficient processes
This is a direct "merit" of the service station manager. Misunderstanding of key service processes, lack of clear regulations and procedures leads to problems.
5. Service station personnel
Very many owners of service stations have gone bankrupt or closed because of the fact that incompetent or thieving or drinking employees came to the company. And here again, the merit of the manager or business owner, who hired without any selection. Some were hired on the principle of kinship or trust, sometimes hired in teams, which led to loss of control over the business. Inability to delegate, lack of control by the manager, lack of video surveillance, audits, inventories and inspections led to serious losses. Simply put, the staff began to work ON HIMSELF. In this situation, the owner had a loss or zero. As a result, the business was closed or sold outright.
6. Management
One of the biggest problems of failure in this business is the lack of management. There is a tool, there is a staff, there is a service station, but there is not even basic management, which includes - planning, setting tasks, control of task fulfillment. I am not talking about staff training and corporate culture. In simple words, those who become owners and managers of car service centers do not have the skills and knowledge of a manager.
As a result, the business becomes unmanageable. Palibracy, violation of subordination, discipline, etc. flourish. "Manager" in this case is tied to solve all existing problems, everything is kept on him, he is overloaded and quickly burns out.
Conclusion - it is necessary either to learn management or to hire a competent manager.

7. Other reasons (from the experience of observing the market of service stations in Belarus)
among them:
- unfortunate location of the service station
- violations of legislation. Ignorance of the legislation and as a consequence numerous violations, including violations of HSE, environmental protection, OHS and others. Which leads to loss of earnings at the first inspection.
- The owner could not grow from an entrepreneur into a manager, could not delegate, grow the structure and develop. Saving and pulling everything on himself, even turning the nuts himself.....
- low profitability
- disagreements among the founders
- others

 
On my training course "Head of car service" you will learn how to correctly position the business, build business processes, calculate the cost and revenue parts, work with staff (correctly select, adapt, stimulate staff). You will be able to move to the level of a business manager, which will be able to develop and scale with your minimal participation.
Among my students are the heads of the most efficient and best service stations in Belarus.
Read more at the link
https://sto-consult.pro/ra/