Digital Shop Talk Radio

Process change is hard on a team. What's in it for them? Quick Wins create immediate momentum, translating to staff buy-in and ultimately more revenue. Devin Kelley (All-Star Automotive, Columbia, MO) took on the challenge of going fully digital when he took over a new team. On Wednesday's show, together we will discover the winning formula that has his staff fully committed and his revenue soaring!

The phrase "Lost in Translation" is one that no longer applies to auto repair centers that are masters of the Digital Vehicle Inspection (DVI). On this week's episode, we are going to show you: Why customers prefer buying after receiving a DVI instead of being sold to over the phone Metrics and milestones to prove how effective the DVI process can be Techniques for staff buy-in because when techs and SA's are in lockstep, almost any goal is insurmountable Quick wins for your shop to capture the value of DVI from Day 1 Travis Sallee is  our weekly shop owner guest as well as hosts Tom and Uwe from AutoVitals.

This week's LIVE recording of The Digital Shop Talk Radio Show was focused on the Service Team and how to drive shop growth through their digital efforts. By watching OR listening to this week's recording, you'll learn: - Overcoming SA's typical challenges - especially during implementation - Metrics and milestones to track along the way - Best practices for SA's and owners in the implementation process - Quick wins to get your Service Team fired up and ready to hit huge goals This week's guests include owner Dave Earp and his Service Advisor Curt McGregor (Village Transmission, Edmonds, WA) as well as hosts Tom and Uwe from AutoVitals.

WHAT: Going digital can be a tough hill to climb if your staff isn't on the same page as you. In Episode 1 of our 10-part series titled "Going Digital Is Going Places You've Never Been," we are talking Tech Buy-In. As in what typical challenges your team can expect, how to overcome them, and what metrics you can use to track your progress. WHY: On this week's episode you'll learn: -The reason your techs have a direct impact on the amount of work approved -Motivation techniques for your techs -How to lead by example - getting them to buy in with you -Best Practices to put your techs in a position to earn quick wins WHO: Shop owners Ben & Nate Ramsey (6 Meineke locations in PA) join Tom Dorsey and Uwe Kleinschmidt from AutoVitals.

If you aren't growing, you're stagnating. And in modern times, we must use modern tools to fuel expansion. In this episode, you will learn the tools necessary to grow your shop and stay ahead of the technological curve. Teri & Dave Scafidi from Eastside Bavarian (Issaquah, WA) join the show to tell us how they have grown their shop and what tools they use to manage that growth.

In leaner times such as these, it is important to make the most out of every opportunity that enters your shop. The absolute best way to do this is by performing a thorough Digital Vehicle Inspection (DVI), and communicating the information to your customer in an easy-to-digest format. Join us for this week's episode where we are joined by three guests who will demonstrate the immense value of DVI and what an impact it can make in your shop. First we will be joined by Ryan Flattum (RMF Auto Service, Hudson, WI) who has made huge leaps in his shop over the last 8 months by committing his team to the AutoVitals' DVI process. Ryan will tell us why DVI has made such a big impact and how it's keeping his shop healthy during these uncertain times. In Part 2, we will be joined by DVI experts Roy Foster (Roy Foster's Automotive, Rno, NV) and Bill Connor (AutoVitals, former NAPA Tech of the Year) who will show us exactly HOW shops can craft their inspections to simply make more revenue. By watching the live episode

This week's episode of The Digital Shop Talk Radio, hosted by Tom Dorsey, features multi-shop owner JR Luna, who is leveraging this unique challenge as an opportunity to examine and refine the processes of his business to go even further down the digital path, and as a result, couldn’t be more confident about the future. In Part Two, shop owners John Long and Devin Kelley join the conversation and reveal secrets using real-life examples, which have turned traditional thinking into new ways of paying off big. Whether you and your team are relatively new to The Digital Shop® and need a head start, or you have been embracing the system for a while and are looking for new ideas, this episode is one you don’t want to miss.

Do you have an ‘Emergency Car Count Button’ you can push? One that can fill your bays in the blink of an eye? “Before I ran those campaigns, I didn’t have a button like that I could press,” said Adam Bendzick (Pro Service Automotive, Prior Lake, MN) on The Digital Shop Talk Radio Show. “Now, if you run the right campaign and everything, you can boost that car count up just at the click of a button.” So how exactly does this ‘Emergency Car Count Button’ work? Check out this week's episode of The Digital Shop Talk Radio, hosted by Tom Dorsey, as we welcome Adam back on the show to tell us precisely how his approach to filling the bays and how he has used targeted campaigns to reach his customers with messages that resonate during the COVID-19 era. Joining him is AutoVitals’ campaign expert Chris Maggard, who will show you the practices for running effective campaigns which made Adam so successful. Be ready to ask questions about how this will work in your shop. By watching the episode you will: Discover what

In times of need, it is important to stay front of mind and be as genuine as possible. During these times though, it is more important than ever to keep your customers’ (and you own) needs and motivations at the forefront of everything you do. We can call it the “Why?” On today’s episode of Digital Shop Talk Radio, shop owners Kathleen Jarosik (Xpertech Auto Repair, Englewood, FL) and Russ Crosby (Russ’s Wrench, Clinton, NJ) show us some strategies and techniques they have used to keep their shops cranking away over the last few weeks, tell us some success stories about their experiences lately and give us some insight on understanding the “Why?” of those around you to motivate your staff during these tough times

There’s an old saying that goes, “Growth and comfort can’t coexist.” In an ever-evolving industry like this one, shop owners and their staff understand this phrase as much as anyone. But in the end, oftentimes it turns out that the greater the challenge at hand, the greater the reward that will come from it. And it never hurts to get some help along the way. On today’s episode of Digital Shop Talk Radio, we have Adam Bendzick (Pro Service Automotive Repair, Prior Lake, MN), a shop owner who started his business by risking everything he owned to get his shop off the ground. Through lots of hard work and by learning from his peers and The Digital Shop professionals at AutoVitals, Adam turned his shop into a multi-million dollar operation, hitting goals he never thought possible. Tune in to see how Adam did it and some words to the wise for those considering getting started.

Sure, trying new things can be fun and adventurous, but deep down human beings are creatures of habit. Predictability and consistency makes things easier for us, because we know what to expect and how to react to the situation at hand. Replicating consistent expectations can be much more difficult for an Auto Repair Shop than a McDonald’s or a Starbucks, but is just as critical. On this week’s episode of Digital Shop Talk Radio, we welcome Greg Masewic and Marc Arnold (owners of three Meineke locations in the Concord, NH area) who are making a concerted effort to create the most consistent and replicable customer experience possible by focusing on consistent processes on the back end. What are their results? You will have to tune in to find out! If you can’t catch the show live, head over to AutoVitals.com/podcast where you can find video and audio recordings of all the episodes. If you like the show, make sure you like our Facebook page, join our Facebook group (Dustin put the links in the comments section

Online reviews of your business matter. Heck, when was the last time you were looking for a new restaurant to try on a Friday night and DIDN’T look at the reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp or some other service? So if they are that important, can you be sure your shop is taking advantage of their power? On today’s episode of Digital Shop Talk Radio, we have shop owner Jason Werner (Stewart Auto Repair, Winter Haven, FL) joining us to share the impact reviews have made on his shop, how he actively pursues them and how he uses them to drive motorists to his repair center.

To be a multi-shop, or not to be a multi-shop? That is the question just about every shop owner out there has asked themselves. There are so many opportunities available when expanding your business, but there can be a number of headaches and challenges as well. In an effort to help any shop owner friends of ours who may be struggling with some of these questions, we thought we would bring a On this week’s episode of Digital Shop Talk Radio, we have Mike Button (Affordable Automotive and Affordable Automotive West) who currently owns two locations and is working on adding another location (as well as some other interesting projects). He is going to fill us in on what goes into his decision-making process when considers further expansion, how he knows when to pounce at an opportunity and how he uses the Digital Shop to manage his locations. Tune in for a thought provoking look at multi-shop ownership.

From a tech's perspective, going digital can be a big change in process. With that in mind, having a savvy tech who can grasp the digital inspection process can make the world of difference when capturing the most out of the RO at your service counter. In this week's episode of Digital Shop Talk Radio, Tom Dorsey welcomes Nick Fabian, Senior Technician from Russ's Wrench in Clinton, NJ, to discuss what going digital is really like from a tech's perspective and how he has learned to embrace what it means to be a Digital Shop. He will be joined by the owner of the shop Russ Crosby, who will talk about how he managed going paperless with his techs and how to strike a good balance between the front and back of the house.

Cause and effect is a basic concept, but is tried and true when it comes to diagnosing pain points and growth areas in your shop. On this week's episode of Digital Shop Talk Radio, host Tom Dorsey has Sergio Garza (Rick & Ray's Auto Plaza, Fort Worth, TX) on to discuss how Sergio sees causes and consequences through the lens of KPIs. Tom and Sergio will also discuss how he and his team use stats to manage outcomes in every aspect of their shop including workload, car count, output and so much more. As Sergio will tell you, running a shop in this fashion reflects the transparency customers receive and appreciate from a Digital Shop like his.

There is often a belief that it is tough to make legitimate gains in ARO without lowering your car count. On today's episode of Digital Shop Talk Radio, we have Nate and Ben Ramsey on the show to discuss how they have been able to increase the ARO in their shops while maintaining a robust car count through thorough and frequent inspection audits. Tune in and see how to produce efficient inspections, how to have your techs and service team communicate more effectively and hear a few stories from Digital Shop Conference 2020.

When making a dramatic change to the processes of your shop (like going paperless), there is rightfully a huge focus on the implementation phase - how to successfully launch the new program. Once the new system is fully implemented, many shops face a similar question: where do we go from here? On today's episode of the Digital Shop Talk Radio Show, we have Christoph Schopfer from Auburn Euro Motors on to talk about how he examines the processes in his shop and how he continues to make tangible progress on his shop's KPIs through refining processes - specifically on his inspection sheet.

Which scenario sounds more like your shop? 1.) Your shop hosts weekly shop meetings to update staff on metrics, goals, and projects. 2.) Your shop only hosts meetings when a problem needs to be rectified or an issue has arisen. Frank Scandura, our first guest on this week's episode of the show, is a master of the weekly shop meeting. He has been using it for years as a way to raise the status quo in his shop and is so good at it, we had him tell our attendees at Digital Shop Conference all about the benefits and implementation of regular shop meetings. Dave Earp, the second guest on this week's show, found himself as part of the second group but has changed his tune after hearing Frank speak at Digital Shop Conference 2020 and is in the process of implementing regular shop meetings in his shop. We look forward to having them both on to discuss why meeting with your shop on a regular basis can make such a huge impact on your shop.

Editing every picture for your digital inspections can be tedious work. Just ask Billy Catching of Aram's Auto Repair in Fresno, CA, who makes it his personal goal to edit every single picture that is included in the inspections sent to his customers. By doing this, he is maximizing the potential of the RO on the current visit while creating a detailed history of the vehicle and setting his shop up for more work approved on future visits as well. Stay tuned to see how he does it.

This is a special episode recorded LIVE from Digital Shop Talk Conference 2020. We feature all of our breakout speaker guests (Fred Gestwicki Jr., Frank Scandura, John Long, Neil Daly, Devin Kelley, Doug Brackett, Matt Fowler, Jamey Whitlock, and more!) as well as turning the tables a bit by having Uwe up on stage to interview Tom.