It’s well known in the dealership world, each department experiences seasonality, especially in the service department.
With the changing of the seasons, there are highs and lows.
As we head into spring, there will be an upturn in your service department’s appointments.
Tire changeovers, general maintenance, customers getting ready for that summer sunshine.
Get ahead of the curve, by adding Seasonal Technicians. It’s as easy way to add capacity, get real work to your qualified techs, increase Service & Parts revenue, retain more customers, and get more new customers.
Here’s what I’d do to add up to 15 Seasonal Tire & Lube Techs at a large dealer;
- Start advertising your spring promotions a month in advance to your current and lost customer base.
- Then, post your job ads for seasonal, temporary technicians.
Most of this is entry level work and can be handled by candidates with limited experience.
Great candidates for these positions are more easily found than you’d think.
Look for candidates that are fresh out of trade school and looking to make some extra income to support their future career goal.
They need the hours for their bluebook, have entry level experience, and temporary employment work’s great for them so they can return to school.
Or maybe they are a “backyard mechanic” that’s been doing oil changes, changing tires, etc. and have good “hands-on” mechanical experience.
These candidates just want to get their “foot-in-the-door”.
They see it as an opportunity to grow in a dealership setting.
If you’re in a large store, and need 10 Seasonal Tech, plan to hire up to 15 of the best candidates.
“Back pocket” at least 5.
Some might not work out so it’s best to have a backup plan…after all, it’s a temporary position.
Have them hired and trained PRIOR to your rush. Key point.
The expectation is that they will work for a specific duration of employment and then be laid off when the rush is over. Set that expectation in the job ad, and during the interview.
If it is a good working relationship, they could be offered seasonal employment in the fall, or if you’re really ramping up business, this is a trail-run, and you can keep the best to Apprentice.
You will get a ton of applicants – trust me.
Now you’ve secured a great candidate for both seasonal positions, spring and fall, and your shop will be locked and loaded.
You’ll process more new customers, stop deflection, increase Parts & Service revenue, and offload work that your more qualified techs hate to do.
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Need some context on how to get this up and rolling? Or need some understanding of the type of people to interview/hire? Just ask – happy to share my thoughts 😊