HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF, YOUR SHOP, AND YOUR CUSTOMERS
By now, you’ve probably already seen this headline:
Technician Arrested for Manslaughter After Lacking Inspection
A technician in Vermont inspected a car, failed to test the brakes (among other mistakes), and two weeks later an 83 year old woman died in a car crash. With a proper inspection, investigators decided this death could have been avoided.
Here’s what this means to you…
In the court of law, you are the expert. When your customers bring their vehicle to you, they expect you to tell them everything they need to know about their vehicle. A customer might not know to ask about a lurking issue, but as the expert and inspecting technician, you are on the line for making them aware of problems that put their safety at risk.
The courts don’t side with auto shops, they side with the victim because you are the one with the expertise.
Are you protecting yourself, your business, and your customers?
On one hand, this is the reason why you need to inspect every vehicle, every time. Every repair, every post repair test drive, every scrap of information on your inspection forms, every signature can come under scrutiny when criminal charges are on the line.
But the bigger picture is this: you must hold employees accountable, getting them to do what you expect even when you’re not watching. The Ten Minute Meeting we preach about isn’t just about fixing sales and increasing profits…it’s also about protecting your shop, your future, your livelihood, your employees, your customers and your freedom.
I don’t call it the most important meeting of my life for nothing!
It comes down to having the right policies and procedures, to ensure that every technician inspects every vehicle the right way, every time.
I’ve devoted countless hours to training on this very topic. The classes below are a great place to start:
- The Most Important Meeting of my Life
- Educating your Customers to make the RIGHT Decisions
- How to get your Employees to do what you Expect
- Leading and Managing Technicians
- Don’t get left High and Dry… Get the Right Policies and Procedures
For all RPM ToolKit clients, these classes are already included in the Roadmap. Call your Client Development Specialist, and we’ll make sure you have access to all the classes you need.
In the meantime, whether you are an RPM ToolKit client or not, if you have any questions about this case and how it affects your shop, call my team at 303-703-8000.