A. Little Help
- Author: Art Little
- Subject Matter: Management
- Issue: Technology
How does a transmission-shop owner spell freedom ? T-E-C-H-N-O-L-O-G-Y. I don’t know about you, but I have spent more time in a transmission shop than i would like to admit. In my career, it was not uncommon for me to get to the shop at 7 a.m. and leave anywhere from 6:30 p.m. to midnight. I worked every Saturday until 5:30 p.m. and slept all day Sunday. I worked through my vacations and sometimes did not get a vacation for five years. When I was a professional manager I had to quit to get any down time.
Sound familiar? It does not have to be that way nowadays. Today’s shop owner has a variety of technology at his disposal that enables him to leave the shop and still be in control of his business. You just have to slow down and take the time to find out what is possible.
One example is the latest security cameras. They allow you to view your shop remotely from your computer at home or on your smart phone. The old saying “You cannot be in two places at the same time” is no longer true. Nowadays, you can if you have the right technology. That’s right. You can be at home or at your favorite fishing hole and still see what is going on at the shop with the new Internet Protocol (IP) wireless cameras. You just need to get yourself set up to do it.
Years ago, I started using security cameras in my consulting business. The problem with consultants in our industry has always been that the shop does well when the consultant is there but when the consultant leaves the shop becomes less and less productive as time goes on. The cameras allowed me to view the shop from remote locations after I left and, with a few other technical tools I have, enabled me to provide a consistent “live” support line that had been missing in the consulting business for 60 years. Did I mention that it cut my costs in half? Once the cameras and the workflow app are set up I do not have to return to the shop for continuing support. It saves the shop owner money and saves me time.
- “A complete eight-camera system can be installed in less than a day for less than a thousand dollars.”
I remember the first shop where I tested the technology six years ago. The camera system cost $4,500 and took three days to set up. The cameras could be viewed only on computers. Nowadays, wireless technology has changed that game. A complete eight-camera system can be installed in less than a day for less than a thousand dollars. The shop owners I am working with nowadays can view their shop remotely with me online. They can participate in live production and sales meetings without going to the shop. That is just an example of how today’s camera technology makes my job as a consultant easier and my customers happier. Let me encourage you to at least consider how technology can work for you in your shop. New security-camera technology is affordable and available now. It is not some futuristic idea.
The camera technology can be useful in ways that you would never even think of. Let me tell you what I mean. There was an ice storm a few years back and everything was closed, even the parts houses. I was unable to get there, and so were the manager and owner. We were iced in. That day we were able to get the builder and two installers who lived close by to open the shop for us. We were able to view the shop remotely, and with their help we sold more than $9,000 that day from home when everyone else in town was closed. With the technology in place, it was just like a “window to the shop.” Management was there. We diverted the phones and it was on. We never missed a beat.
- “The camera technology can be useful in ways that you would never even think of.”
If you are a manager you can get on your computer in your office and see on one screen what is going on everywhere without going out into the shop. Most IP cameras also have an intercom option. You can talk with the builder without going to the building room. It makes it easy to monitor production and the lobby from your desk and saves you the walking time so you can use it for something more productive. It makes your job easier. That is what technology is supposed to do. You don’t have to get up if you don’t want to.
The absentee shop owner cannot afford to be without a security-camera system. He can easily communicate with his manager and view his shop from remote locations. It gives him control of his business while he is somewhere else. It is easily affordable because the theft-prevention feature pays for the system. Security-camera technology is a no-brainer here.
The multiple-shop owner can view and manage all his shops from one location with the right technology. The time saved traveling from shop to shop alone is worth the effort. I remember when I was a general manager for a multiple-shop organization years ago. I would drive 800 miles a week on average and spend several hours of unproductive time in my car going from shop to shop because I could not be in more than one place at a time. Today, I can be there virtually with a click of a mouse. This technology is a huge breakthrough for multiple-shop owners.
Of course, the security factor of the new cameras is invaluable. With features like night vision, motion detectors, email and text alerts today’s shop owner can rest easy. You can view the shop live on your smart phone at midnight. Look around anytime, just as if you are there, and make sure that all your valuables are safe. Once they get their shops set up, many owners also set up their houses so they can keep an eye on home and work using their smart phone wherever they are. Once you have it, you will not be without it again.
Security cameras in the lobby and shop can cut down on crime and lawsuits too. If the criminal or irate customer knows he is on candid camera, he might decide to behave himself. That’s the idea. Being the “lucky” one to represent the shop in court most of my career, I can see how I would have benefited many times from having the video of the customer in my lobby stinking up the place. We have the technology to take to court with us now to defend ourselves and beat time-consuming frivolous lawsuits. This is another way the investment in T-E-C-H-N-O-L-O-G-Y pays you back. Technology is our friend.
Twice in my career, my technicians’ tools have been stolen at night and I’ve had to face them when they arrived in the morning and tell them all their tools were gone. It is devastating to a shop. We did not have security cameras, and their tools were lost forever. When you think about it, the security cameras are the only chance we have to get our technicians’ tools back. Everyone’s tools and toolboxes are different. It takes them years to assemble their tools, and insurance money does not replace them. Police have to find the scum who stole the tools and hope they are still together. Without the cameras, there is no evidence.
When employees complain about the cameras in the shop, that is what I tell them, and most understand why the shop needs cameras. Besides that, we get recorded everywhere we go anyway. Do you think your last trip to the gas station or grocery store wasn’t on tape? What is more important: not being on video at work or having a chance to get your tools back if they are stolen? Most technicians go for the tools option.
If you are a working shop owner you can use today’s technology to help you get your life back. Go to a ball game with your son. Take your wife out. Go see some old high-school buddies. There is no reason to spend 65 hours a week in the shop anymore. If the shop is starting to feel like a prison, every day is like groundhog day and you have no life outside the shop, it might be time to consider installing some security cameras and free yourself up.
Take some well-meaning advice from a guy who spent way too much of his life inside the four walls of a transmission shop. Stop running from technology and start running to it. A security-camera system can dramatically reduce the time you have to spend in the shop. Cameras pay for themselves many times over. There is no excuse for not having them. I am not saying that you don’t go to the shop; I am just saying there are times when the security camera can take that burden off you and keep you from burning out.
For example, you could sleep in some mornings. That’s right; sleep an extra hour, drink your coffee at home and watch the employees come into work on your computer or smart phone; maybe drive in after the traffic clears. Most security cameras have an audio feature also. You can listen to conversations and also talk with employees though the camera device. So, it is just as if you were there, except you are not. You simply answer questions and issue your instructions to start the day.
It just makes sense to invest in technology that creates a way for you to spend more time with your loved ones and provide customers the same or better service. Work smart, not hard. Be nice to yourself. Give yourself a break once in a while. You deserve it.
Art Little is the founder of TransTeam. Visit www.transteam.com
