The workshops have to improve his gestión of the PDV if they want to obtain a greater profitability

The stage to the that confront today the workshops of automotive sector is entirely different to the that existed does some years. “They have changed the times and go to change much more”, signalled to way of presentation Miguel Thin, general director of Group Driver, during his report in Neumafórum.

Has happened of a cycle of 10-15 years of bonanza, in which the market was very favourable for the posventa, with a lot of volume of work, a high demand of services, big profits (without having to concern by the politics of prices) and a big ease to attract to new customers, to a radically distinct situation in which no longer it gives any of these factors.

All the contario, the workshop sees immersed today in a new context of economic crisis, that has reduced notably his margins and that is comporting a reduction of his activity. In front of this change of cycle, as it signalled Miguel Thin, are giving , in a lot of cases, answers contraproducentes for the good course of the sector, as for example the tendency of not valuing the hand of work in the operations of maintenance or repair, “giving” this service and transmitting to the customer messages of little professionalism.

The new situation requires, therefore, of a greater attention to the gestión of the points of sale (PDV) and of a more exhaustive analysis of the surroundings in which it moves this workshop, which also has to take into account that his customers have changed, that now are consumers very very informed through internet, and increasingly demanding in matter of quality of service. They are customers that will not go back to attend to this workshop if they receive a bad attention, projecting even a bad image of these installations in his nearer circle.

In front of this, the workshop has to answer with a vision of mark consolidated, with a gestión computerised of the point of sale, with an analysis detailed of his costs, with a gestión of the customers by means of advanced CRM and with a politics of coherent and transparent prices. Without giving any of his services, the workshop has to be competitive.

Other two appearances in which Miguel Thin incidió like fundamental elements to improve the profitability of the workshops were the diversification and the learning. With the first looks for can offer to the customer an integral service and avoid time died in the activity of the mechanics. And with the learning (for whose development the workshops can support in the own providers), will be able to deepen in the knowledge of the changes that are producing so much in his market as in the characteristics of his own customers.

To conclude, the general director of Driver resumió in four points the keys to manage a point of sale: 1) Focalización in the service and attention to the customer; 2) Surround of qualified personnel; 3) Establish a politics of competitive prices, based in a margin of profit balanced; and 4) economic Gestión of the workshop to the day.