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taking any payment and then sets the next service appointment.
Meanwhile, the customer’s car has been washed and is ready to go.
Q: What are some other examples of how teamwork happens at
Nalley?
Owen: We have mobile carts in the service area with laptops at each
car that allow the service techs to communicate back and forth with the
parts department. This allows parts requests to be handled quickly,
and once the part is ready, a light will turn on notifying techs right
away. This process speeds up our service to the customer. Also, if a
service technician is at lunch, all the other service technicians know
that they have to be ready to take care of the client. Every service desk
is set up so that every client’s service record is easy to pull up on the
computer.
Colanero: Back in the ’70s, we set up many of our shops in a team
system so the techs all worked together in smaller teams, dispatched
together, and were paid as a team. Most dealers have one dispatcher
with around 10 service employees. The dispatcher will assign jobs
based on the tech’s skill level—A, B, C, etc. At Nalley, most teams
have just three techs, each with a different skill level, and the group
works together to determine who does which job. These smaller teams
pool their hours. Individuals are paid at different hourly rates, of
course, but the hours are divided equally.
Owen: This system allows C-skill techs to have more direct daily in-
teraction with the A and B techs on their teams. It also creates more
of an incentive for the senior techs to mentor and train new hires,
because they need to be able to depend on them. So, it leads to more
small-team bonding. This system also requires a service manager that
is highly skilled, which Domenick is. It takes vision, discipline, and
determination, plus the ability to read and know each person’s abili-
ties. The service manager needs to reinforce that the team is stronger
than any one member.
Q: How does your approach to building teamwork help make
Nalley Automotive a Best Place to Work?
