Dealership Newsmaker Q&A Scott Washle

April 22, 2015
Crown Point Honda of Southpoint in Durham, N.C., offers a unique after-hours service guarantee. The dealership allows customers to drop off vehicles for routine service as late as 9 p.m. during the week and pick up their vehicles the next day by 7 a.m., or the service is free.

Crown Point Honda of Southpoint in Durham, N.C., offers a unique after-hours service guarantee. The dealership allows customers to drop off vehicles for routine service as late as 9 p.m. during the week and pick up their vehicles the next day by 7 a.m., or the service is free.

The Dream Service, as general manager Scott Washle calls it, also allows customers to drop of vehicles for other service as late as midnight.

How late do the technicians work at the dealership to make this service work?

The techs are here until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. We don't want any carryover, that's why we started extending the hours in the first place. Monday through Thursday we are open until midnight; we go 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. We run two and a half shifts. One comes in at 7 a.m. and leaves at 4, and the other comes in at 3 p.m. and stays until all the work is complete, usually after midnight or 1 a.m. depending on what we've got. We have a guarantee that we don't have carryover.

We also have a shuttle service for late drop-offs, and I've got seven full-time shuttle drivers.

How does this work with parts?

The parts department is open as long as service is open. We exclude recall factory parts from the guarantee. We only guarantee maintenance through the Dream Service, not warranty work.

How profitable has the night service been?

In 2013 we came within a couple of thousand bucks of matching the day shift. We're running about 45/55 in terms of gross profit between night and day shift. We've run 50/50 a few months in a row. I'm turning 30 hours per bay, per day. I keep that bay full at all times. We make sure our A techs get A work, and we move cars through the shop at a fast rate.

What's the biggest challenge your service department faces?

Make sure we have the right people in the right positions. The technicians have to be doing the right work for the efficiency of the bay. Logistics is another thing. At 5 o'clock at night you have customers that you took home who are picking up cars, and others bringing them in to drop off for the Dream Service. That's why we overlap the shifts.

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