On a fairly regular basis, technicians, service writers and other employees will perform a task at Curry’s Auto Service that makes the owners go, “They get it!”
Just like the employees at the Chantilly, Va., shop get it, so do owners Matt and Judy Curry. They get what it takes to be a successful shop, implementing new ideas and technologies on both the management and technical sides of the shop. The fact that they get it shows in their shop, making Curry’s Auto Service the 2010 Motor Age Top Shop.
But at the heart of the shop, and one of the first ways they get it when it comes to service, is the shop’s dedication to inspecting every vehicle that comes through the bay. Working with the customers to develop long-term plans ties together the business and technical sides of today’s shop.
The Currys go beyond inspections to really work with their employees, constantly training them weekly on various aspects of the business and service, and offering profit sharing. They take the time to physically show customers their vehicles and what needs to be done, also using photos to illustrate these points. They’ve built marketing around being certified Female Friendly, and have bought their technicians some of the best equipment out there.
Curry’s Auto Service gets it, and they make sure their employees get it, too.
Inspection Plan 101
All of the training ties into the core value of the shop: Curry’s Vehicle Inspection Program. Each customer receives this vehicle snapshot to help them understand not only what their vehicle needs and how repairs affect it, but also that the staff is an advocate for the consumer.
“The heart of what we do is we inspect every car. If you bring your car in for an oil change or a brake inspection, whatever it is, we look over the whole car for you,” Matt Curry says. “We do that as a matter of a service we offer to our customers. That’s how we go to market.”
The thorough vehicle inspection covers everything from brakes, belts, hoses, steering, filters and fluids down to the radio knobs and dashboard appearance.
“Sometimes it’s the little things like that. Think about the little things that are irritating about your car. When you bring it in, that’s an opportunity for us to help our customers help get everything in their car working,” Judy Curry explains. “If we notice something and we say, ‘Oh, Mr. Smith, we noticed this knob is broken,’ they may say ‘Oh yes! I’ve been meaning to get that fixed for years!’ It’s as simple as replacing something like that. It’s something we take pride in.”
Matt Curry says the program has been a key part of the shop since the day it opened its doors, March 16, 1998. Both Currys believe it is the proper way to treat their customers. But while they perform the complete inspection from tires to antennae, they also understand the type of economy today’s customers work in.
The list of repairs is prioritized for each customer, and service advisors talk with the customers to create a long-term plan of how they will treat their vehicles. “You want to be able to have the real conversation with the customer. This is what you need now. You’re going to need $2,000 or $3,000 worth of work over the next year as we can see it,” Matt Curry elaborates. “Now you don’t need to do all of it now, but we need to make a decision on how we want to move forward. Do we fix the car now? Is it time to get a new car? We want to give the customer options based on his needs.”
It ties in with vehicle safety, and priorities to keep the vehicle safe on the road and ready to handle the type of driving the owner does on a regular basis. Judy Curry adds that it’s done to build a better relationship so the shop employees can offer the right advice for the right customers. And Matt notes that some shops might be afraid to take on this inspection, but it’s important to build good relationships and also for the safety of today’s drivers. He says it’s just a matter of training your customers. His wife agrees.
“We’re trying to get them to understand it’s a service we’re trying to provide. We’re auto experts,” she adds. “When you bring your car in, we should be able to catch anything that you didn’t. They should be relying on us to tell them everything about their car. We want to make sure we look at the vehicle thoroughly when they come in. Based on what we find, we can work with the customer.”
That attention to detail is what sets Curry’s apart from competitors in the Washington, D.C., area, and is reinforced weekly in the shop’s training.
Training, Training, Training
The Currys believe in helping all of their employees reach their best potential, which is why they pay for all training related expenses. But the owners take it a step further, bringing their own training into the bays. From shop training to technical lessons with an in-house technical director, classes occur up to twice a week at the shop.
On the technical side, training starts with the Curry’s Vehicle Inspection Program, teaching technicians, and reiterating to them, the importance of the inspections and how they’re properly completed. Matt Curry says the training covers everything from covering seats and floor mats when servicing a vehicle to test driving vehicles and services to be completed at mileage checkpoints in addition to manufacturers’ recommendations. One example is that at the 30,000-mile service checkpoint, technicians check and lubricate all weather-stripping in the vehicle.
Employees attend classes at least once a month. Training is offered twice a week in order to make sure all employees have access to it without leaving shop areas short staffed.
An on-staff technical director handles the in-house training on this side of the business. The senior-level manager also ensures that each technician adheres to established and codified quality and control policies. The technical director has worked with Matt Curry for about 13 years, and has experience with high-end vehicles and race teams, like Porsche. Bringing him on board helped keep the quality the Currys had worked hard to instill in their technicians in place as the shop experienced growth. He also is an asset outside of training, helping to keep the business’ vision of inspection in focus.
“Cars are very complicated and sophisticated machines. Sometimes he’ll go out and he’ll help fix cars we’re having problems with,” Matt Curry says. “He helps bring an outside source and a fresh set of eyes. We use him for that as well as in-house technical training.”
In addition to the technical training, Curry’s conducts between eight and 10 classes for other aspects of the shop, from policies and procedures to training on answering the phone, selling tires, maintenance or general customer service, handling female customers and going green.
“I think our employees, we realize how important they are. They’re the heart of our company and we’re investing our time in them,” Judy Curry says. “I think they do appreciate that. It’s always nice no matter what you’re doing to take a couple hours and step back from what you’re doing and learn something new or brush up or even practice things you know or are learning.”
Employees are paid to attend training, and also receive profit sharing. In addition to in-house training, Curry’s pays for its technicians to attend training from Bosch, Hunter, Mobil Oil and others, both at the shop and off-site, and at places like ATI and Northern Virginia Community College. Matt Curry says the employees always take advantage of the training and like it.
They also appreciate the top-of-the-line equipment in the bays, including the latest diagnostic tools including Autologic, Vagcom, Iscan, OTC Genisys and Snap-on, as well as Hunter tire equipment.
Applying the Training
Just how training at Curry’s Auto Service is on-going, obviously so is the application is real-life situations. One way the training is reiterated to employees is through the shop’s early morning check-out procedure. While some people wait for vehicles to be fixed, the company has created this policy to streamline technicians’ work for those who drop off vehicles.
“If a technician has three cars on his hook and they’re all dropped off for the day, what we want him to do is bring the first car in and check it out and back it out. Bring the next car in, check it out and back it out. Bring the third car in, check it out and back it out,” Matt Curry explains. “By the time he has the third car checked out, for the first car he checked out that morning he’s got authorization, he’s got the parts, he knows what he’s doing. He may be just checking out cars until 10, 11 o’clock in the morning, but then from 11 to 6, he’s doing nothing but working on cars. So we’re utilizing our time efficiently.”
True, this process is used at other shops around the county. But both Currys say this standardization enforces consistent shop operations and optimizes workflow management. Because of this, the shop recorded a 28 percent increase in gross revenues in 2009 over 2009, and expects a 25 percent growth in gross revenues this year over 2009.
However, the process is different for those customers waiting for service. Matt Curry says in those cases, technicians will not back their vehicles out until they have had the chance to show the customers what it wrong with the vehicle while it’s on the lift.
“It’s part of our show and tell service. We want to bring you out and show you that you’ve got a CV boot that’s blown out. Here it is. Touch it, feel it, see it,” he says. “Maybe you need a transmission flush and here’s why. And while it’s here in the bay, you have a sense of urgency to take care of it right away while you’re wait.”
They also uses every chance they get to take photos of the customers’ vehicles and send them via e-mail to the customers. It ties in to how the Currys feel the inspections and other service serve as a way to educate and train the customers on what they need to know.
“They just don’t even think that they can use this as a way to educate themselves about their car or learn something about oil changes or brakes or anything like that,” Judy Curry says. “We encourage the interaction. We hire the best and we like to be able to share that expertise with our customers.”
Working With the Customer
To expand this customer relationship, Curry’s Auto Service has a dedicated customer advocate whose only job is to follow up with customers. Matt Curry says the advocate, who started as a customer of the shop, plays a key role in making sure each customer gets the level of service they expect and want. Judy Curry says this is just an extension of how they had been interacting with their customers.
“We’re trying to capture our customers opinions, ideas for improvement, staying in touch with them. We have our online testimonials and our online surveys, but it really wasn’t enough,” she states. “We wanted to make sure we developed more of a relationship with our customers and really got a feel for what they need and what they want and where we need to improve. And the feedback we got from the people we talked to was great. ‘Wow, this is great. You called me up and wanted to hear what I had to say.’ We thought this is fantastic and we need to continue to do this as much as we can. We realize it’s a very important tool.”
They currently call about a 30 percent sampling of customers per location, which is about 40 customers per day. But Matt Curry says they are in the process of expanding that to every customer, because that’s the right thing to do. New point of sale software and customer management systems now give the owners the ability to watch all aspects of the stores, from inventory to sales, cash flow, marketing and more. They say this helps them better communicate with their customers and track customers’ histories.
Curry’s Auto Service also is the only shop in Northern Virginia to be certified Female Friendly by AskPatty.com. Judy Curry says this is important to her especially, because she knows so many women who are in charge of making all the decisions on their families’ vehicles, she wants them to know there’s a good place to turn.
Part of being Female Friendly is having simple things in line, like keeping restrooms clean, having a variety of proper magazines and free WiFi. But it goes beyond that to making sure staff knows how to communicate correctly, putting all customers — not just women — at ease about asking questions.
“They really appreciate having an honest discussion with an expert and not feeling like they’re going to be laughed at or made fun of for asking the wrong question or a stupid question or afraid that they’re going to get ripped off because they’re female,” she states. “That’s not what we’re all about. Whether you’re male or female, we’re going to be honest about what we find in your car and we’re going to communicate that to you in a way that you can make the best decision about your car.”
Matt Curry is quick to add that that is the whole nucleus of their program: inspecting every car and recommending what it needs and a plan that works best for you. Tying the inspections and Female Friendly certification together in marketing then is a logical step. He says he has heard many positive comments about radio commercials his wife cuts touting these facts.
“I’ve gotten people coming up to me saying, ‘Matt, I heard your wife on the radio and this female friendly thing is brilliant.’ We get positive comments from men as well as women about it who appreciate it,” he says. “I even had dads in our stores, saying, 'I really appreciate this. I feel comfortable with my daughter coming here.'”
To Market, To Market
Marketing is a key component of Curry’s Auto Service’s overall plan, focusing not just on being Female Friendly but on a variety of shop features. The shop utilizes radio, direct mail, customer e-mail service reminders, e-mail newsletters to more than 9,000 customer addresses and community events to market its services. It has jumped into the social medial realm on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and keeps its website current and interactive.
The site features not just basic shop information and online appointment features, but also online contests, surveys and other maintenance information. Customers who submit feedback or referrals online are entered in a monthly drawing for gift certificates, gas cards, Curry’s logo items and seasonal gifts.
“My whole goal with our website was to tell our goal and to offer discounts to entice new customers to come in and check us out,” Judy Curry explains. “But also I wanted it to be interactive. I didn’t want it to be a website where people just came for information. I wanted it to be another source for us to interact and get information from us. Or how are we doing? They can go and do a testimonial, do a survey, join our Facebook page, print out a friend referral coupon. I just try to put things on that engage our customers and have fun.”
Marketing at the shop also involves the customers. It is launching another calendar for 2011, this time featuring customers and their vehicles. They gave away prizes for submitting photos, and every car submitted is featured in the 2011 calendar.
“These are all customers of ours, and they got to brag about their cars,” Matt Curry says. “Then everybody could vote on them. We got people involved, we drove traffic to our website.”
Curry’s also helps its customer-base by hosting free maintenance clinics, car shows, open shop days and car club events. The shop hosted an event for women and another event for the area Porsche club featured former Washington Redskins Brian Mitchell, who according to Matt Curry is a big car guy and customer. He presented a clinic and speaking engagement, including stories about going fast, a hit among customers.
“It’s what our customers want. They appreciate it. They like to come out and learn about their vehicles,” Judy Curry notes.
The shop also participates in a teen driving school, including employees volunteering to be instructors, and hosting a Girl Scout DASHboard program.
These marketing and customer-focused programs that involve the community all are in addition to the community service opportunities everyone in the shop takes advantage of. The Currys and employees have worked with Food for Others, Autism Speaks, Loudoun County Area Agency on Aging and Jill’s House, among other youth and sporting activities. All of this work includes both time and money.
“We’re a family, locally owned repair shop and tire store. We’re not a big franchise,” Matt Curry says. “We want to serve the communities that we serve. It’s the right thing to do.”
Proper Alignment
While the shop might be a family, locally-owned business, the Currys have been able to align themselves with suppliers like larger companies would. The shop’s philosophy is to not tie up a lot of money in inventory and to get the part at the best price for customers. They don’t stock many parts, and because of their buying power, they have been able to negotiate rebates between 5 and 12 percent.
Matt Curry explains that part of this is because he has been in the automotive repair business for 29 years, working with many of these suppliers since before his first shop opened its doors nearly 13 years ago. But the relationships have changed, and he says they have been able to work out better agreements with their suppliers, because they’ve grown.
“For the most part, we were able to sit down and negotiate and say, ‘Hey, we’re not one store any more. We need to buy better than some of these other guys do. We deserve to, because we’re doing a million dollars a year with you instead of $50,000 a year with you,’” he says. “We expect to get better pricing than some of our competitors who maybe don’t do as much business.”
The shop also demands that the suppliers they deal with have the best people on staff from the top down.
“We also want to make sure that we’re dealing with the ones that have the best people, that have the highest quality parts, that stand behind their products, that are professional,” Matt Curry adds. “It’s amazing how some of these parts drivers, they come to our stores, they’re professional and we don’t have to worry about an image thing.”
The shop also has demanded more of its top 10 vendors this year, asking to see in writing their plans to go green. Matt Curry says this is important to them, as they make their shops greener. The shops use Toyota Priuses for their service and shuttle vehicles, have implemented an oil spill cleanup program ( and later using those mats as a secondary fuel source) and of course recycle all fluids, tires, parts and metal.
“We’ve done a lot of cool things ourselves. We’re going to continue to do the right thing, so we’ve gone to our vendors and we wanted to make sure they’re being responsible with the environment and they’re doing all the right things, or as much as possible, to work their way toward a going green program. We’re letting them know that’s important to us,” he says.
Involvement in the aftermarket industry also is important to the shop owners. Curry’s Auto Service is a Bosch Certified Repair Facility, AAA certified and participates in area National Car Care Month events. The Currys sit on the student advisory board at Chantilly High School’s Academy for Automotive Know How, and Judy Curry is on the board of AskPatty.com. In addition, to that Matt Curry in September was a keynote speaker on going green and what shops should do at the Tire Industry Association (TIA) Environmental Symposium.
And the Currys do know what works and they get it when it comes to running a successful shop. From training to technology, marketing to sales, they have developed and revamped plans that work to put them on the map as some of the best services in the country.
“We just really feel strongly that we have the best people in the industry. This is a people-oriented business. Everybody’s got to be on the right page of what the vision is from the top, what we expect, what we want,” Matt Curry says. “Obviously if it’s a good vision and it makes sense, then people will jump on that bandwagon. It’s a matter of having the right people to do the job. We want to put the right people in the right place to do the right thing all the time. That’s our deal.”
And it’s a deal that works.
