Episode Description

In this week’s episode of Beyond the Wrench, we are joined by Seth Thorson, President, Eurotech Automotive Repair to learn how to build a successful onboarding program. Most shops have an onboarding program in place, but aren’t always doing it correctly. Seth explains how he implements an onboarding program that leads technicians to success in their career.

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Creating an Onboarding Process

  • Having a written process isn’t always the best way. There are a lot of software programs out there to help.
  • The best people to write the processes are the people doing the work.
  • Create videos of basic duties around the shop. Document them all to share with new employees.
  • Trainual is a great software that allows you to build out your learning management system (LSM).

Onboarding Best Practices

  • All employees are nervous on their first day. Have a plan in place to help calm some of their nerves.
  • Provide new hires with an agenda that will tell them exactly what they will be doing throughout the day.
  • Create 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day goals for your new employees to achieve.
  • Send an email the day before the new hire starts with information on where to park, what to expect, and if they should bring anything. Also, send a team email saying a new team member is joining.
  • Have a checklist of skills that needs to be signed off on before they go live working on cars.

Finding the Best Applicant

  • New employees need to believe in what we do and why we do it.
  • You want employees who align with the core values of the company.
  • Create a reputation that makes new technicians want to come work for your shop.
  • Attitude trumps talent nine times out of ten. One sour apple can ruin the work environment pretty fast.

“If you don’t have a good culture and you don’t have a technician that’s going to fit your culture, you’re going to have problems.”
Seth Thorson, President, Eurotech Automotive Repair

Technician Onboarding Done Right – Does Your Shop’s Core Values Align with Your Techs?

Show Notes

Resources:

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About Our Host:

Jay Goninen
Co- Founder & President, WrenchWay
jayg@wrenchway.com | 608.716.2122

About Our Guest:

Seth Thorson
President, Eurotech Automotive Repair
seth@eurotechmn.com

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