We, as dealerships have an obligation to take care of the safety of our team, suppliers, and customers. This care is manifested in the marking on the floors, in the appropriate handling of contaminated waste, and in the use of safety equipment, among many others.
With the appearance of COVID-19, however, safety concerns have increased and measures must be even more efficient to prevent transmission of the disease. This is also a new value and expectations perceived by the customer;
we need to plan and deliver safer processes to our customers!
In some parts of the world, measures of protection and social distance have been suggested, in others, imposed, with strict control and circulation rules.
Even so, the rules and regulations of the health agencies do not detail different stages of the processes at a dealership. Considering this,
we become even more responsible
for taking strict precautions that guarantee the safety of those who are involved daily in our work.
We need creative solutions to get back to work safely!
In one of the previous articles in this series, we described the risk we take if we choose to abandon our processes. We now re-emphasize on this again in this article. To improve security, we must start from the process standard, that is,
redesign all steps with safer flows, considering the need to have the least possible amount of interactions between employees and customers.
According to health agencies, in addition to hand hygiene, among the main measures to prevent the contagion of covid-19 are:
• safe distance between people
• minimum exposure time.
As an example, let us think about how Lean culture can help fulfill these two recommendations.
FLOW
A process should run with no interruptions or waiting. The fewer people interacting with the customer, the vehicle, and the documents, the less likely it is to transmit the new corona virus.
For example, as soon as the vehicle arrives at the dealership, it can be directed straight to the allocated work bay for service, without multiple people having contact with the customer and/or car, such as the doorman, valet, advisor, driver or cashier.
This way, the flow is more efficient, with the possibility to reduce the number of interactions between people.
Spaghetti Chart
With the use of this tool, we can understand the movement of the customer, the vehicle and employees, besides discovering the path of the information flow, the distance traveled, the time spent, the reworks, etc.
From the drawn graphics, it is possible to create new movement patterns and avoid the points of contact, in addition to solving the perceived problems.
Spaghetti chart is exceptionally easy and efficient in analyzing and improving processes, prioritizing the reduction of exposure time.
Work Standards
There is a need to review the working standards of frequent repairs that makes up the day-to-day operation at dealerships. It is urgent and necessary to add safety measures to these standards. These standards need, for example, to ensure the distance between the persons involved in the process and you should still consider the points of contact with the vehicle, tools, and the equipment. Not to mention the documents: they can also be "transmitters”.
Visual Management
We have seen some great initiatives in this area. For example a video was released recently by Honda Cometa Group, Caceres, demonstrating solutions implemented in order to meet the requirements in relation to security, such as the demarcation of spaces for the ideal distance between customers and employees and reorganization of social spaces. This care and the way they have been implemented to draw attention by meeting lean requirements: implementing easy, efficient and at the lowest possible cost.
By understanding your processes and helping your team to discuss problems and possible solutions, it is certain that you will be able to solve the issues arising from this new reality with less costs and more quickly.
Contact us today at hello@leandealers.com or www.leandealers.com to learn more how you can make your operations and dealership profitable again and come out from this crisis stronger than you went in! We can help you and are here to support you with efficient online coaching!
Think Lean, eliminate waste and help your business survive and get ahead in the resumption! - The Lean Dealers Team