appointment for service and doesn’t end until the claim is 100% properly paid and filed for review, should there ever be a need to look back. This requires creating, writing down and making those procedures and policies available to employees. Don’t forget, it’s extremely important to keep employees accountable for the process. Would you take a long road trip without a map? This would likely end poorly, having wasted lots of time in the process. Traveling with no road map is like holding your team to a process that isn’t written down and clearly documented — only this time, you’re not just getting lost, you’re losing lots of money. It only takes one employee not following the process to cost your dealership thousands of dollars. Thousands of dollars that could have been avoided. In order to steer clear of this, employees should know their role in the process and make sure they complete their responsibilities before moving the claim forward. The following are just a few examples of some of the key players touching a warranty claim: • Service advisors should make sure the VIN Inquiry is run and attached, prior approvals are handled, signatures are present and repeat repairs follow manufacturer guidelines. • Technicians are responsible for documenting the 3 Cs (Complaint, Cause, Correction) with diagnostic test results. Failure to include all and complete 3 Cs on any line may lead to a chargeback during the audit. They will ensure the Technical Service Bulletins are followed in their repair and noted in their story. They are responsible for their time punching and making sure all one-time-use parts are replaced and charged out on the repair order. • Managers need to make sure they are authorizing add-on repairs, multiple component replacements, straight time and more. These are just a few important examples of the hurdle’s dealers can run into during an audit. Another area where documentation must be researched thoroughly is customer eligibility for incentives. Client information and eligibility are being scrutinized at a new level. You always want to avoid giving the impression of misconduct or being tagged for fraudulent submission by the manufacturer. Fortify yourself and your team by communicating with them about the expectations of an audit so they can be prepared. A “no exceptions” policy pertaining to paperwork and warranty work should be understood by properly trained 23
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTg3NDExNQ==