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Stopping customer complaints with

American & Import Auto Repair

An American success story in Tennessee

The state of Tennessee boasts a variety of iconic wonders, not the least of which is a shop that’s nestled just west of the incredibly majestic Blue Ridge mountain range. American & Import Auto Repair is located in Johnson City, a town steeped in the state’s legacy. For those readers interested in history, William Bean, recognized as Tennessee’s first colonizer, built his cabin along Boone’s Creek near what is now Johnson City in 1769. The city was founded in 1856 by Henry Johnson as a railroad station dubbed “Johnson’s Depot,” serving as a major rail hub for the Southeast.

Today, the area boasts a population of over 63,000, with a healthy mix of both domestic and import vehicles. Johnson City was ranked by Forbes as the “#14 Best Small

American &Import Auto Repair Johnson City, Tenn. www.americanandimportautorepair.com

Owners: Tim and Kim Smith Business founded: 2003 Number of bays: 6 Number of certified technicians: 4 Total number of technicians: 9 Shop size: 6,000 square feet Number of vehicles serviced per month: 400 Hourly labor rate: $89 Average job ticket price: $340 Gross profit: N/A Average spent on tools and equipment annually: $8,000 Vehicle makes serviced: All. Substantial European vehicle population; fleet accounts.

The American & Import Auto Repair pro shop team. From left to right: Greg Lawson, Stevie Hinkle, Blaine Turner, Tim Smith, Jake Vance, Kim Smith, Scott Hyatt, Chad Townsen, Patrick Jones and Derek Bush. Place for Business and Careers” and #5 in Kiplinger’s list ofthe 10 least expensive cities for living in the USA. American & Import Auto Repair, founded in 2003 by Tim and Kim Smith, offers a general range ofautomotive service for all makes and models, including European makes that other shops tend to shy away from.

Ladies Car Care clinic events are held annually (or even twice per year, depending on demand), providing automotive education and maintenance tips to an audience of 15 to 20 women.

Educating customers and promoting the business goes hand-in-hand. One of the special events that has helped to increase business is an annual Ladies Car Care Clinic (sometimes held twice each year). As owner Tim Smith noted, “This is a big hit and has proven to be extremely popular. Each clinic is attended by 15 to 20 women who are interested in learning about their vehicles and gaining an insight into vehicle maintenance and service. Each clinic runs for two to three hours, with four stations dedicated to specific areas such as how oil changes are handled, undercar inspection, how to jump-start a battery, etc. At the end of the clinic, we then coach the attendees to perform various services on their own vehicles.”

What is your business philosophy?

Tim notes, “We follow the golden rule... treat others as you would like to be treated.

“We take the time to educate our customers in terms of what services are required and why. We provide full customer service including providing loaner cars, customer pick-ups, driving them home or to work, whatever is necessary for their convenience. We strive to make their service and repair experience as painless as possible.”

Where do you buy your parts?

“Our primary parts source is Federated. In fact, we were the 2016 Federated Shop of the Year. We also buy from NAPA and WorldPac when necessary. We try to avoid buying from dealers as much as possible, limiting dealer parts purchases to 5% to 10%. They’re trying to take our customers, so we use them as little as possible.”

Tim bases all parts purchases with quality as the number one priority. “Price is always an important variable, but quality is first and foremost. We do not cut corners when it comes to replacement parts.”

What influences your parts buying decisions?

Rank from 0 to 3, with 0 having no influence and 3 having the greatest influence:

Price.........................................................2 Brand name recognition......................2 Promotion in racing .............................0 Perceived quality...................................3 Availability/time ...................................3

“We try to read and research to stay informed.”

What do customers want/expect from your shop?

“Great quality repairs and friendly informative staff,” says Tim. “We go the extra mile to help our customers fully understand what a job entails and why a specific service or repair is needed so that they have a better understanding of what they’re paying for.”

What is your approach to technician training?

“We expect our techs to take advantage of training on a continuous basis. They attend most of the local and regional training sessions that are available. Yes, that requires an investment in time, but we’re professionals and constantly strive to keep updated on all of the latest systems and diagnosis/repair techniques.”

How Auto Service Professional maga

zine benefits your business:

“Auto Service Professional has been a breath of fresh air. The magazine offers great insight as to what is going on in the automotive industry in terms of both technical aspects and business-related issues.”