Recruiting new automotive technicians can be difficult, given the lack of qualified technicians in the industry today. A 2022 study from MarketSource (part of the multinational talent management firm Allegis Group) predicted that there would be a shortage of more than 600,000 auto technicians by the end of 2024.
This labor shortage looks even worse when you consider that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an expected 2% year-over-year growth rate in the industry over the next eight years. Considering how hard hiring can be, every dealership and repair shop should do everything possible to retain talented auto technicians.
According to a recent survey of current auto technicians, 60% have considered leaving the industry, while only 21% would recommend this career to a friend. It’s important to understand that most high-level automotive technicians don’t want to go through the hassle and stress of finding new jobs — they would rather have you make their current job one worth staying at.
With this in mind, let’s walk through eight tips and tricks to help your dealership or auto repair shop retain top talent in its service department.
1.) Hire The Right Technician To Begin With
The first step sounds simple enough: just hire the right people in the first place! But, in practice, this can be trickier than it might seem. However, there are ways to make sure you’re hiring the best fit for each open position.
To begin, your job descriptions should line up exactly with the roles these positions fill in your shop or dealership. If you find that you’re continually hiring and rehiring for the same positions, your job descriptions might be the culprit. Consider what the position demands and whether previous hires actually fit the bill. Misaligned expectations don’t often lead to a perfect match between employer and employee.
Additionally, create simple and straightforward onboarding and human resources tasks. Start by offering a convenient digital process for accepting applications and booking interviews, making it easy for interested technicians to seek employment with your business. Maintain similar processes for things like your employee handbook, tax forms, and other HR documents. The simpler it is to get started with your dealership or repair shop, the less likely it is that a candidate will be lured away by a competing offer.
Reach out to AutoMarket’s expert team today if you need help maximizing your recruiting and onboarding efforts. Our pre-screened candidates and guaranteed results will have you on the fast track to a full roster of highly qualified auto repair specialists in no time!
2.) Provide An Attractive Compensation Package
Pay your technicians whatever it takes to keep the good ones, not just the going “market rate” for similar roles in your area. Sometimes, the biggest key to retaining a great automotive technician is simply paying them more than they would make elsewhere — whether that’s with a competing shop or in a different career path entirely.
Providing first-rate benefits is another time-tested method for retaining top talent. Beyond direct financial compensation (base salary, performance bonuses, raises, etc.), this can include high-quality health insurance, plenty of paid time off, and robust retirement plans.
You could also consider starting an employee loyalty program. Many shops and dealerships offer loyalty programs for customers, so why not expand that concept to your staff? You might be surprised at how much your technicians value things like referral bonuses, anniversary gifts, and letting them use your shop for personal projects on their own time.
3.) Invest In Your Technician's Career Growth
Investing in your auto technicians’ futures is a vital component of retaining them as employees. This starts with setting up clearly defined career paths. No one in any field wants to feel like they’re stuck in a job with a low ceiling. By showing your employees the potential for upward mobility in their careers — a promotion to lead tech, management positions, etc. — they’re less likely to look elsewhere for opportunities.
Also, consider offering paid training and opportunities for continuous learning. The world of automotive technology isn’t getting less complex, especially given the rise of electric vehicles. For example, according to the 2024 Fullbay State of Heavy-Duty Repair Report, just 10% of shops surveyed have techs who can repair EVs. If you help your automotive technicians learn this valuable new skill, they may feel more inclined to show loyalty to your shop.
4.) Listen To And Acknowledge Your Technicians
Encourage technicians to give feedback about your business and act on their suggestions. This can include something as simple as providing them with more comfortable uniforms, or more complex issues like reconfiguring the layout of your shop to make repairs more convenient.
If they tell you they need newer or better tools — or if they require new technology to work on the latest vehicles — buy them yourself instead of requiring them to purchase their own. After all, if your technicians need to buy their own equipment, they can take it with them when they accept a new job with one of your competitors!
5.) Help Your Technicians Understand Your Business Model
Share your vision for the shop and treat your technicians like they’re running their own businesses within your business. Teach them about best practices, business efficiency, and profit metrics.
This can increase buy-in from your employees and make them more personally invested in the growth and success of the company. The more they know about your shop or dealership's future, the easier it is for them to envision their personal career growth within it.
Some auto technicians might not know what a loss leader is, not to mention being able to identify one. Simple jobs like oil changes often lose money, but they provide opportunities to inspect the car and find other issues. Oil changes can also enable you to make a good impression to drive repeat business.
You might be surprised by how many technicians are interested in learning about the business side of things — and doing so might increase their emotional investment in your company.
6.) Make Sure Your Other Employees Value Your Auto Technicians
You know that modern-day automotive technicians are far more than the outdated stereotype of dirty, uneducated gearheads. Your other employees need to know this as well, especially those booking jobs for your techs or working in a dealership’s warranty and parts departments.
Your technicians rely on these colleagues — managers, dispatchers, operations staff, and more — to keep them booked up with steady work and not spring rushed jobs onto them. Therefore, it’s important that these individuals value and respect your techs so that everyone can be on the same page.
Train your advisors and administrative staff so that everything stays organized and all of your technicians have enough work (and no one has too much). This can help your technicians avoid feeling overworked or undervalued, either of which could send them looking for work elsewhere.
7.) Make Your Shop A Place Technicians Want To Spend Their Time
Keeping your shop or dealership clean creates a more appealing environment for automotive technicians, and it also combats the old-school image of a grease-covered workplace. Make sure to stay on top of cleaning and maintenance tasks to keep your shop operating as a well-oiled machine, so to speak.
That said, this step goes well beyond simply presenting your employees with a clean and organized place to work. Maintain an inclusive and collaborative company culture, encouraging the various teams in your shop to work together toward common goals. Sharing the highs (and lows) of a successful dealership or repair shop allows everyone to feel valued.
In addition, providing a welcoming break room for your technicians can be a great indicator of how much you really care about them. Especially in dealerships, there can be a wide gulf between the break room for technicians and the break room for sales staff. It doesn’t cost that much to provide your automotive technicians with a pleasant space to kick back and relax — don’t underestimate the potential impact of comfortable seating, a nice TV, and a well-stocked kitchenette.
8.) Never Stop Recruiting, Even When You’re Fully Staffed
You never know when someone will move, retire, or change careers, and you need to be ready for any of these possibilities at all times. After all, nothing puts undue strain on your technicians quite like being understaffed.
It might seem like an oxymoron to say that continually recruiting will help you retain your current technicians, but it’s true. Attend events and conferences, keep tabs on your competitors’ technicians to get a sense of when they’re looking to jump ship, and always keep a finger on the pulse of the recruiting world. That way, when the time comes to fill a role on your team, you won’t be starting from scratch and overloading your current employees with too much work.
Conclusion
Employee retention can make or break your dealership or auto repair shop, and your technicians are arguably the least dispensable workers on your staff. While it’s always important to make the right hires in the first place and pay your people what they’re worth, there’s much more to it than that.
Invest in your technicians’ futures. Listen to them when they come to you with problems or suggestions. Invite them to become more involved in the business side of things. And, perhaps most importantly, do everything you can to ensure that your technicians work well with your administrative staff and other employees.
If you’re still struggling to retain high-performing automotive technicians, AutoMarket is here to help! Schedule a quick call with one of our industry experts today and discover the many ways we can assist your business with employee recruiting and retention.
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