This morning at the auto repair shop, the cashier struggled to process a routine customer payment. She keyed in obscure codes to her computer, poured over handwritten notes, and checked the math with a hand held calculator.

It seems unbelievable that a national company would have such a complicated process for handling an everyday action. Reviewing the visible steps in this procedure, however, provides some insight:

1. Pre-print and staple duplicate invoices and file alphabetically
2. When customer arrives, retrieve invoice from files
3. Separate customer and archival invoices
4. Check customer details in computer system
5. Retrieve from system amount paid by warranty company
6. Use hand-held calculator to compute outstanding balance
7. Request customer signature to accept invoice
8. Request payment; if by credit card manually key in balance and run card
9. Return vehicle keys to customer
10. File archival copy of invoice

Each of these ten steps tells a story. Long lines or negative customer feedback probably inspired a manager to invent Step #1, as it was perceived as faster to pull an invoice from a file cabinet than to print one upon request. Step #5 surely arose as warranty payments became more popular. Instead of developing a more robust system for recording line items, the amount covered by insurance just got added as a note. Likewise, the rise of charge cards as payment methods created Step #8, which requires punching in the balance by hand. A lack of trust of systems probably inspired Steps #6 and #10. Although a computer can handle simple arithmetic and long-term storage, intermittent reliability problems may have created these unnecessary precautions.

Changing this process would tremendously impact productivity and satisfaction, but doing so would not be easy. Stakeholders must find enthusiasm for making improvement and have both the authority and responsibility to manage this workflow. Changes must be implemented over time, not only so they become habit but so they can be carefully designed and judiciously reviewed. Each adjustment will eventually lead to what might be an ideal customer service procedure:

1. Request payment method
2. Swipe credit card/key-in last name to automatically print invoice
3. Accept one signature for both payment and invoice confirmation
4. Return key to customer

Dropping from ten steps down to four not only increases productivity, it improves satisfaction. All stakeholders—from employee to manager to customer—have more time to pursue other endeavors and engage in innovation. The story of the auto shop is true and commonplace. If your procedures are cumbersome, or if you feel that there must be a better way, reach out to Slaughter Development. We focus on Methodology Engineering.

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