Development of a car service center from scratch. Who can successfully run this business?

But if you still want to do it yourself, we offer you step-by-step instructions from Vilgud company expert Barno Tursunova.

Barno Tursunova

co-founder of the Vilgud network

We started work with an unprofitable car service center. Having studied all the pitfalls and reasons for the unprofitability of a service station, we developed an IT platform WILGOOD IS based on cloud technologies, which completely technologized and automated the processes within the service station and established work with clients. This is how we were able to develop a single unprofitable service station into a rapidly growing federal network.

Before you start opening a car service center, you need to decide what cars you will repair. The Vilgud car service network works with foreign cars no older than 10 years. It's all about statistics and the target audience of car services.

As a rule, clients of independent (non-dealer) service stations are owners of foreign cars aged 2-10 years or Russian cars. About 70% of them are men with average income.

It would also be a good idea for beginners to study which car brands are the most popular. In general, in Russia the leaders are Toyota, Nissan, Chevrolet, Renault, Ford, Kia, Hyundai; in Moscow - Nissan, Hyundai, Kia, Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen, Lada. But in some other regions the situation may be different.

Having decided on the portrait of a potential client and the most popular cars, you need to understand what services you will provide. Our main services are plumbing repairs and maintenance. At the same time, we do not engage in unit repairs or installation of additional equipment. We came to the formation of this concept after many experiments to attract clients.

There are often car services that have a narrow specialization, for example, they deal only with electrical work or perform only body work. Such a service usually provides a higher rate of profit. But you need to take into account that the main thing in it is professionals.

I compare highly specialized car services to gourmet restaurants.

In both cases, skill is the main condition for success; it must be at the highest level. If you do not have highly qualified craftsmen, it is better to choose a broad specialization. The same path is worth choosing if you do not intend to limit yourself to only one car service. At the start of our business, we immediately knew that we wanted to make a network, and therefore we chose a more mass segment. Working in it, you can easily check compliance with standards.

Investment size

It is believed that a car service can be opened right in the garage by installing a lift and purchasing a basic set of tools. At the same time, the volume of investment will be ridiculous. However, such an enterprise is an establishment of a completely different level in comparison with a professional car service, which brings a stable income and clients, but also costs more at the start.

Barno Tursunova

Co-founder of the Vilgud network

We invested 18 million rubles in our first car service. Then we bought a ready-made business. The opening of the next two service stations cost us approximately 5 million rubles. Over the course of 1.5 years, we had to invest another 4 million rubles in each technical center in order to test and implement the WILGOOD IS IT platform, as well as purchase new equipment and attract customers.

Now the opening of each service station costs the Vilgood company itself and its franchise partners 5.5 million rubles without additional financial investments in the development of information and management systems, since the system has already been created and tested at the first three service stations. Improvements are made every 2 weeks, but this does not require global financial support.

What are the initial costs?

How to cut costs?

Most of the costs (about 40%) are the cost of purchasing spare parts. These costs can be optimized by agreeing with suppliers on discounts and the return of unused parts. Since Vilgood is a network of car service centers, it has large volumes, which means it receives significant discounts on spare parts and gives its car services and franchise car services the opportunity to buy parts at a reduced cost.

In order to spend less on renting premises, Vilgud prefers to be located not on the “first line”. The company does not need high-traffic areas, since customers are attracted via the Internet and they do not need to drive past the service every time to remember the sign.

Step-by-step instruction

When opening a car service, first of all you need to decide on the target audience and the concept of your business. After this, it will become clear to you exactly what equipment you will need for the job. When compiling a list of necessary equipment and tools, you need to not only proceed from the set of services that you plan to provide, but also take into account the required degree of process automation and productivity.

The minimum set of equipment and tools includes:

Lifting equipment - lifts. They are practical and easy to use. When installing them, there is no need to equip inspection holes;
Equipment for wheel alignment: stand, four-post lift;
Tire fitting equipment: balancing stand, tire fitting machine, machine for beading a tire onto a disk, compressor for inflating tires, tanks for washing tires, a movable jack, many consumables (rubber bands, nipples, lubricants, weights);
Diagnostic equipment: scanners for determining vehicle malfunctions;
Washing equipment: high-pressure washers, which are used to clean the body of dirt, as well as to clean parts that require repair;
Refueling equipment: various systems for changing oil, air conditioning systems, pumps for transferring liquids;
Auto tools: tool carts with holders, including keys, heads, screwdrivers, pullers, etc.

Additional purchase of equipment is expected depending on the expansion of the range of services provided by the car service center.

Necessary consumables when opening a service station include:

Engine oil;
Auto parts for maintenance: filters, spark plugs;
Brake fluid;
Antifreeze;
Measuring containers;
Auto chemicals: washing products, cleaners, lubricants, engine additives;
Car cosmetics;
Protective covers for the car;
Car accessories: useful little things that can come in handy in various situations.

How to choose a supplier?

When selecting potential suppliers, you must be guided by the following criteria:

The company's experience in the market;
Cost and quality of products;
Geographic location of the supplier;
Well-established and flexible logistics;
Delivery time;
Width of assortment;
Terms of payment;
Terms of guarantee, return and exchange of low-quality products.

When choosing an equipment supplier, the main selection criterion should be warranty and post-warranty service on its part.

The spare parts supplier, first of all, must be located in sufficient geographical proximity to you, have a wide range of parts and a flexible delivery schedule (pickup). Choosing according to these criteria will allow you to quickly deliver the necessary spare parts for car repairs, and will also allow you to maintain a minimum stock.

When choosing suppliers of technical fluids (engine oil, gear oil, antifreeze, etc.), it is better to give preference to distributors. Working with them guarantees the quality of the supplied products and will protect you from possible vehicle malfunctions due to the use of low-quality or counterfeit oils, which, unfortunately, the market is oversaturated with.

The beginning of cooperation should always be accompanied by the signing of a supply agreement, which specifies all the conditions and agreements reached at the time of negotiations.

Staff

Since searching for new employees is labor-intensive and costly, Vilgood has developed its own personnel search system. At the first stage, it simply weeds out unsuitable people.

Barno Tursunova

Co-founder of the Vilgud network

To become part of our team, a master must fill out a long form on the Internet that lasts several pages. If he fills it out to the end, we see that the person is interested in working with us.

Additionally, a person needs to follow clear instructions to fill out this form. So we see that the candidate can work within the given algorithm, and this criterion is one of the main ones for us. If the candidate has completed the form completely, following all instructions, we invite him for an interview.

Vilgood does not hire car service managers from outside, but develops its own. A leader must be systematic, progressive, ready to learn, full of desire to develop and committed to long-term results.

Personnel are one of the main pillars of business. It is important not only to select employees wisely, but also to be able to monitor their work and give them motivation.

The lack of an effective accounting system allows unscrupulous employees to serve customers “bypass the cash register.”

Service station employees often steal new parts, install old ones, use low-quality oil when replacing them, and often do not meet the stated deadlines for car repairs. In this case, the client is not satisfied, and the owner loses profit.

Barno Tursunova

Co-founder of the Vilgud network

After analyzing the situation, we realized that two main components will help us put the business “on a new footing”: complete digitization and automation of all business processes and a new system of personnel motivation.

Based on cloud technologies, the WILGOOD IS IT platform was specially developed, in which algorithms for all employee actions were prescribed, as well as a system for responding to them. In other words, a reward point system was introduced that takes into account every employee action within the work process. Employees receive points for following the algorithm, and lose points for deviating from it.

Points are a kind of internal currency of Vilgood, and the work process in the company resembles an exciting business game, where each move brings the player a profit or loss, which stimulates him to play better. Points are awarded immediately in real time, and the employee can easily track the effectiveness of his own actions. Based on the results of the month, the points form a significant bonus. Also based on them, ratings of staff performance are compiled.

Many people try to open a service station in a visible place in order to generate traffic from passing motorists who pay attention to the bright sign and sooner or later stop by for repairs. But practice shows that location in the first line near the highway is not a necessary condition. If you focus on online promotion, only “ready” clients will come to you, and you won’t need to be located in a prominent place. This will also save on costs.

If the requirements for the location may not be so strict, then with the car service center itself, things are different. Remember that placing such objects in residential buildings is strictly prohibited, so you will have to find a separate building. It should be modern and well-appointed.

Important Requirement-the height of the repair area, which must be at least 4.5 meters. This makes it possible to install from 3 to 6 lifts.

The area depends on the type of work performed and the dimensions of the vehicles that will be repaired. In general, the standard is as follows - at least 5 sq.m per employee, excluding equipment.

According to the standards, the room must be equipped with ventilation, heated in winter and have a natural source of light. The walls must be finished with moisture- and oil- and petrol-resistant materials.

A car service center is also required to have a client area where motorists can calmly resolve matters with the administrator, draw up documents, etc. The area of such a zone is at least 10 sq.m. In addition, there must be parking for at least three cars.

From the documents, the owner of the car service must have a rental agreement for the premises with seals from the SES and fire supervision.

Documentation

In order to open a car service, you do not need any licenses, although you can find other information on the Internet. But in accordance with the current Federal Law “On Licensing of Certain Types of Activities,” car repairs are not subject to licensing. Therefore, you only need to register your business.

You can register your business both as an individual entrepreneur and as an LLC. Which option to choose depends on the personal preferences of the owner.

It is better to use the simplified tax system as a type of taxation if you are going to open in Moscow. For other cities, a large UTII is suitable. According to OKVED, car service is classified as “Repair and maintenance of motor vehicles” (50.2).

The number of cars on the roads of our country increases every year. This means that the demand for services provided by car repair shops is growing. Business in this niche brings quite stable profits, although there is a lot of competition. To open a service station, you need a high-quality business plan. You can only get enough clients if you provide the best quality services.

Types of service stations

Car service can be authorized(serves cars of the same brand), network(with representative offices in various regions), single. In addition, there are specialists who provide individual repair services. The choice of the type of enterprise depends on what services are required near the service station and how many there are.

How to open a service station from scratch?

First of all, find a room that is located no more than 150 meters from a water source and no closer than 50 meters from residential buildings.

The service station premises must have water supply and sewerage, with an area of at least 300 m2, if repairs of passenger cars are planned. But servicing freight transport is more profitable, since there are much fewer car services in this segment than are required.

How to open a cargo service center?

A room with a much larger area will be required and the equipment will be more expensive, that is, a large amount of initial investment is required.

Service station in the garage

If you have very little money to start a business, then you can think about how to open a car service in a garage.

Such premises are easy to buy and rent. The lease must be arranged in accordance with legal requirements. But in this case, you need to select only 1-3 of the most promising services. If business goes well, you can eventually rent another space and add additional services.

Regardless of the volume of services provided, business activities must be formalized accordingly. For a service station in a garage, it is enough to open an individual entrepreneur with UTII; for a car repair shop with a wide range of services, an LLC is preferable.

Required documents

Those who are interested in how to open a car service center from scratch need to know what documents to submit to the Tax Inspectorate. This:

permits from SES and fire inspection;
a document that confirms property rights or lease rights to the premises;
a document that confirms the compliance of services with standards;
contract for water supply and heating;
application of the appropriate sample.

After tax registration, you must also register with extra-budgetary funds.

Composition of a business plan

A car service business plan must be drawn up in such a way as to correspond to the range of services provided. That is, you need to purchase only the equipment that you will need at the initial stage. For example, if you plan to do tuning or install an alarm system, then there is no need for diagnostic or tire fitting equipment.

How much money do you need to open a car service? If the full range of services is provided, then it is necessary:

diagnostic equipment;
welding equipment;
tools for repairs and stocks for straightening the body;
equipment for tire fitting (vulcanizers, stands for checking wheel alignment, equipment for balancing and straightening wheels);
lifting equipment;
painting chambers;
hydraulic equipment;
oil skimming equipment;
presses, carts;
preparation of approvals and registration – approximately 20,000 rubles;
rent (depending on area and region);
consumables – from 80,000 rubles;
advertising expenses – up to 30,000 rubles;
salaries (volume depends on the number of employees);
communal payments.

Prices for car service equipment in Moscow can be found on the website; almost all brands are represented. In addition, the company has its own service department; you can also order installation, commissioning of equipment and receive post-warranty service.

Total initial investment is about 2.5 million rubles.

It is almost impossible to determine the exact amount required to open a car service center, since it depends on the volume of services offered.

Approximate income from such investments:

Revenue – 500,000 rubles (per month).
Profit – 70,000 rubles.

If you have approximately $60,000 to start a business, then you can consider an option such as purchasing a ready-made car service center. The main advantage of this option is that you do not need to organize a business and recruit clients and suppliers. Before purchasing, you need to pay attention to the location of the service station, the quality of the access roads, the duration of the lease agreement, and the quality of the equipment. It is advisable to try to retain experienced craftsmen and reliable suppliers, if the previous owner has them.

Previously, during the so-called “stagnation period,” a car was considered a luxury. It was difficult to acquire, and people had to wait in line for many years.

Today, everyone, owning a certain amount of money, is able to purchase a car, both new and on the secondary market.

Now almost every average Russian family has a car. And owning a car means not only comfort and convenience, but also high-quality, systematic service. In this regard, many entrepreneurs are thinking about how to open a car repair shop.

The most pressing topic is car maintenance in big cities. That is why, if you open your own business related to car servicing, you can achieve great results in making a decent profit.

In order to organize an automobile service, the owner does not necessarily need to know all the intricacies of repairing automobile units and the structure of various car models. In this matter, it is very important to recruit a team of highly specialized workers who, due to their moral and business qualities, are able to work conscientiously for the benefit of an organized business. Their professionalism and sense of responsibility to the common cause are important.

How to open a car repair shop: equipment

To begin with, it is not at all necessary to acquire new equipment; it is possible to purchase high-quality used equipment. Consult a knowledgeable professional before selecting devices. An experienced professional will select the right model for you, which will ultimately save you money.

The professionalism of the specialists servicing their cars is very important for clients, since good technicians are very difficult to find. That is why it is necessary for such people to work in your company.

Take your time to purchase equipment. Before you purchase it, you need to prepare the premises. It will be better if the acquired area becomes the property of the owner of the company. If you rent a premises, it is not a fact that you will later acquire ownership of it.

How to open a car repair shop: locations

The choice of location for your auto repair shop is very important. A good option for choosing a site would be a territory located in an area where there are many houses, schools, kindergartens, colleges, technical colleges, etc. It is also important that there is a body of water from the place where the service center is supposed to be deployed. As a rule, in a densely populated area it is very difficult to find such a site. In this regard, you can find a site located next to the highway.

Returning to the topic of choosing equipment for a car service, it is better to purchase imported equipment, even if it is used. This advice is relevant for the purchase of devices for carrying out diagnostic work to identify problems, as well as tire fitting work and very frequently used spare parts.

How to open a car repair shop: repair zone

When equipping the repair area, pay attention to the location of the lifts. It is advisable to choose a place for them at the stage of building the premises.

Think over the trajectory for the movement of vehicles in the room, and then place the lifts themselves along the walls. The most acceptable width of the repair zone indoors is 18 meters. It can be divided into 3 equal blocks with a central passage and two lines of devices located along the walls. With this placement, the car is able to move freely indoors.

In the case of a small repair area, car lifts can be installed at an angle of 100 to 120 degrees to the driveway. In this case, the distance from the wall to the central axis of the device must be at least 350 centimeters, which will allow the repair of cars with a long body.

As a rule, the repair area contains 3-4 two-post lifts for passenger cars, as well as 1 four-post lift for special operations. Another option for small spaces is to purchase plungers, which take up little space but are significantly more expensive.

It is very important to know that if you offer new services, you will attract more clients. To do this, you will have to hire craftsmen of various specializations. With a well-established business, the costs of purchased equipment will pay off within six months. Good luck with your business!

The Russian car fleet is growing every day and clearly will not soon exhaust its potential. Accordingly, car repair and maintenance services are in great demand, and the demand for them will not decrease. Even new cars require at least a seasonal replacement of tires and periodic renewal of consumables, but in a car with high mileage you can always find something to repair. Modern high-tech “stuffing” of cars leaves virtually no chance for car owners to cope with breakdowns with their own hands or with the help of “homemade” ones. This cannot be done without professional equipment and specially trained people. Therefore, today we’ll talk about how to open a car service center.

Define your niche

What services are most in demand among car enthusiasts?

Tire fitting - every fall and spring, motorists storm tire shops to “change their shoes” and, if necessary, balance their wheels. Almost all car owners use this service. In addition, the condition of our roads forces us to go to a tire shop much more often than twice a year.
Repair work – everything related to the repair, replacement of units, components, and parts of a car.
Body work – painting a car, correcting body defects after an accident.
Diagnostics and repair of auto electrics and electronics.
Pre-sale preparation - diagnostics, repairs, giving the car a “marketable” appearance before sale.
Tuning is a service for installing additional options, changing equipment settings and the appearance of the body.
Car wash as a related service.

You can focus on providing one or two services and open a highly specialized workshop. Creating a full-fledged car service involves providing a full range of car repair and maintenance services. Which auto repair shop option you choose depends on your investment opportunities, the competitive situation in the market in your city and personal preferences. Despite the high competition in this area, with a competent approach to business you will not be left without clients.

Business registration

So, you are set to open a car service business. Where to begin? Register your business.

For a small auto repair shop, for a multifunctional center it is better. If there are car service companies in your region, you can work under this tax regime or.

Licensing for this type of service has been cancelled, so all you have to do is obtain permits from the State Fire Inspectorate and SES, conclude agreements for the rental or purchase of premises, for the supply of utilities, and for waste removal.

Production site

Building a new car maintenance center is not only a costly process, but also a long one, starting from the purchase (rent) of a land plot and obtaining various approvals, and ending with the actual construction work. It’s easier to open a car service in a garage or hangar, a former production facility.

To accommodate 4 work stations, a spare parts warehouse, a reception room for clients and an office, a room of 250 - 300 sq. m is sufficient. m. It is advisable to organize nearby parking spaces for cars that have been repaired or are awaiting service.

It is better that the auto repair shop is located near a busy highway, gas station, parking lot or garage complex.

The sanitary and epidemiological inspection and fire service have the following requirements for the service premises:

a car service cannot be located in a residential or public building;
the workshop must be located at a distance of at least 15 m from residential buildings and 50 m from children's and medical institutions;
the premises must be equipped with water supply and sewerage;
the room must be heated in the cold season and have supply and exhaust ventilation;
natural light must penetrate into the auto repair shop; the room is equipped with explosion-proof artificial lighting;
the inspection pit and the walls of the room are lined with ceramic tiles, the floors with Metlakh tiles;
For one employee to work, an area of at least 5 square meters is required. m;
It is necessary to have a shower and a toilet;
workers are provided with lockers for clothes and protective equipment (gloves, goggles, respirators).

Car service equipment

To open a car service center from scratch, you will have to purchase everything necessary for the workshop, from working tools to complex diagnostic equipment:

two post lifts;
wheel alignment stand;
tire changing and balancing machines;
straightening and welding equipment;
diagnostic scanner;
painting equipment;
installation for flushing the fuel system and changing the oil;
compressor with compressed air;
jacks, transmission stand;
pneumatic and hand tools (wrenches, screwdrivers, screwdrivers, etc.).

Recruitment

The staff is the biggest pain point for any auto repair shop owner. Finding car service professionals will not be easy. Several experienced car mechanics may have to be lured from other service stations by offering them more favorable conditions. Hiring specialists will not be cheap, but it is worth it. A “handed” master will certainly bring with him more than one regular client. Contacts of good specialists are often passed from hand to hand by car enthusiasts, and drivers are ready to go to a specific auto repairman even on the other side of the city.

In the future, it is necessary to take care of growing our own qualified personnel from apprentices.

You will need: one technician for each workplace (mechanic, electrician, mechanic, body mechanic - depending on the profile of your service) and a couple of people “on call”; Receiver for working with clients to place orders.

An auto mechanic's salary consists of a small fixed portion and a percentage of each completed order, usually 30-50%.

How much does it cost to open a car service?

The main costs of opening a car service center are renting premises and purchasing equipment. If you are committed to serious investments, prepare from 3.5 to 4.5 million rubles. A smaller and simpler auto repair shop, providing a combination of several of the most popular services, will cost 1 - 1.5 million rubles. and can generate income in the range of 60 – 350 thousand rubles monthly.

A highly specialized car service center will not cost much, for example, a tire shop can be opened for only 250 – 350 thousand rubles. True, such a workshop will provide a small income - no more than 30 thousand rubles. per month.

On average, a car service as a business pays for itself in 1 - 3 years with a profitability of 20 - 40%.

As a rule, small auto repair shops, having worked for some time and gained their own clientele, then go on to expand their business, or, conversely, focus on providing two or three of the most cost-effective services. It is advisable for a novice car service owner to follow this path.

Starting work

For a newly opened car service, promotional events will be required. It is necessary to place outdoor advertising or navigation so that potential customers can easily find you. Advertisements in the specialized press, in parking lots, and garages will also help attract car owners to your workshop.

Leaflets can be distributed in the surrounding area; prepare and leave business cards in organizations, offices, stores.

It’s also a good idea to take care of the future recognition of the car service: develop a corporate identity, provide workers with overalls with your logo, make a sign.

Once your auto repair shop starts operating, you will be faced with the issue of purchasing spare parts. By the time you open, you should have already decided on suppliers and signed supply agreements with them. At first, you can work “to order” if suppliers are able to quickly deliver the necessary spare parts, and the most popular parts must be in stock and purchased with a reserve. Don’t forget to prepare in advance for seasonal peaks so as not to run into the problem of a shortage of necessary spare parts in wholesale warehouses. It is advisable to combine large volumes of purchases with the sale of spare parts organized on the territory of the car service center.

The business of servicing and repairing vehicles is a niche that can not only not slow down during a crisis, but, on the contrary, gain great momentum. This is justified by the fact that motorization of the population and enterprises is actively growing, and any vehicle sooner or later ends up in a car service center.

According to the Association of European Businesses (AEB), the fall in sales of new cars, including commercial vehicles, in April 2016 was 8.5%, down by 11,200 cars year on year. April sales were the worst in 10 years.

In Russia, from January to April 2016, 75,500 fewer cars were sold than in the same period in 2015.

However, even such seemingly bleak indicators come to the benefit of car service owners, because the longer the car is in use, the more careful attention it requires in terms of maintenance, possible breakdowns, replacement of parts and other manipulations. And those who are just thinking about organizing a business in this direction have a question about how to open a car service that will bring a stable profit.

Car service as a business

Art. 12 of the “Federal Law on Licensing of Certain Types of Activities” establishes an exhaustive list of types of activities for which a license is required. Activities related to the maintenance and repair of vehicles are not included in this list. A car service license is not required.

What you need to open a car service, where to start:

selection and registration of organizational and legal form: individual entrepreneur or LLC;
choice of taxation system;
renting premises, purchasing equipment, tools, consumables, hiring staff.

In addition, it is necessary to decide on the format of the future service station:

an independent service station with a highly specialized or combined service aimed at providing one or more types of services (tire fitting, car washing, wheel alignment, body repair and others), the advantages here are that there is no need to share profits, as in the case of purchasing a franchise; completely independent business management, although this is also a disadvantage, since you need to develop a detailed business plan yourself, train staff, set up an advertising campaign, and organize the process;
network, this includes official dealer services that specialize in servicing one specific brand, as well as network service stations that provide a full range of services and conduct business according to rules common to all points; from some of the large networks you can purchase a franchise, the advantage of such a business is: full comprehensive support during launch and during the operation, but the downside: the cost of the franchise itself and the need to share profits with the brand owner (pay royalties).

Car service centers of the Pit Stop network (USA) wash the car, fill it with oil, fuel and other necessary liquids within 12 minutes. In this case, production lines with remote control are used. The productivity of such a line is about 150 cars per shift. And the cost of this range of services at these stations is 25% cheaper than at regular stations.

What and in what cases do car owners choose: dealerships or independent service stations? The analytical agency Autostat conducted a survey in August 2015 among 3,000 respondents-car enthusiasts (see Figure 1).

Rice. 1 Official dealer or independent service station
Source: AUTOSTAT

Survey data show that 77% of car owners whose cars are under warranty prefer to be serviced by an official dealer, while 24% turn to independent service stations for post-warranty service, the percentage of contacting dealers drops to 23. But as for specific types of work, then the dealer is more trusted to repair the gearbox 45% versus 41% for independent service stations, engine repair 43% and 39%, respectively.

For other types of work, surveyed motorists prefer to contact independent stations in a greater number of cases: repair of the car chassis 48% versus 22%; wheel alignment 67% and 22%; scheduled maintenance - 49% and 19%, repair/refilling of car air conditioning 62% and 19%, and body repair 51% versus 16%.

Prospects and trends

Car service is one of the most promising areas in the technology market: the car fleet is growing. Enterprises purchase new equipment without acquiring their own repair facilities.

The car service market in Russia is gradually moving away from amateur repairmen organizing a “business” in a garage to large network points, or is consolidating into larger formats.

At such points, customer service is organized - a waiting room where you can drink coffee, use free Wi-Fi, watch TV, and just relax while the car is being serviced. In addition, such companies provide club cards that offer a small range of free services (for example, oil changes or tire inflation), as well as additional discounts on basic services. All these points help turn a casual client into a regular one. It’s not for nothing that they say that a theater begins with a coat rack, and a car service begins with the customer area.

What is important for car owners when choosing a service point?

A survey conducted among motorists (see Figure 2), as well as enterprise owners of large and small vehicle fleets, showed that when choosing a car service center, the quality of work is of paramount importance, and for large fleets it is important by 52%, while for small and individual - by 34%, the cost of services, on the contrary, is more important for private car owners (34%) than for large fleets (25%); in third place are the timing of work, which are almost equally important (by 15% and 14%); such points as the services offered, the attitude of the staff, and meeting repair deadlines are secondary when choosing a service point, their importance ranges from 1% to 7%.

Rice. 2 Reason for choosing a service point
Source: Gruzavtoinfo magazine

Properly organized work of a car service can provide a key indicator of its demand - the quality of the work performed. And if an independent solution to this issue requires significant time and labor costs, then with a service station opened under a franchise the situation is completely different.

Review of network car services and the franchises they offer

Federal network Fit service

The company opened its first station in 2008 in Omsk. Since 2013 (by this time 8 more stations had been opened in Khabarovsk, Moscow and Novosibirsk), a decision was made to develop a partner network. The first franchise car service was opened in 2013. And two years later, the network numbered 55 stations in 23 cities of Russia.

The owners position joining the network not as a franchise, but as a partnership based on a win-win model. They offer to become partners in opening a service station in any of three formats (see Table 1)

garage - a simple format that allows you to achieve payback in a short time;
express - optimal format;
standard - full cycle auto service.

The Fit service franchise car service business provides an automation system: folding, cash and management accounting are collected in one program. Why is this convenient? The company provides all the necessary materials: from the building design with technical recommendations, job descriptions for each employee; as well as forms of support: advertising campaigns, marketing, call center services.

Databases are provided - catalogs and repair regulations with detailed descriptions and standard hours for all car models, any year of manufacture.

Fit service partners work directly with suppliers of spare parts, consumables, and auto chemicals, which provides discounts that single entrepreneurs are deprived of.

The company has developed a system of motivation, training and advanced training for staff in its own training center, which increases the prestige of working in the company for employees and reduces staff turnover.

Wilgood

The Vilgud car service chain was founded by the spouses Sherzod and Barno Tursunov in 2011.

The idea of opening a car service center from scratch came to businessmen who were previously involved in the trade of building materials, for the following reasons: firstly, this is a business that can be scaled, secondly, it has the potential for growth during a crisis, thirdly, it can be easily shared with partners. Their distinctive know-how was the Wilgood IS IT system, through which all work with the client is built. It prevents employees from stealing and motivates them to work. As the results achieved show, the considerations of the founders of the Vilgud network were correct.

So, according to data as of March 2016:

There are 28 car services from St. Petersburg to Khabarovsk, of which 6 are owned by owners, 22 are franchised;
the average bill for the Vilgud service station is RUB 8,000;
4,000,000 rub. - average turnover per month of a car service network in Moscow;
400 million rubles. - the total turnover of all points of the network for 2015;
in March 2016 - more than 8,000 car enthusiasts became Vilgud clients.

Franchise conditions and cost:

for Moscow and St. Petersburg - 2,000,000 rubles;
cities with a population of more than 1 million - 1,500,000 rubles;
other cities - 1,000,000 rubles;
royalty in the first year of operation of a car service is 3.5% of revenue monthly.

Dynamics of a working car service center in Troitsk with three lifts and one wheel alignment station. Before acquiring the franchise, I worked for 5 years. The graph (see Fig. 3) shows the dynamics over 18 months.