ECC WORK FLOW PROCEDURES / JOB COMPLETION CHART
A large area where many high performance garages and workshops fall short is communication with their customer and the expectations of what exactly is going to happen with their pride and joy once the keys are handed over.
Here at East Coast Customs, we believe in a “no secrets, no surprises” policy when it comes to work flow and customer relations.
Given the size and scope of some of the projects that come through our doors, we have developed a workflow procedure / method, which we apply to all medium to large-scale projects.
Even the smaller jobs are subject to the same scrutiny and criteria, however the protocols we have put into place are really designed to ensure 100% transparency for our customer and continual communication throughout project progression.
Most projects that come through our doors can be broken down into 5 stages –all our full estimates will be presented and broken down into these 5 stages to ensure clarity.
Throughout the progression of the job, each stage will be completed and invoiced to the customer. Invoice payment in full is required before progression to the next stage of the project. We have developed this methodology to ensure customers are aware of the progress and cost of their project every step of the way, and to ensure no nasty “surprises” in terms of work, expectations, or cost are encountered.
1) PARTS AND COSTS
The first stage of each project will generally involve determining the raw cost of the crucial parts and materials required for us to commence the project. This may be a new engine, a camshaft and valve train package, a new turbocharger, ecu, fuel system etc.
As the first part of the workflow procedure, the customer is generally required to outlay the raw cost of parts required for the project. Normally this happens upon dropping the vehicle, off, but sometimes may occur weeks before the delivery date (due to freight times etc).
2) TEST, STRIP AND PREP
Once the fundamental parts have been acquired for the job, the technicians at ECC will commence with phase 2. If possible, from here we will establish a measureable baseline to work from, whether it be initial road testing or collecting dyno data from the vehicle to give us measurable data from which to compare with at completion. After testing, we will commence to strip the required parts from the vehicle in preparation for the fitment of the new / replacement products etc. The customer is now invoiced the time taken to strip the vehicle, and notified of any new developments which may alter the original estimate before moving forward.
For example, in the instance of a camshaft swap, we may test drive the vehicle, then strap the vehicle onto our dyno to determine to current state of tune and power output etc. From here we would then strip the required components ready for the fitment of the new camshaft.
3) FIT AND TEST
Stage 3 of the ECC workflow procedure involves our technicians fitting the desired new products to the vehicle, and testing to ensure reliability.
Once again, from here the customer is invoiced for the time taken for fitment, the job progression reviewed together, and then prepared for the next stage – tuning.
4) TUNING
Stage 4 of the workflow procedure generally involves custom tuning of the vehicle to maximize the gains from the newly fitted parts. The customer is then updated on progression, invoiced for the tuning time taken, and then the vehicle moves into the final stage.
5) PRE-DELIVERY
The final stage of the workflow procedure is what we call “pre-delivery”. During this stage, our technicians complete all final checks to ensure the vehicle is 100% ready to be returned back to the customer. This may involve road testing, second confirmations on completed work, detailing and final presentation upgrades.
Upon completion of this stage, the vehicle is deemed to be complete, the customer will pay their final invoice, and the vehicle is returned to the customer to enjoy their new upgrades.
