Even when a game feels under control, a good coach is ready for the unexpected. What happens if the star player gets hurt or ejected? Only a capable bench can save the game. Auto repair shops work the same way. Your team may be performing well today, but you need replacements ready to step in if someone leaves.
In episode 72 of Maximum Octane, Kim Hickey talks with Geoff Berman, a performance coach at ATI, about building an all-star bench. Geoff explains what losing an employee really costs, how deep your bench should be, the difference between recruiting and hiring, and why training B and C techs is one of the best investments a shop can make.
What You Will Learn
- What losing an internal customer can cost us
- Why the deeper the bench, the better
- The differences between recruiting and hiring
- The importance of training B and C techs
- Even if you have 20 years of experience under your belt, you must keep practicing
- Just because you’ve been doing it for years, it doesn’t mean you are good at it
What Losing an Employee Really Costs
Geoff opens with the cost of losing an internal customer. When a technician leaves, the shop loses production immediately. Then come recruiting costs, training time, lost customer relationships, and the strain on the rest of the team covering the gap. Those costs add up quickly and are often far higher than owners realize.
ATI’s The Top 5 Reasons Why Shops Lose Good Techs explains why turnover happens and how to prevent it.
Estimates of turnover cost vary widely, but many human resources studies suggest replacing an employee can cost a significant share of their annual salary once recruiting, onboarding, training, and lost productivity are included. For skilled technicians, the cost can be even higher because of the time needed for a new hire to reach full productivity and learn the shop’s processes. Lost customer relationships and the strain on remaining employees add costs that are harder to measure but just as real.
Understanding these costs helps owners see retention efforts as investments rather than expenses. Spending money to keep good people is usually far cheaper than replacing them.
A simple way for owners to see the real cost is to walk through what actually happened the last time a technician left. How many hours of production were lost while the bay sat empty or was covered by others? How much time did the owner spend writing ads, screening candidates, and interviewing? How long did it take the replacement to reach full speed, and how many comebacks or delays happened along the way? Putting rough figures next to each answer usually makes the case for retention far more convincing than any general estimate.
The Deeper the Bench, the Better
Around the 8 minute mark, Geoff explains why a deeper bench is better. A bench is a list of qualified people you have already connected with and could hire if a position opens. Shops with a strong bench can fill openings quickly without settling for the wrong person. Shops without one are forced into panic hiring.
A bench can include former employees who left on good terms, technicians met at training events, students from local programs, referrals from current employees, and candidates who interviewed well but were not hired at the time. Keeping notes on these contacts and staying in touch periodically keeps the relationships warm. When a position opens, the owner has a list of qualified people to call rather than starting from zero.
A common mistake is treating the bench as something to build only when a position opens. By then, it is too late. Another mistake is building a list of names without any relationship behind them. A bench works when the people on it already know the shop, have met the owner or manager, and have a positive impression of the culture. Staying in touch can be as simple as a short message after a training class, an invitation to a shop event, or congratulations on a certification. Those small touches keep the shop in mind when a candidate is ready to move.
Recruiting vs. Hiring
Geoff draws a clear line between recruiting and hiring. Hiring happens when you have an opening. Recruiting is the ongoing work of building relationships with potential employees, even when you are fully staffed. That might include staying in touch with promising technicians, connecting with local schools, attending industry events, and maintaining a positive reputation as an employer.
Jay Goninen makes a similar case in How to Offer Jobs Aligned With the New Generation’s Values, and ATI’s The Three Most Overlooked Hiring Hacks offers practical tips.
Recruiting is a long-term marketing effort aimed at potential employees. It involves building the shop’s reputation as a great place to work, sharing culture through social media, participating in community and industry events, and maintaining relationships with schools. Hiring is the shorter process of evaluating and selecting candidates for a specific opening. Shops that recruit continuously make hiring faster and more successful.
Current employees are often a shop’s best recruiters. Technicians know other technicians, and a recommendation from a trusted peer carries more weight than any job ad. Owners can encourage referrals by asking regularly, explaining what kind of people the shop is looking for, and recognizing employees whose referrals work out. The flip side is that unhappy employees also talk. A shop’s reputation among local technicians is shaped by how current and former employees describe working there, which makes retention and recruiting two sides of the same effort.
Avoid Hiring in a Hurry
Geoff warns against hiring in a hurry. When a shop is desperate, owners often skip steps, ignore red flags, and hire someone who is not a good fit. That mistake can be more expensive than leaving the position open a little longer. He also discusses the 90/10 rule in the episode, a principle worth hearing in his own words.
Hiring mistakes are expensive. A poor hire can damage customer relationships, lower team morale, and require time to manage before eventually being replaced. Taking time to evaluate candidates thoroughly, including checking references and conducting working interviews, reduces the risk. Having a bench makes patience possible, because the shop is not desperate to fill the role with anyone available.
A structured hiring process helps owners slow down without losing good candidates. That might include a brief phone screen, an in-person interview with consistent questions, a working interview or skills assessment, and reference checks. Writing down what the role requires before interviewing keeps decisions focused on fit rather than urgency. When a strong candidate appears, moving efficiently through these steps is fine. The goal is not delay for its own sake, but making sure no important step is skipped because the shop feels desperate.
Train Your B and C Techs
Around the 18 minute mark, Geoff emphasizes the importance of training B and C technicians. Many shops focus all their attention on A techs, but the best way to build a deep bench is to develop the people you already have. A well-trained B tech can become tomorrow’s A tech, and a C tech with mentorship can grow into a solid B tech.
ATI’s Here’s How to Get More ‘A’ Techs in Your Shop covers how to build that pipeline. Angie and Ken Rocha also share their approach in How to Turn Tech Training Into Your Auto Shop’s Superpower.
Training lower-level technicians creates a pipeline of skilled talent. Mentorship programs that pair experienced technicians with developing ones transfer knowledge and build relationships. Structured training plans, combining classroom courses with hands-on practice, help technicians progress steadily. Recognizing progress through pay increases or new responsibilities motivates continued growth.
A training plan for a developing technician works best when it is specific. Instead of a vague promise to “get more training,” the plan might list the systems the technician will learn this year, the courses or certifications involved, the mentor responsible for hands-on coaching, and how the shop will measure progress. Linking pay or role changes to completed milestones gives the technician a clear reason to invest the effort. Reviewing the plan every few months keeps it current and shows the technician that the shop is serious about their growth.
Keep Practicing, No Matter How Experienced You Are
Geoff closes with a reminder that applies to everyone: even with 20 years of experience, you must keep practicing. And just because you have done something for years does not mean you are good at it. Experience can build habits, both good and bad. Continuous training keeps skills sharp and up to date with changing vehicle technology.
Vehicle technology changes constantly, which means even experienced technicians need ongoing training. Systems that were rare a few years ago, such as advanced driver assistance and hybrid powertrains, are now common. Technicians who keep learning stay valuable, while those who rely only on past experience may find their skills becoming outdated.
Making Your Shop a Place People Want to Join
A strong bench depends on a strong reputation. Technicians talk to each other, and they know which shops treat people well. Owners who invest in fair pay, good equipment, training, and respectful leadership find that candidates seek them out. Those who neglect these areas struggle to attract talent no matter how much they spend on job ads.
Sharing the shop’s culture publicly, through social media posts about team events, training achievements, and employee stories, helps potential candidates see what working there is like. Encouraging current employees to refer friends, with a referral bonus if appropriate, taps into their networks. Geoff’s message is that building a bench is an ongoing effort that pays off when the unexpected happens.
ATI’s Ready-Aim-Hire! 3 Sure-Fire Tips for Getting the Best Techs offers practical recruiting advice.
How Experienced Techs Can Keep Their Edge
Geoff’s reminder that experience is not the same as skill applies to the best people in the shop. Experienced technicians can fall into routines that worked on older vehicles but miss steps that newer systems require. Regular training, reading service information instead of relying on memory, and reviewing comebacks honestly all help keep skills sharp.
Senior technicians also benefit from teaching. Explaining a diagnostic approach to a newer tech forces them to examine their own process and often reveals shortcuts worth reconsidering. Shops that build mentoring into the role of A techs strengthen the bench and the senior staff at the same time. Industry certifications, such as those from ASE, also give experienced technicians a structured way to confirm and update their knowledge.
Build Your Bench This Month
- Calculate what it would cost if your best technician left tomorrow.
- Start a list of potential future hires and contact one person each week.
- Create a training plan for every B and C tech on your team.
- Reach out to a local technical school or training program.
Geoff returns with Jason Patel in How to Make Your Auto Shop Start Like the Lions and End Like the 49ers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it cost to replace an auto technician?
The full cost goes well beyond the job ad. It includes lost production while the position is open, the owner’s time recruiting and interviewing, overtime or strain on remaining technicians, training time for the new hire, and possible comebacks or delays while they learn the shop’s processes. Lost customer relationships add more. Exact figures vary by shop, but walking through each cost after a real departure usually shows that retention is far cheaper than replacement.
What is a bench in auto repair hiring?
A bench is a list of qualified people the shop already has a relationship with and could hire if a position opens. It might include former employees who left on good terms, students from local technical programs, technicians met at training events, referrals from current staff, and strong candidates from past interviews. Keeping in touch with these people over time means the shop can fill openings quickly without settling for the wrong hire.
What is the difference between recruiting and hiring?
Hiring is the process of filling a specific open position, from posting the job to making an offer. Recruiting is the ongoing effort to attract and build relationships with potential employees, even when the shop is fully staffed. It includes building the shop’s reputation as a good employer, connecting with schools, attending industry events, and staying in touch with promising candidates. Continuous recruiting makes hiring faster and more successful when openings occur.
How can a shop develop B and C technicians into A techs?
Create a written training plan for each developing technician that lists skills to learn, courses or certifications, a mentor, and milestones. Pair them with experienced technicians for hands-on coaching, and gradually assign more complex work as skills grow. Recognize progress with pay increases or new responsibilities tied to completed milestones. Review the plan regularly. A clear path forward motivates technicians to invest in their growth and makes them more likely to stay.
Resources and Links From This Episode
Connect With the Guests
- Geoff: LinkedIn
