For those of us who sit at a desk most of the day hammering the keyboards, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (when tendons or ligaments in the wrist become enlarged, often from inflammation, after being aggravated) has become the source of many jokes told at our expense. The other jokes have to do with the shape that our bellies or backsides have assumed as the result of lack of movement. So today I'd like to offer some advice to Service Managers for curing both of these ailments, while reducing some of the jester's ammunition.

Customers carry the cure

We often begin our presentations with a contest that offers $10.00 to the first participant who can tell us where our money actually comes from. The answer is always the same.

It comes from our customers. So when managing service, it only follows that the most important thing to manage is the customer interaction since that's where the money is! Wouldn't you agree?

So where do you manage the customer interaction? Can you do that from your desk while hammering on the keyboard or sitting in a chair? I think not! You need to move away from the computer and get out of the chair and spend some quality time on the service drive. This will result in a move toward curing both your hand and fanny ailments:

1. By spending more time on the drive, you reduce the number of keystrokes thereby allowing time for your hands to rest.
2. By getting on your feet and walking, you increase your metabolism and therefore burn more calories, thus reducing your weight!

Oh, I forgot one more thing: This also works to cure lazy service advisors who tend to skip key parts of the process because you're not watching them. When the service manager is on the drive, performance improves.

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