I have done some research on women and auto repair shops and can not believe the numbers I come across. Keep in mind this was a study completed back in 2001. I am sure these numbers have increased over the years. In my 25 years working directly with women in auto repair shops, I felt they communicated a lot better than the men. Women are becoming very popular in auto repair shops making decisions for the family car. I can remember back in the 1980’s this was not the case. I noticed more and more women becoming customers as the years went by. I know some mechanics that had a problem dealing with this new trend. I guess you can say it “wasn’t stylish” to them. But for me this was new and I was looking forward to this new wave of customers.
With regard to vehicle maintenance, 74% of women state they are responsible for making the maintenance decisions concerning their vehicles. 18% reported the decisions were shared and only 8% said they were responsible for none of the maintenance decisions. These are some alarming numbers to take into consideration when operating a repair shop facility today.
More than 65% of customers who take their car to repair shops are women. Some experts are even saying its closer to 80%. I can remember working for one shop geared to serving the women population who had a play area for children added to their waiting room. As a single father my self, I can see how this would be very helpful. I think all repair shop owners should read this article.
One other number I found interesting was a commercial I saw recently on television. The commercial said over $78 billion dollars was spent on auto repairs just last year alone! I am wondering how many of that women customers were. As the trend toward more female customers in the repair shop continues, women will represent the majority of customers with whom technicians and service managers must communicate with.
Women Technicians would be great to see in an auto repair shop. I can remember back in 1983 when I graduated from an auto repair school, I had three women in the graduating class. I think women technicians would be great for the service world. They are detail- oriented and very customer focused which is hard to find in a technician. This would be a plus for any auto repair shop owner.
