Meredith Collins
Carlisle & Co. s seventh Automotive Technician Survey this fall incorporated more than 17,500 responses representing 17 brands across the U.S. and Canada. The survey continues to show the challenges the industry has with technician satisfaction, noting that 35 percent of respondents expect to leave their brand in the next year or two. An overwhelming percentage say they would not recommend being a technician. Meredith Collins, 29, a director at Carlisle who oversees much of its technician-related work, discusses other survey findings. Here are edited excerpts.
Q: What are some of the factors pushing down overall satisfaction for technicians?
A: Given that the majority of technicians are paid via flat rate, factors that result in work without fair pay tend to be some of the biggest drivers. For example, diagnostic work represents about 25% of technicians total working hours, but most technicians are either not paid for it or paid a flat amount that may not be co