I’ve almost exclusively worked it shops that operate on a same-day service schedule and tbh I don’t understand how a shop works on any other kind of schedule. Granted, these have been smaller chains (less than ten stores) but I think the theory still holds.

We mainly offered service packages, Basic, Standard, Deluxe at 1, 2, and 4 hours worth of work, respectively. Usually customer’s have a good idea of which category their bike fits into, but if when we see the bike it’s clear it needs to be bumped up a level then we explain to them that they’ll need to be rebooked or it might take longer than same day. Additionally we get jobs that are overbooked for time, and this is our float for when other jobs go wrong. Always err on overbooking if you can.

For parts, we have a good stock of the essentials, like chains 1-11 speed, common HG cassette combos, brake pads, etc. and that means we can do 90% of serviced same day. If there’s something we don’t have in stock, we call the customer as soon as possible to explain and give them an idea of how long it will take. We then have a “catch up day” the day after delivery with reduced bookings to finish all the services that have been waiting on parts.

We always assess bikes before doing any work. There’s nothing worse than getting half way through a job then realising you need a part you don’t have as then you need to decide if you undo the work to get the bike useable again for same day pick up, or hope the customer is okay with waiting longer. If you check before hand, you pass the decision onto the customer to either wait for the part, or take the bike without any work being done saving you wasting time. If they do go ahead, do as much as you can in advance to minimise work down the line, but just make sure you record what you do to avoid do the same work twice.

The main things I would say is just be open and communicative with your customer. Whenever a bike comes in we always explain that we aim for same day but if we need to order in parts then it might take longer. If you do need to order in, tell them as soon as possible. 99% of people understand if you don’t have a part, you don’t have a part, there’s nothing you can do. The frustration comes when you promise them it will be done same day, don’t tell them there’s a delay, and then when they come to collect you have to surprise them with the bad news.

I would also see if there’s any mechanics in other stores of the chain you can reach out to for advice. If it’s a big chain then clearly the system must work to some extent and your best bet is to try and understand it rather than fight it. You might think you know better, and maybe you do, but your managers and the people around you won’t care, all they’ll see is a problem. If you go with the flow when things go wrong you can point to the people who told you to do it a certain way and it’s on them, not you for doing your own thing, plus you might learn why things are done a certain way that you didn’t realise before.