^^ I was wondering about the “watched him work” comment above. You let customers watch while their cars are being serviced? Did you put big windows in the shop wall just for this? Or does carcrazy get a backstage pass? 
Seems odd, IMO. Yeah, full transparency and all that, but sometimes it’s best not to see how the sausage gets made.
How do the techs feel about it? Most people don’t appreciate someone looking over their shoulder while they work.
Absolutely not. We have a waiting lounge upstairs where people can hang out while their car is being worked on, or they can drop off/pick up (which we prefer, but obviously isn't always ideal for the client).
I know the last time I was there and CarCrazy had come by for something, he had some time to kill so opted to wait for his service. I'm fairly sure it was after he peered through the window the entire time 
that the techs asked if we can have the windows frosted, tinted or blocked off. 
Nothing against CarCrazy or any client in particular, but it's something that was an oversight on my part before and I didn't realize the impact it has on the technicians' performance. The techs get sweatier and way more conscious when they're being watched, so I respect that. You're right about the "sausage getting made" analogy there.
The previous management at our shop also had a small group of "old boys club" friends that would come and hang out in the shop while their stuff was worked on - that's a hard no. Again, lots to learn on my part, so I'm taking all feedback I can from both clients and my staff to see how things can be improved.
Best shop I ever went to, Accelerated Performance in OH. https://www.acceleratedperformance.com/ They didn't care if you sat in the shop and watched (they had chairs), or if you looked around at other project on the go..and they even didn't care if you helped them wrench. And they even bought YOU lunch on the day you were there.
Just the absolute greatest shop I've ever been to...even if it doesn't look like much from the street.
I absolutely adore those guys and IQ and I still go there a few times a year just to hang out in the shop and visit while they wrench. Just the greatest guys, ever.
All 3 indy's I've used here (1 man operations) were OK with you being in the shop, chatting or pointing out minor things about the job they may not be aware of. One of them even asked IQ if she could put her tiny hand into the engine bay to wrench on something because his burly hand wouldn't fit.
Agree to disagree there. I’ve gotten a ton of feedback that techs don’t like to be disturbed while they’re working. They’re excellent performers when given some autonomy so I’m okay with going with that.
Well you can disagree all you want!
It's the best shop I've ever been to. And it's not like we distracted them from building some of the best engines and fastest cars in the US. Surely they can cope and do enjoy people in the shop. But this isn't a "regular" shop like yours. More of an enthusiast place. Maybe even hard core enthusiast place.
I mean...surely there's liability on your end to having people in the shop. That would be the biggest thing in ANY shop IMO. And probably the biggest legit concern for ANY shop owner. But if your techs like to work a certain way, so be it. You need to extract the most from your techs ability..and if that means them working without being watched, so be it. You have a business to run after all. You need to cater to your techs, their ability, and their ability to make you money AND do a good job.
Me? I'm a superstar at my highly technical job. Someone watching me doesn't phase me in the least. I've had groups as big as 20-30 people (customers; 2-3 is more the norm) watching me work on their multimillion dollar stuff. Job gets done just the same..at a very high level...whether I'm by myself..or whether I'm being scrutinized. This also might be due to the fact that at the big IMTS show, I was one of the guys running seminars in an auditorium filled with hundreds of people while I demonstrated software, machining techniques, etc.
Of course this is a big YMMV.
