AUTOINC. ONLINE - Shop Profile

Darrell Dancha pictured in front of NASCO Automotive Service, Columbia, S.C.

In just over 10 years, Darrell Dancha of Columbia, S.C., has transcended from the customer of vehicle repairs to a successful automotive repair facility owner.

As the vice president and senior manager of a medium-sized electrical contracting firm in Columbia, Dancha oversaw more than 29 vehicles in the company's fleet. Dancha soon grew displeased with the level and type of service he was receiving from local vehicle service providers, which consisted of both national chains and independent facilities. This growing disappointment inspired Dancha to find a more effective way to control fleet costs and increase his fleet efficiency. Through diligent research he came up with a plan that would accomplish both concerns. This was the catalyst for his current company, National Automotive Service Company (NASCO).

Dancha believed that if he could locate a mobile service that would perform fleet maintenance “on-site,” he could verify services were performed on time, thus increasing fleet efficiency and controlling maintenance costs. Dancha quickly learned that this type of mobile fleet service was not readily available, so he started Columbia's first mobile service, Mobile Car Care, in 1990. The company grew rapidly and within one year Dancha asked Russell Carson to become his business partner. This partnership allowed Dancha to manage the financial and marketing aspects of the business, while Carson headed up the sales and quality control.

Over the next two years the company grew to six mobile service units, servicing more than 300 fleets in parts of South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. The company was based in a small warehouse and did not offer the traditional shop services or repairs, only mobile on-site services. The company experienced typical growing pains such as keeping valued employees due to the long hours and many driving hours.

In 1994, Dancha and Carson made the major business decision to build a local repair facility. The partnership remains performing mobile services to fleets within a 30-mile radius of Columbia.

The expansion of services and permanent location allowed the partners to offer mobile service, 24-hour roadside services, as well as full service repairs. Both say it was a great business decision. At this point, the partners determined it necessary to change the company name to better reflect the services offered.

NASCO built a strong reputation for quality repairs and within a year outgrew its six-bay facility. In April 1996, the company acquired the 14-bay facility it currently occupies. The repair facility performs 40 to 60 repairs each week.

Russell Carson (left) and Darrell Dancha display software they developed that enables customers to have control of vehicle repairs.

In addition to the facility changing over the years, the number of employees has also changed. The company began with Dancha as its only employee then grew to two employees. Today, NASCO employs eight. Denise, Dancha's wife, manages the accounting department. She is responsible for all work order entry, accounts receivable and collections.

Through the perils of running an automotive repair facility, Dancha and Carson experienced the all-too-common perception consumers have regarding automotive repair and maintenance. This perception, coupled with their desire to better educate their customers, spawned their development of an automotive maintenance software program. NASCO provides its customers with the software.

The software, “Automotive Maintenance Master,” is designed to boost NASCO's image with a high tech, more professional appearance and give consumers more control and confidence when having a vehicle repaired and maintained. The software, which opens to a graphic of NASCO Automotive Service, asks motorists to provide general vehicle information and record the mileage weekly. Based on the information provided, the program alerts the motorist when and what type of services are due.

After a customer selects the service items from a menu of recommendations, the program generates a repair order for the service facility and advises the customer to call and make an appointment for vehicle service. At this point, the customer can either print the repair order or download it to a floppy disk, which is read by the repair facility through the Shop Reader Version. The shop opens the repair order, prints it and proceeds with the services. The attraction is that the customer can bring in their disk or repair order and not wait in line to explain the needed procedures because it's all on the repair order. “When the customer comes to our facility, they don't have to worry that we will be trying to sell the world because the software advises them which services are due, in advance,” said Carson.

By providing a “comments” area in the program, a customer may communicate certain instructions, concerns or other problems the vehicle is having in addition to routine service needed. Good communication between the customer and repair facility is key to a shop's success. By having this information given to the facility in the customer's own words, NASCO has greatly improved its customer relations by reducing miscommunications.

The service alerts are message boxes that appear on the screen inviting the customer to NASCO for the needed work. This message thanks the customer in advance for selecting NASCO as their repair facility. “What better time to get your name in front of the customer than the very moment they discover they have a need,” said Dancha.

Designed to walk the customer into the facility, when services are due, the software also has many other capabilities, including tracking the vehicle's service and repair history, as well as fuel purchase history and providing the vehicle's average mile per gallon. The consumer is also able to export the vehicle's entire service and repair history to a floppy disk, showing the facility what and when services and repairs have been performed; who performed the work, including the facility's phone number and invoice number; warranty information; and price. The customer brings the disk to the facility, providing an instant customer profile. “The customer has so many reasons to go into the software and each time they do, they see our name and logo advertising our company,” said Carson.

According to Carson, NASCO is unique because it offers a different perspective in its approach to business, which is not necessarily what most people would consider the “norm” in the automotive industry. “We don't advertise on radio, television or in the newspaper. The only advertising we do is in our software. What we have done is design a maintenance management software program that has helped us tremendously,” said Carson. With the customer entering mileage weekly, the customer sees the NASCO logo on the main menu every time the program is opened, thus advertising NASCO Automotive Service in the customer's home again and again. Dancha and Carson created and distribute the software under the name NASCO (National Automotive Software Company).

In addition to working to better the image of the automotive repair industry, NASCO also gives back to the community through various means including offering free services to the Salvation Army's fleet, free minor services and discounts for senior citizens, as well as discounts to the military and its employees. Dancha and Carson are also monetary and time contributors to organizations such as PETS Inc. and the Boy Scouts of America.

Future plans for NASCO include continuing its goal of combating the negative image of the automotive repair industry. “We plan to promote our software nationwide, helping all shops and their customers to build a rock-solid relationship and kill the stereotypical attitude that most people have of the automotive service industry,” said Carson.

Shop Stats

Name: NASCO Automotive Service
Location: Columbia, S.C.
No. of Employees: 8
Square Footage: 6,000
Number of bays: 14
Web Site: www.nasconet.com
On ASA membership:“ We joined ASA and will continue our membership because we feel that ASA has a lot in common with our business philosophy. Working together with you will help create a new industry standard and image for the automotive service industry.” - Darrel Dancha and Russell Carson

Unique Marketing Product Advances South Carolina Business

Shop Stats