special-order part, the customer typically pays for it without hesitation. Be sure to note to them that it is a special-order part. This process protects you from getting stuck with a special-order part that the customer never comes back to pick up. This process works the same if it is for a retail counter customer or a retail shop customer. As for accounting issues, it is easy to contact your DMS support to set up a mock pre-payment and learn how to it works before you introduce the policy. Work with your Controller to watch how both parts invoicing and accounting work along with the money flow and inventory. After you run through one or two test invoices, you will find it is not that technical to get up and running and to manage. 2. Pre-Book and Pre-Pay Customer's Service Before They Leave For most dealerships, the Service Department is their biggest customer. Some may not want to admit this, but it is one of the biggest aspects of the parts business. Given that, always pre-book the custom- MARCH APRIL 2021 || FIXED OPS MAGAZINE Pre-book and pre-pay Service Appointments. 35http://Hormann.us