A new tech's first week
A new tech decides in the first week whether your shop is organized. Hand this to the manager and the mentor tech, and tick it off together.
- 1.
Before day one
Truck stocked and inspected, with the stock list in the cab
Phone or tablet set up: field app login, company email, training videos
Uniforms, shoe covers and PPE ready to hand over
A mentor tech picked and walked through this week's plan
Paperwork ready: W-4, state forms, direct deposit and the handbook. Form I-9 Section 1 is due on day one; you complete Section 2 within three business days.
- 2.
Day 1: Welcome and safety
Shop tour and introductions, including the office and dispatch
Safety orientation: PPE, ladders, lockout/tagout, and what to do after an injury
Vehicle walkthrough: daily inspection, fueling, where everything lives, what to do after an accident
Field app basics: clock in, read the schedule, mark on the way, add notes and photos
Afternoon ride-along. Watch only.
- 3.
Day 2: Watch full calls
Ride along all day with the mentor
Watch every step: arrival, greeting, diagnosis, options, payment, wrap-up
Learn the arrival standard: on-the-way text, shoe covers, introduce yourself at the door
Fifteen minutes with the mentor at the end of the day on what they saw
- 4.
Day 3: Do parts of the call
Lead the greeting and the walkthrough while the mentor watches
Write the job notes and take the photos
Build options in the pricebook for the jobs you saw
- 5.
Day 4: Run the call with backup
Run full calls with the mentor there; the mentor steps in only when needed
Present options and collect payment
Offer the maintenance plan the way the company does it
- 6.
Day 5: Review
Sit down with the manager: what went well, what's confusing, what they need
Confirm paperwork, logins and the first payday are all set
Set three goals for the first 30 days and put the review on the calendar
Sign off this checklist together
From The Graphite Lab. Free to copy, print and adapt for your shop. graphitelab.ai/resources
