Quarterly Newsletters

What’s in it for them (the customer)?

2010-03-06T11:24:48Z

Training and coaching of automotive service advisors is a very challenging and rewarding business. I am often amazed at the number of years we continue to work on changing the same skills and behaviors. And year after year we continue to chase dealership service customers to the independent repair facilities both during and after the warranty period. Because after all, what’s in it for them to stay?

Motivation

2009-12-09T22:47:39Z

A lot is written about motivation. From a manager’s perspective, I see motivation as two things: energy, and caring. I want people with the “hustle” to get things done—to be highly productive, go the extra mile. And I want them to care about coworkers, customers, quality of work, and safety, not to mention profit and the success of the department and the company.

A big part of your job as a manager is to generate motivation in the individuals in your workgroup. But when you’re “growing” motivation, you’re really more like a gardener than a carpenter. You don’t really make it or build it, you provide an environment for it to prosper. Like a gardener provides the fertile soil, water, fertilizer, and a place that’s exposed to sunlight, you provide the environment for people to be motivated.

Does your back hurt yet?

2009-07-05T05:52:02Z

Service and parts professionals out there: this question “does your back hurt yet” is posed to you! This question comes from a golf analogy—when one player is playing better than everyone else in the foursome they are “carrying” the team, thus the question: “does your back hurt yet?”

Increasing Customer Labor Sales and Repair Orders - Are you Realizing your Potential?

2009-03-28T14:13:54Z

10 Best Ideas for Improving Your Service Department’s Gross Profit

2009-01-14T15:23:24Z

Every interaction with a customer is a golden opportunity for sales and service — and in today’s economy, handling that interaction effectively is critical. Learn the 10 best ideas for improving your service department’s gross profit as presented by Sheila Woolsey for the DealersEdge Service Summit Webinar on December 2nd.

Customer Treatment in Trying Times

2008-07-07T12:05:16Z

Do you think that we can afford to offer a reduced level of service because of these trying economic times? I definitely do not! For some of you that might mean you will have to find ways provide the same level of service with fewer people. It might also mean that some of you will need to work on your employee satisfaction and morale so that they can continue to be pleasant to the customers they work with.

Management Commitment to Coaching

2008-04-02T11:57:09Z

Are You Really A Manager?
Making coaching one of your management activities requires commitment, because for most managers, it’s a change. Many managers are caught up in the “busy-ness” of their business: working deals, putting out fires, and all manner of administrative overhead. They say that they just don’t have time for coaching.

Suriving a Tough 2008 in the Automotive Industry

2008-01-07T11:33:55Z

It seems that most of the year end predictions assume another tough year for automotive dealerships in 2008. While this is mostly due to slower car and truck sales, some dealerships will struggle in the Service and Parts areas too. This brings to mind a question for every service manager, parts manger and fixed operations director out there—what are you doing to ensure strong service and parts sales in 2008? Even if your answer is “not much”, it is not too late to get going!

Customer Service Strategies

2007-07-05T12:04:03Z

My work as a fixed operations consultant and trainer takes me around the country working with dealership personnel, primarily customer-facing employees, such as service advisors, valets, cashiers, and more. In my observation of employees, I find that the focus is almost always on the process or day-to-day procedures of handling customers.

But are we leaving out the basics? What about customer-handling behavior skills—the ones that make the customers feel welcome and comfortable?

Are You Providing Customer-Friendly Service?

2007-01-04T11:55:44Z

Do customers consider your local car dealership a friendly place to be? It may depend on how you define friendly, and how much importance you place on it.

I personally do not see a lot of smiling or observe much “small talk” with customers going on in a car dealership, especially in the parts and service areas. Statistics show that building relationships is the best way to increase sales and retain customers—isn’t smiling and exchanging pleasantries part of building a relationship?

Customer Loyalty – What the Best Service Advisors Do

2005-12-30T12:06:06Z

As the dealership’s primary contact with service customers, service advisors play a key role in customer satisfaction and retention. Customers’ bonds to the product are typically tenuous-product advantages come and go with the speed of technology and design changes. Even those customers who are committed to a specific brand may not be attached to a specific dealership. There are many dealers who sell each brand. In fact, for customers who are to be satisfied and retained (loyal), relationship becomes the key. Most often, service advisers are, by default, at the center of best customer relationships. Customers’ interactions with a service adviser must be more frequent and take place over a much longer period of time than their contact with the salesperson during their purchase experience. On-going relationship management activities are generally not a part of the salesperson’s job description, but they’re the absolute definition of a great relationship between a service adviser and a loyal customer.

Customer Communication During the Service Process – Your Link to Customer Satisfaction

2005-12-01T11:37:55Z

Customers’ expectations have risen dramatically in the service industry over the last ten years. Meeting and exceeding those expectations in your service department can be a real challenge. Effective, proactive, and timely communication during the service process is one of the keys to customer satisfaction.
As a retail consultant who travels extensively, I encounter lots of people who want to tell me about their dealership service experience - good and bad. By far, the number one comment I hear from customers regardless of the type of dealerships is: “If they would only let me know what’s going on.”
The two crucial communication points, after the morning consultation and write-up process, are 1) repair status reporting through out the day and 2) the explanation of repairs at completion. Both of these communication points, when proactive and informative, can make the customer feel like they are important to your dealership and will add value to the service they receive.
I know this sounds like common sense to most of you. I’m also willing to bet that some of you think that this type of communication happens in your dealerships right now.

Measuring Technician Time

2002-10-18T21:13:29Z

Can you afford to have your technicians non-productive for 25% of their day? As ridiculous as that sounds, some experts suggest that our industry looses about two hours per-day-per-technician to non productivity. Do you know your shop’s productivity and how to calculate it? In our last newsletter, we talked about Technician Time Management Data as an Operational Monitoring Tool. In this newsletter, we will explore the fundamental measurements and calculations required to produce useful and accurate technician time data.

Compensation Planning Strategy Questions

2002-01-15T11:58:53Z

Use these simple 15 questions when trying to determine if a pay plan change is required for any given job function: