Don’t let success go to your head. In this Freebie Friday, Bill Wittenmyer says it’s important to not get away from doing the little things – “the basics” – because it’s doing the little things and keeping things simple that breeds more success.

Bill Wittenmyer shares how dealerships can win over the modern customer in this week's installment of Witt's Wise Words.

How do you find your footing when everything around you constantly changes? In this Freebie Friday, ELEAD1ONE Partner Bill Wittenmyer shares advice for mastering change and turning challenges into opportunities to succeed.

Bill Wittenmyer shares why "Thank You" is incredibly important in interactions with customers in this week's installment of Witt's Wise Words.

Are your vendors truly partners or are they just out to take your money? In this Freebie Friday, ELEAD1ONE Partner Bill Wittenmyer shares strategies for finding vendors who are invested in your success.

The biggest source of leads or lost business might be right under your nose. In this Freebie Friday quick tip, ELEAD1ONE partner Bill Wittenmyer shares why referrals are still the most important aspect of your business.

Bill Wittenmyer shares the importance of leveraging digital word-of-mouth at your dealership in this week's installment of Witt's Wise Words.

When you're responsible for managing employees, it's important not to slip into a habit of managing with emails. Your employees are your team. Imagine if a football coach emailed a game plan to his players, instead of reviewing it with them in person. It's hard to get excited or motivated when you're simply reading words.  

In psychology, it's generally agreed that 55 percent of communications is body language, 38 percent is the tone of voice and only seven percent is the actual words we say. This means that emails and text, although incredibly useful for many reasons, are pretty ineffective at conveying emotion, clarifying strategies and for making sure your team members are all on the same page. A single two-sentence email can be interpreted in several ways.  

Most managers know this, of course. They hold weekly meetings to discuss numbers, goals and strategies. In addition to the requisite meetings, I recommend a few best practices to help build a strong team bond: 

1) Increase face-to-face time. 

Try to check in with direct reports on a daily basis, or at least every other day. Don't just ask questions related to goals, or your employees will think you're nagging them. A check-in can be a few minutes of small talk. Hold an impromptu 5-minute coaching or motivational session. Tell a story. Share a success. Keep employees in the loop. Ask them to help you solve a problem. 

2) Let employees do the talking. 

Listening is probably the most important managerial skill. A lot of managers believe that their job requires constant teaching or the sharing of wisdom. At times this is appropriate, but most of the time it's more appropriate to listen to your employees. 

Remember how I mentioned seven percent of communication is words? While you're listening, watch your employees' body language and listen to their tone. It's easy to pick up cues if someone is unhappy or struggling, but you have to be actively listening and paying attention. 

3) Get to know your team members. 

At every opportunity, take the time for some personal chit chat. A good manager knows and cares about their team members. That means you know the names of their spouses and kids, birthdays, hobbies, what's going on in their lives and what their personal and professional goals are. 

This is not an overnight thing, and it does require memory. A tip that works for me is this: If I have learned a little tidbit about someone after a conversation, I'll enter the information right into their contact. That way you don't have to try and remember everything, although over time, the more you look at that contact, the more you will remember. 

Also, don't forget that sharing is a two-way street. Don't expect to get what you don't share, and always be willing to share more than what you're going to get back.  

4) M is for Moderator, not Manager. 

The word 'manager' is really a misnomer. It implies that you're in charge of something or that you're supposed to give orders. I prefer the word moderator. You have a goal, and you have a team. Your team members are responsible for getting to you that goal. Your job as a manager is to give them what they need to succeed. 

Too often, I see managers trying to make everything happen themselves. They try to lead their team to victory, but that's not how it works. You've got to let your employees progress at their own pace and make their own mistakes. Success cannot be taught, and not all people achieve success using the same formula. Success is something that has to be worked out and achieved on an individual basis.  

5) Don't send hasty emails. 

Sometimes it's necessary to send an email, and sometimes email is the ideal communications format. Always take the time to review an email before you send it out, and ask the following questions: 

• Is the purpose of this email clear? 
• Will the intended recipient understand what I want them to do? In other words, is your call to action clear? 

It's also important to strike the right balance between too much and too little information. The only thing worse than a long-winded, meandering email is one that's too short. When responding to an email make sure you are answering all of the sender's questions, and provide short explanations if you think it's required.   

As a manager, it's important to stay in touch with your team. Nobody likes to work in a vacuum, so take the time to meet face-to-face and have genuine, two-way conversations. Your team members will feel appreciated and stay motivated. 

Recently I tried scheduling a service appointment at a local dealership. I called three times but never got through to anyone—I was placed on hold, transferred around and sent into voicemail. I don't like to leave voicemails because who knows if the person I'm calling with get the message or even return my call. After three attempts, I gave up and called another dealership.

Dealers measure a lot of metrics but many don't measure the percentage of incoming calls that are dropped or don't connect with anyone who can actually help the person calling.

When a customer calls your service department, they want answers to their questions now. They don't want to wait and see if an advisor will eventually get back to them. The good news for dealers is that when a customer does connect with someone on the phone, there's a 72 percent appointment ratio.

The bad news is that a lot of customers' calls aren't getting through. In a recent CallRevu analysis of 4.2 million phone calls into dealership service departments, 68 percent or nearly 2.8 million calls connected with an agent. That means 32 percent of calls, or nearly one-third of customers calling into your service department, aren't connecting with anyone! For every 100 lost calls, that's 72 appointments you don't have.

I don't know about you, but to me losing one out of every three leads is an unacceptable business practice.

I understand service personnel are busy. Your advisor's primary job is to take care of the customers and vehicles that are already in your service department— you really don't want them playing phone tag with customers. Phone tag wastes a lot of time and is very frustrating for the customer.

The key to fixing your service department phone problems is to figure out how you can reduce the volume of incoming and outgoing calls that your service advisors have to make.

Many dealerships have explored the option of setting up a service-only BDC to answer incoming calls. BDC agents are trained, monitored and use scripts for consistent messaging.

One of the primary advantages of having a BDC is that agents are not rushing through conversations. Do your service advisors take the time to ask every customer for updated contact information? BDC agents can deliver a 90 percent email capture rate for customers. For some dealers, this has doubled the response rate of their service email campaigns.

At first, your service advisors may resist the idea of having someone else schedule their appointments. They like to be in control of their own schedules. But what's best for them may not be what's best for your dealership. If an advisor wants to leave at 5:00 pm, do you think he's going to schedule an appointment for 4:30 pm?

BDC agents set appointments based on customer preferences, not those of the advisor. As a result, dealers typically see a 26 percent increase in ROs and an increase in shop capacity, along with a more consistent workflow.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of having a BDC is the high levels of customer satisfaction. With a 14-second average call answering time, customers are immediately connected with someone who can quote pricing for basic services and schedule appointments.

The downside to setting up an internal BDC is that it can be cost prohibitive. Running a BDC requires a skilled and experienced BDC manager, and staff turnover can be an issue.

Another option is to outsource your service department's calls to a virtual BDC. Virtual agents are trained to use your dealership name when answering the phone, and technology allows them to quote your dealership's pricing and connect customers with your personnel. Outsourcing is cost-effective for most dealers because of economy of scale. A virtual BDC center can efficiently handle calls for many dealerships, as opposed to just one group.

At the upcoming Driving Sales Executive Summit I'll be presenting "Hold the Phone: Why Poor Call Handling Skills are Costing You Money." In my breakout session I'll go more in-depth on virtual BDCs, and will also cover:

• How to overcome bandwidth issues and squeeze the most out of every business opportunity
• Proven benchmarks that build consumer trust and grow relationships
• Bridging the customer expectation gap

My session is scheduled for Sunday, October 22nd at 4:00 p.m. See you in Vegas!

Bill Wittenmyer shares which department your dealership has the most opportunities in this week's episode of Witt's Wise Words.