In every industry, the winds are shifting. The products are evolving, but that’s not what it’s about. The level of service that’s given is now the measuring stick – the ever-climbing standard that earns and loses you clients. And personally – managers and fixed operations directors especially – are you equipped to tackle the change?

Fluid Yet Firm

The old-school management technique may still work extremely well today. A manager on a firm foundation, whose tried-and-true methods have been used since computers were invented. You’ve built your success on this technique, so why change now?

There’s no flaw in old-school techniques. However, the way business is done is changing dramatically, more than we’ve ever seen before. That firm stance on the way you manage, the way your service department runs, and the service your customers receive is about to change out of necessity. Otherwise, the store is going to suffer.

How it Was

Your front-line service staff used to be the voice of authority. They were in control of the service visit from start to finish. Your customers deferred to them for the best corrective action to take care of their vehicles, listened to their car care advice, and continued to service at your location as long as their vehicle as fixed right.

The former service experience was primarily – almost solely – structured around the vehicle. It didn’t matter that Joe the Technician was crusty and foul, and a few grease prints on the door were frustrating but acceptable. Price was important but the vehicle-technician relationship was more valuable.

That style of service goes back decades to when engine rebuilds were an expectation every 60,000 miles. Transmission fluid wasn’t changed because a car didn’t last long enough to need it. Service departments were a utility, not a service provider per se.

How It Is

We now have a culture with internet at the core. Recent generations – not just millennials – have the ability to communicate freely with handheld devices. Complaining is more widespread – not that there’s more complaining, just that it reaches much further online than via word of mouth.

The service department visit now demands a relationship between the front-line support staff like the service advisor and the client. The maintenance and repair requirements take a backseat to the service that’s received.

Vehicles last longer than ever, and that means the customer could be returning more often to the service department for maintenance and repairs. The service staff need to know how to handle the balance between proper vehicle service and exceptional customer care. And right now, the customer care bears the brunt of the burden.

How Will It Be?

The future of service is uncertain – will it be new and innovative vehicle technologies, self-serve dealership service departments, or pickup and delivery services that set the new standard? The service visit is evolving quickly, so it may not be long until we find out what’s coming next.

One thing that’s definite: the management team needs to adapt to the new style of service, whatever that may be.

Can You Evolve?

Can you see why the old method of managing a service department is going the way of the dinosaur? Long-time customers may put up with it, but as a general rule, new clients won’t. Your service department needs to address customers at their level and on their terms or they’ll go elsewhere, simple as that.

The only equipment you need to succeed in the new service experience is the willingness to evolve. It’s much less a skills issue than an attitude adjustment. Obviously, if you’ve been a long-term manager, you have the skills to ensure those under your charge are doing what’s necessary.  You simply need to learn where the winds are pushing and lead your staff on the journey.

The alternative to evolving in this aspect is somber. It affects your service department’s health, your CSI scores, the dealership’s repeat business, the overall sales figures, and the livelihoods of everyone on your team.

Keep your mind open to change. Learn from your peers by attending events like the DrivingSales Executive Summit, the DrivingSales Canadian Dealer Forum, or any other forward-thinking, innovative dealer forum.