In the fall, nobody could’ve predicted what the world has faced over the past few months. The coronavirus has forced companies to quickly adapt how they do business – IF they can do business yet. Luckily, service departments have been designated as essential business through most of it, keeping the dealership machine moving in stores across the nation.

It hasn’t come without challenges. From PPE and hasty plexiglass shield installations to scrambling for personnel as pick-up and drop-off requests skyrocket, service departments have been implementing changes at breakneck speed. By and large, it’s been a job well done by franchised American dealers.

But the question now turns to… what now? Were these just temporary modifications to the business structure, or are there going to be lasting effects for the future? That’s where we want to focus our perspective in America’s recovery efforts.

What a Service Visit May Look Like

Like all dealers posing the question, I don’t have any hard and fast answers. However, sitting still and waiting for the answers puts dealers in a reactionary position when being proactive is the better place to be. So, preparing for potentially permanent changes and being a leader in those could very well be the key to success.

Serving the Customer

A question I’ve heard a lot from friends, family, and acquaintances is, “How long do you think people will keep being cautious?” Undoubtedly, you’ve heard people ask similar questions, even whether we’ll shake hands again or if other greetings will prevail. I think it will be a matter of personal conscience for everyone – either confident or cautious – and there needs to be room for everyone.

For the auto dealer’s service department, that will likely mean that contactless greetings will be prevalent for the customers who choose to bring their own vehicles in. I also believe we’ll see a much higher uptake in valet servicing. Regardless which method the customer chooses, there should be no judgment about it. And while the service probably should be offered, it’s also reasonable to charge a nominal fee to pick up vehicles.

Sanitary Practices

Since we’re still months or years from the development of a vaccine, it’s safe to say that heightened wariness of shared spaces like lounges and coffee pots will be around awhile. There will also be people who are scared of others touching their cars inside. The service department will need to maintain visible cleaning practices for now, and potentially forever, to reassure customers.

Less Waiting, More Leaving

Customer lounges will be less densely occupied even during the busiest service hours for fear of viral transmission. Service departments can expect that demand will be higher for shuttles – regularly wiped down throughout the day – as well as courtesy cars that are sanitized between customers.

It would suit a service department well to have the resources at the ready if the need arises. That can mean a staff member designated as an overflow shuttle driver or a handful of low-cost rental cars or loaners.

Temporary Cash Flow Disruptions

In areas hardest hit and less affluent neighborhoods, it’s expected that dollars per RO as well as RO counts will be lower, on average. People either don’t have the same amount of funds to spend or they are more hesitant to spend on repairs and maintenance that could possibly wait.

Two things: prioritize estimated items (as you normally should), and consider offering service department financing through one of the many lending options on the market.

This may not be much of a departure from business as usual for some dealers. For others, it will seem like a major paradigm shift. Expect that it will affect your workers as much as your customers.

Car sales have taken a beating in the past six weeks. April sales figures aren’t in yet, but it’s safe to estimate that they remain at least halved compared to the same time frame last year, and probably a little worse. But with states starting to loosen COVID-19 restrictions, sales are sure to rebound in the next few months.

What does that have to do with fixed operations? Actually, the service and parts departments can play a huge role in the recovery effort for the sales department. Here’s how.

Referrals

Yes, referrals. Depending on who you ask, sales leads that convert to delivered vehicles run from $200 to $600, occasionally more. A referral from the service department costs the dealership almost nothing. Someone like a service advisor has opportunities to refer from a few different sources. It may be customers who decline maintenance because they aren’t keeping their car, or it could be a client who always wants the latest and greatest. And of course, friends and family are always a referral source.

A spiff for referrals is always a good idea for staff buy-in. And as you might expect, the more referrals you pay out, the more referral customers you’ll be getting in.  

Modest Reconditioning

Used cars coming in are consistently a wildcard, especially if they are trade-ins. The costs to recondition them were always a ‘blank check’ of sorts for the service department, so long as the car was still profitable. However, no one truly knows how hard the used car values will be hit due to the coronavirus. As much as it’s the sales manager’s responsibility to appraise cars well, the service department can do their part to keep reconditioning costs low.

Don’t trim the important things, obviously. Cars need brakes and tires, leaks need to be fixed. But consider whether some of the pre-emptive maintenance is better left undone right now. Your store may also want to consider a temporary labor and parts discount for used cars until the recovery is well under way.

Keep Up with PDIs

New car incentives will be around for a long time it seems, driving the new car market back to full capacity. That’s going to mean truckloads of steel arriving on the lot – vehicles that can only be sold and rolled once they’ve been PDI’d.

It might not seem like a big deal. Just sell the car with the plastic still on, right? But it does not show well when the salesperson has to unwrap the car, take it for fuel, set the radio stations, and put wheel covers on while the customer paces around the lot.

Stay on top of pre-delivery inspections. It’s work for technicians and if there’s a backlog, it should be easy to rally a team to do a little catch-up on a Saturday. Having presentable new cars will help drive up the sales team’s effectiveness.

These aren’t new principles. It’s a team approach. While one part of the team is suffering, the others can help support them along.

Some states are still inundated with the novel coronavirus, but others are holding fast with no new cases for days. There could soon be a return to work process signals the restart of the American economy. For dealers, that means customers emerging from their makeshift home offices and replacing their matured leases, trading in their out-of-warranty cars, and buying the newest model. But we can be certain that it won’t happen immediately.

Dealers are likely to see a spike in car sales once restrictions are lifted, but that will be tempered by the economic uncertainty in the US post-pandemic. But what will continue to buoy businesses is fixed ops.

As always, fixed operations are an indicator of a dealership’s health. It’s no secret that dealers who had over 100% absorption rates prior to the economic shutdown are best positioned for recovery. Car owners need maintenance and repairs. Trade-ins need to be reconditioned. New vehicle drops require a PDI inspection. But customer work is the driving force for fixed operations, and it’s the narrow road to take for your dealership’s recovery.

How Fixed Ops Will Pull Dealers Through

Of course, the sexy part of a dealership is the showroom with the shiny paint and the un-scuffed interiors. It’s easy to push sales as a recovery mechanism with the average selling price around $37,000 in 2019. Here’s the problem though: the profit won’t be there. Moving metal is important, but dealer incentives and customer sentiment, plus the overwhelming competition from other stores, will drive that selling price down either non-existent or negative profit.

The service department, on the other hand, is always poised for profit. It’s built into the structure. The higher the volume through the department, the more money your service department will earn toward the bottom line. It’s one reason for the title fixed operations.  

Then, factor in customer sentiment. Millions upon millions of Americans have applied for unemployment in the past month alone. Affordability is a huge concern and job security is still not a given for those currently employed. It’s much easier to part with a small amount of money for car maintenance and repairs than to commit to payments on a new car for five, six, or seven years.

Keep Up With COVID-19 Strategies

Once the pandemic loosens its grip, it will be important to keep up with the policies you’ve put in place. Consider it your new benchmark. Disinfect customer vehicles. Pick up and deliver service customers’ cars. Ensure social distancing is practiced for the time being.

Differentiate Your Dealership

Find something that can make your dealership’s service department stand out from the others in your area – even in your dealer group. That could be continuing to offer discounts for essential service workers or developing a subscription-based all-inclusive maintenance agreement, priority check-in, or any other unique mechanism.

Dealers everywhere are going to take the usual route of broad discounts and giveaways. With a more focused route that makes customers feel safe and special, you’ll earn their service business.

The Sales Will Come

The vehicle sales will return, of that there’s no question. Your service customers will want replacements and new clients will inquire online and in person. Those will be the next generation of service customers that will keep the dealership alive and thriving.

My point is that chasing vehicle sales as a recovery plan post-pandemic is tossing thousands upon thousands of dollars into marketing that will result in extremely slim margins. Phase that in once the economy has recovered a little more. But use your service department as your major advantage. It’s the narrow road that will be less traveled.

Agree or disagree?

We don’t know what’s going to happen. Nearly all states have stay-at-home orders, and not to minimize the impact on other industries, but the auto industry is taking hit after hit. Factories have idled production and by all appearances, it will be several months before we approach anything close to normal business practices.

The only portions of the auto retail sector operating mostly unrestricted are fixed ops departments. But even that model has been changed well beyond what anyone imagined just a month or two ago. Many dealers are experiencing slowdowns in the service department, putting strain on the livelihoods of everyone they employ.

This is what we have to embrace. Social distancing enforcement may loosen up, but customer sentiment will remain for months or years after. Here are a few thoughts about preparing to do business in the service department going forward.

Keep Pick-Up and Drop-Off Services Running

When the all-clear is sounded, drop-off and pick-up services aren’t something you’ll be able to dial back. You can’t put that toothpaste back in the tube. Since it’s a service nearly everyone is offering right now, it’s become a standard by which many customers will measure CX.

Plan now to staff pick-up and drop-off services for service customers. That could mean hiring extra staff or it may mean including it in certain roles. Perhaps a service advisor’s role is completely changed to service only 5 to 8 clients daily including off-site check-ins and walkarounds. Perhaps the technician is paid to pick up the car and return it. Or possibly it’s a valet. This is a time to become innovative.

Change Pay Plan Incentives

In the immediate future and perhaps well beyond, typical pay plans won’t be enough income to support commission-based employees. It would be a great idea to switch to an hourly wage or salary with incentives for customer service and accuracy rather than volume.

To be honest, I don’t know how well it will be received by piece-work and sales-focused staff. However, my opinion is that many in this time would be satisfied to have secure employment over the uncertainty of the commission structure.

Off-Site Servicing is an Idea

A search for mobile car lifts comes up with intriguing possibilities. It’s no stretch to imagine worried customers and vulnerable populations that don’t want to visit a busy service department. Another option is a mobile technician, possible more than one, that attends a customer’s home or business to perform minor repairs and maintenance from a mobile lift trailer.

This isn’t a new idea and there are logistics that need to be ironed out. Insurance, parts supplies, RO write-ups – there are wrinkles in the fabric. To differentiate your business and to serve a growing demographic, it’s an option to seriously consider.

There’s so much up in the air right now. What I’m confident that most will agree is that we will not be returning to business as it was. Proactively find ways to stay relevant and return to profitability as fast as possible.

March 2020 felt like the longest decade in modern history, didn’t it? In the automotive industry, dealerships in most states have gone from flourishing businesses to ghost towns with the odd tumbleweed customer rolling through for an oil change. Government orders to shelter-in-place along with a sentiment of fear are keeping people at home rather than car shopping.

That’s evident after automakers posted year-over-year March sales decreases like GM’s 44.7% dip, Toyota’s 39% decrease, and Ford’s 40.8% slip. If a dealership isn’t moving metal, what do they do to turn a profit?

Put the Efforts into Fixed Ops

The Trump administration has deemed that automotive repair and maintenance businesses are essential services. Make the most out of that designation at the current time and shift from a new car retailer to a nearly-new car maintenance facility. By no choice of your own, the store isn’t going to see much traffic for vehicle sales. But all your customers who previously bought a car will still need to maintain them.

The marketing you’ve done for cars should be mostly repurposed temporarily to emphasize the need for service at this critical time. Beware of marketing techniques though – keep the message overall positive. Put any campaigns through several wise filters to ensure you don’t seem like you’re capitalizing on a really chaotic time in history.

Maximize Absorption Rates

Dealers who previously hit 100% absorption rates in their service departments are best positioned to ride the wave, especially short term. But don’t think that your February 100% absorption makes you safe. If you haven’t seen it already, expect a dramatic shift in what service department traffic looks like.

With financial instability across the country, you’re likely already seeing customers tighten their purse strings. Non-essential work will probably have to wait until later. That means lower dollars per RO. Volume is the solution to that, and that’s going to be difficult to manage with self-isolation, WFH strategies, and quarantines.

Trim the fat where you can. If you can make do without a new piece of equipment or you can negotiate lower shop supply rates in the interim, it will be prudent. Every percentage will be critical for your absorption rate.

Make the Hard Decisions

Let’s be clear – your people are the most important part of your dealership. They are the resource you want to protect the most. And to maintain your workforce, you may have to make some very hard decisions.

• Is it possible to liquidate assets now to keep payroll flowing in lean months? It could be too late if you wait until the noose tightens.
• Are there departments that need an investment to change how they do business? That may mean aggressive marketing and facility changes for online parts sales or moving to a virtual showroom.
• Are there team members that are willing to be reassigned where they may be needed more?  

I hate to say it, and I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think we’re going back to business as usual when COVID-19 is in the rearview mirror. How a dealership operates, from the storefront to the service department, will need to adapt rapidly to stay relevant.

What unprecedented times we live in. The current response to the coronavirus outbreak in America has hundreds of millions of people practicing social distancing and staying home. Fear and worry are rampant as hundreds have succumbed to COVID-19 symptoms in the nation.

Service departments have been designated as ‘essential business’ during the pandemic, and rightly so. But the people staffing the department are assuredly seeing a decline in work coming through the door. Their wages are affected by declining traffic, and they’re exposed more than the average person in their work environment.

Now is a great time for service departments to change the way they operate, at least in the short term. Local needs can benefit from the dealership’s services, and it’s a way to focus on providing for someone else’s needs rather than your own.

Offer Pick-Up and Drop-Off Services for Free

At this point, if your service department is still operating, you’re probably already offering vehicle pick-up and drop-off services at your customers’ homes or workplaces. Continue doing so as long as possible, and so you don’t appear to be taking advantage, do it for free.

In this period of time, it’s more important to be kind and compassionate than making your monthly goal. Customers will remember it afterward and can be expected to be loyal.

Contact Essential Organizations to Offer Assistance

If you find technicians and lot attendants are idle, or any staff for that matter, partner with other essential organizations to fill needs. That can be delivering groceries for a local mom-and-pop grocery store or arranging service for the vehicles in essential businesses’ fleets.

Serve Vulnerable People

In every city or county, there are vulnerable people who are isolated and in need. That has many forms from the elderly in personal care homes to self-quarantined individuals who are running out of supplies. Put out a call on social media offering to help those who need it.

Be Generous to Your Staff

Virtually everyone is suffering financially at this time, and dealership staff are no exception. Car sales will have a steep decline during the COVID-19 outbreak, service departments will be very quiet, and parts desks will be nearly abandoned. For any staff that are willing and able to be at work, pay them well. Forget the commission-based structure, for example, and pay an average of their last 3 months instead.

At this time in history, be remembered as a store that cared more about their customers, their city, and their neighbors than about selling. Find ways to serve in as much as you’re able. The benefits to community as well as your team morale are immeasurable.

The government is now telling us that we may not be getting back to normal for weeks or months, whatever that new normal is going to look like. Dealerships are adapting the sales process, pivoting on a dime in transition to ‘buy from home’ processes. From everything we know, an enhanced digital retailing journey is preferred by customers, albeit a completely dealership-free sale isn’t the intention. But sales can make it work.

What about the service department? The typical service experience has dozens of customers arriving at the service drive daily. In today’s ‘social distancing’ requirements, it certainly isn’t easy to maintain your personal space in a busy department. So, what’s a service department to do now?

Stay Healthy

First and foremost is your team’s health and that of your customers. Your service department can’t help anyone at all if you experience an outbreak. Anyone who has symptoms, has recently traveled, or is caring for a sick person should be encouraged to stay home for the recommended self-isolation period of 14 days (unless that changes).

Emphasize the Importance of Appointments

You may wish to switch to an appointment-only structure for better control of traffic volume in the dealership. An appointment allows customers to maintain the appropriate distance for your safety and theirs as they aren’t jockeying for position in a queue.

Can Customers Remain in the Vehicle?

There are definitely restrictions for what’s permissible by insurance companies and regulations. However, if a customer’s appointment doesn’t require them to step out of their car, it could help retain the capacity to service more vehicles. For example, does your express oil change bay have a pit rather than a hoist? It could be repurposed during certain hours or days for more intensive work that allows the customer to stay in their car. Or, if work can be completed on the floor in the shop, the same can be true.

Vehicle Pick-Up and Drop-Off for the Masses

Most dealers offer service pickup in some capacity already. It’s a great way to keep the dealership’s service department open. NADA is advocating to government to consider automotive retail and service as an essential service – cars will need fixing and required services, even if it’s less frequent for the moment.

Consider moving to a vehicle pick-up and drop-off structure on a limited basis. Here’s what it could look like:

• Assign a lot attendant or the technician to pick up the vehicle for service. They should bring safety equipment and cleaning supplies to sanitize the customer’s car and protect themselves. Since service traffic will assuredly decrease if it hasn’t already, techs will have some extra time to help with this.
• Since service departments likely don’t have a huge fleet of loaners or courtesy cars, allow staff to use personal vehicles and pay mileage. Another option is shuttle drop-off and pick-up for staff, but it’s not ideal.
• The vehicle is brought back to the shop, serviced as per normal, and thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before return.
• If it isn’t a dealer-owned vehicle, the customer will be without wheels until their car is returned.
• Process credit card payment over the phone or through another digital manner if you have it set up. Keep it contactless as much as possible, so no cash or checks.

The drop-off/pick-up structure isn’t cost-effective en masse, that’s for sure. In these extenuating circumstances, the goal should probably be refocused to providing an income for your team members ad serving your clients as long as possible. That may even mean aiming for the break-even point or taking a loss to make it happen.

We’re in the business of serving customers and keeping the world moving, physically and economically. Let’s prove it in the coming weeks and months.

There isn’t a service advisor alive that hasn’t heard, “Why can’t I have a loaner car?” It’s many a customer’s perspective that they shouldn’t be inconvenienced and left without a car while they’re vehicle is in the shop. Sometimes it comes for a simple maintenance visit that will take an hour or two. Other times it’s for a warranty repair that may take a week or so but doesn’t qualify for a rental or loaner.

As soon as you hear the customer’s complaint about a lack of transportation, you can kiss the perfect survey score goodbye. According to the 2018 Cox Automotive Service Industry Study, 1 in 10 customer complaints are categorized as “Did Not Provide a Loaner Vehicle”. What seems like an impossible challenge to eliminate is just that: impossible. However, you can cut the complaint in half – maybe even halve it again – with a little understanding and a couple strategies.

What Drives the Loaner Car Question

Knowing what position your customer is coming from will help you steer the conversation about a loaner. Is the customer:

1. 1. Feeling like their car will take longer than expected in the shop?
2. 2. Under the impression they’re entitled to a loaner no matter the length of the service visit?
3. 3. Feeling they’re owed a loaner due to the size of their estimate?
4. 4. Unaware of the other transportation options available to them?

There may be other assumptions in a customer’s mind about why they should get a loaner car for their visit, but these are four common ones, in my opinion. A thread you’ll find in each one is a lack of communication.

In each of the four points, talking with the customer should help discover their motives and shape your response.

If the Customer’s Thinks It’s Taking Too Long

When the customer is pacing around, waiting for their car to finish, or they’ve been impatiently waiting by the phone for hours to hear that their car is done, it might already be too late to correct the concern. The service advisor (presumably) has either incorrectly estimated the completion time or hasn’t communicated it well to the customer.

At this point, an apology is the best solution, even if everything went according to the service advisor’s expected timeline. The customer felt it took longer than expected, and that’s what the metric is. Perhaps make a note for the next visit to be clearer about time frames.

Entitled to a Loaner Every Time

It might be the amount of money they spent on their car or a misunderstood phrase from their salesperson during the sale. Or, it could be a family member’s advice to demand a loaner car. If there’s a customer that demands a loaner car with every visit, regardless of the length, it’s a tough spot. You’ll have to handle it delicately no matter what.

Perhaps a conversation as you go through the warranty manual and criteria for a loaner car is helpful. Or asking, “Do you mind telling me where you got this information? I’d be happy to do it if you can point me to your source.” Showing generosity with a one-time courtesy loaner may be the ticket while clearly explaining that it’s only available once outside of the correct circumstances.

They’re Paying a Big Bill

Unless the repair is going to take more than a few days, I’ve always found that it’s a worthy investment for service to cover a paying customer’s base rental charges. That’s assuming the repair is a significant amount like $800 or higher, and with significant gross to cover it and then some. It doesn’t pay to be cheap with paying customers. They won’t come back to buy their next vehicle if the service department doesn’t appear to appreciate their business.

They Don’t Know All the Options

I’ve had customers who took a rental that were surprised and annoyed I didn’t offer them a shuttle ride instead. Sometimes, the hassle of filling out the rental paperwork, paying the rental insurance, and being super careful not to get a ding or a scratch is more trouble than it’s worth to some. When a customer asks for a rental, gently ask, “Would a shuttle ride do, or can I call you an Uber? Or do you need a replacement car to drive?”

The wrong answer when someone asks if they can have a loaner car is, “Sorry, no.” In all circumstances, clarifying questions will help determine the source of the question to help direct you to the best solution.

The customer experience has several dimensions, and all of them have to line up to achieve a truly awesome customer experience in the service department. To a client, your store is only ever as good as their last visit, and the same is true on a CSI survey.

Everything could be phenomenal during their visit. Their appointment process was smooth and easy, they checked in without any issues, and their vehicle was ready on time. They’re ready to click ‘submit’ on the most glowing online review as they step up to the cashier until they see the invoice. “My service cost HOW MUCH?!?”

In the 2018 Cox Automotive Service Industry Study, 10 percent of service customers expressed frustration toward their dealership at ‘finding out how much they charge’ for services. This phrase can be seen in a couple of different ways – the inability to find pricing for services and repairs, or sticker shock at realizing how much it cost. Today’s buzzwords in the automotive industry are TRUST and TRANSPARENCY, and these interpretations deal with each term. Let’s take a look at both of those.

Sticker Shock

A customer that visits your service department should have the ability to TRUST that they’re getting a fair price on the services their vehicle needs. For example, taking a vehicle to the dealership’s service department for a wheel alignment should come with the expectation of an invoice around $100 or so, whether or not the customer asks in advance. But if they return to pick up their car and are greeted with a $200 invoice, a mild to moderate freak-out is realistic.

It’s dangerous to leave pricing expectations up to the customer, but if it happens, there shouldn’t be a reason for the customer to lose their mind. Knowing that your prices are in line with other local competitors is key to avoiding sticker shock.

Hard-to-Find Pricing

Avoiding the sticker shock part of the equation is much easier when your pricing is TRANSPARENT. Whether it’s a basic oil change or a major hourly job, you owe it to your customers to post your shop’s door rate and common maintenance items and packages.

Having a reader board in the dealership is obviously great, but service customers are going online more than ever to book appointments and check maintenance schedules. Pricing is often tough to find or non-existent on a dealer’s website for service items. It shouldn’t be that way. If it’s alright for the sales department to post new and used car pricing online, the service department should also be expected to.

Service customers are the best source of future car buyers at your dealership. By providing the best customer experience possible, you’ll keep them coming back until they’re ready to start the vehicle lifecycle all over. But if one of the poor customer experiences occur, like sticker shock or tough-to-find service pricing, you could be driving them to find a different service provider and their future car seller.

Very few things are more frustrated than feeling like your time has been wasted. Think about something as routine as going through a fast food drive thru because you’re on a short leash, only to be left waiting for your meal at the pickup window for seven minutes unacknowledged (I’ve been there). A customer’s irritation is much the same when they’ve gone through the processes to expediate their in-dealership visit, then to stand in line in the service drive.

Online appointments have made booking a maintenance or repair visit much easier. Time slots are typically in 10-minute intervals to space them out. The BDC and service advisors are personally invested in accurate appointment booking. So why is it that waiting in line after making an appointment is still the primary pain point for 13 percent of annoyed customers?

Poor Planning

I’m convinced that probably half – maybe more – of the issue lies with people booking appointments. I recall often as a service advisor that a ‘gravy’ appointment wanted an booking for first thing in the morning when all the time slots were already filled, but I’d jam it in anyway so I’d be able to earn more that day. Other times, it seemed like someone booked an appointment simply to get the customer off the phone, stacking the schedule at a particular time that was super inconvenient. And then there are the walk-ins…

Of course, the result is an influx of appointment check-ins that can’t be handled at once. Someone is going to be waiting.

The Human Factor

Tell me if I’m wrong… an appointment time never seems to be hard and fast anymore. Once they’ve made an appointment, the customer thinks it’s fine to drop the car off whenever they can. Hours early, a half hour late – as long as they’re scheduled for that day, it should be cool.

I encountered it almost daily. 10am appointments dropping off their car at the 7am opening rush. Usually, more than one per day. Their intentions are innocent, perhaps trying to grab the first shuttle to work. Nonetheless, it made for hectic mornings at the service desk with several people tapping their toes impatiently.

What to Do About It

This problem will never go away as long as there are customers. But you can improve this facet of the service customer experience in a few ways:

• - Schedule appointments at slightly unusual times. Rather than booking on the hour or at the half, book in 12-minute increments. Not only does it allow 12 minutes for a service advisor to write up an RO which should be plenty, but the time will stick out in a customer’s head. When you say, “Mr. Rodriguez, I have you booked in for 8:36 tomorrow morning. See you then,” you can picture their head cocking to the side as the time registers. “8:36? Why such a precise time?” 

• - In busy times, the service manager and valets can pick up the slack by helping with walkarounds. If there are customers waiting to check in, someone can pick up a clipboard with a walkaround checklist, greet the customer, and engage them with a walkaround. Once the service advisor is free, they can inject themselves into the conversation. That should easily eliminate the concern about waiting in line despite an appointment.
• - Look into self-serve service kiosks. The jury is out on their use, but it’s an option to serve your non-appointment or early customers, especially those who would prefer to drop off before hours or pickup after hours. If you use kiosks, make sure you communicate very well throughout the day with those clients.

Do you have any other ideas to address the concern, “had an appointment but waited in line”? Leave a comment below.