Ever browse a retailer’s website, completely awestruck by the professional appearance, a wide array of available products, and helpful content, and make the decision to pay them a visit? Only, when you arrive, it’s a bare-bones storefront with none of the same warm, welcoming appeal from their online presence?

Now flip that around. That’s how the service department works in nearly every dealership.

In the service drive, the customer lounge, and even in the hustle and bustle of the shop, there’s an emphasis on a good first impression…at least, in most stores. We try to give the customer the best experience possible, starting with a visual experience and then a service experience. That’s perfect for a customer that’s already come through your door because 94 percent of first impressions are made visually.

What about fence-sitting customers, or those who are looking for a new service department for their vehicle? In a huge swath of dealership websites, you’ll find parts and service specials and an appointment form. That’s it. It’s about as bland as plain white bread and about as nourishing. 38 percent of online customers will stop engaging with an unattractive website, and 88 percent will never return after a bad online experience. Talk about a great way to reject new customers, hey?

What Should the Service Department Look Like Online?

When customers browse online, a few questions come up:

• - First, does your website contain service-related pages or is it 99% sales?
• - Second, is your website visually captivating, or does it look like DOS coding from 1996?
• - Third, is it easy to navigate, or will a user throw their wireless mouse in frustration?
• - Last but not least, is there valuable information customers can consume online?

Before addressing the questions, there’s an overriding idea about mirroring the service department online that you need to grasp: the visual theme should be consistent. That means the customer should see the same color palette, building features, and cleanliness online as they see in person. It makes their first visit feel familiar.

Service Pages

Fixed operations generates a huge chunk of the revenue in a dealership, and that should be reflected in the online presence. Companies like Fixed Ops Digital create fixed-ops websites and pages that emphasize the importance of service. Individual service pages and more in-depth department information help put the service department at the forefront.

Visual Appeal

Does the dealership website look just like every other competitor’s website, or worse yet, is it lagging behind? Keep a modern theme running and have each service page complimented by high-quality images.

Easy Navigation

Test your website’s service department section. Do all the links work and is the information current? Are there any slow pages, and does it feel like it flows well? Especially try the appointment scheduler – it’s a sore spot for many customers who’d rather book online than call into your BDC.

Service Content

Wouldn’t it be easier to sell services if customers understood them better? For all your common service items, have a service page written and posted, potentially linked into the service menu, for customers to see the value in each service you provide.

It isn’t just about putting your best foot forward. It’s about consistency. Show customers what they can truly expect from the service department without becoming frustrated at the online experience.

Us versus them. In many dealership service departments, that’s the relationship between the service advisors and the technicians. Is shouldn’t be that way, and often the relationship starts out pretty good. But with livelihoods tied to productivity, it’s easy for a technician to feel dissociated and jaded.

Anyone with a finger on the fixed ops pulse has seen it. A tenacious technician brings a list of repairs and services to the advisor, looking forward to getting a jump on this paycheck’s hours. Instead of immediately calling the customer with the estimate, the technician (im)patiently waits while the advisor finishes up another task. Finally capturing the advisor’s attention, the technician presents the estimate with little enthusiasm in return. Instead of an immediate call, the advisor says, “Kick it out for now. I don’t think they’re going to all of that, if any. I’ll let you know what they say.” Dejected and frustrated, seeing cash slipping through their fingers, the technician goes onto the next job.

Now, imagine that scenario playing out time after time. That’s what I’ve seen (and as an advisor, I’ve done), and it doesn’t go well.

What to Do Better

It’s easy to say that it shouldn’t happen, but it does, and more often than you think. While it’s true that the advisor has a better read on the customer, it’s not their place to pass judgment or sluff off the estimate.

An advisor usually isn’t a trained technician, and like me, they may not have any formal education whatsoever. Often, you’ll find that the service advisor underappreciates the importance of certain items or has inaccurate perceptions of the value of certain repairs or services. I know I’ve been guilty of judging a customer by appearances or history, and I don’t think I’m alone in that.

There are a few things to do that can improve the relationship between service advisor and technician, and it only serves to boost the department wholly.

Call the Customer Immediately

Sounds simple enough, right? In the hustle and bustle of a busy service drive, squeaking in a two-minute call to sell an estimate can feel like an insurmountable challenge. The longer that estimate sits, though, the less likely it’s going to ever come to fruition. It’s easier to expect a customer’s approval when they hear, “It’s already on the hoist, we could get started right now,” rather than, “We’ll bring it back in shortly and I’ll call you when it’s ready.” It also saves the technician valuable minutes of downtime.

Ask for A ‘Spending Limit’

When the customer drops off their vehicle, especially if it’s for a problem, they’re looking to have it fixed. But they aren’t going to write you a blank check for the bill. They might give you a limit you can go up to without having to call ahead for approval, though.

I’ve used this with some success, but it must come with a clear approval. “We’ll get your brake squeal looked at and perform a multi-point inspection. If it’s $300/$500/$1,000 or less, should I get the technician started before I give you a call?” Some will appreciate the forward thinking, others will still want input before the tech gets going.

Can Technicians Call their Own Estimates?

In situations where an advisor simply can’t give their full attention, or the estimate is beyond their scope of knowledge, do you think it’s permissible for a technician to call the customer themselves? I believe it is, under certain conditions. If the technician is within the service advisor’s earshot or under a manager’s supervision, I can see it being helpful – perhaps better than a service advisor at times!

Obviously, it needs to be a technician with phone skills, and the advisor still needs to be involved to add lines to the work order. But it has the potential to bridge a gap that ticks off technicians at times.

This is just one aspect of the advisor-technician relationship, but it’s a big one in my view. Having these two groups work better together improves morale, boosts service sales, and might even help with employee retention.

The Christmas season is upon us, closely followed by New Years. It’s a magical time of the year that’s full of Christmas cheer, time spent with family and friends, and for many, a celebration of their faith. And let’s not forget the gifts!

But what exactly does Christmas have to do with service advisor selling skills?

This is the perfect time of the year to get back to the basics. There’s something that every service advisor does at some point; a trap they fall into. That flaw is in assuming how a customer’s visit will go. Here’s what I mean, from personal experience.

A customer pulls into the service drive to check in for their appointment. They’ve booked a basic service but they’re also overdue for other maintenance. Since it’s the week before Christmas, there’s a good chance they have a busy schedule to attend to. So, instead of making the additional service recommendations, you give it a pass.

That same customer’s vehicle is in the shop for its service. The technician submits an estimate for the same maintenance you didn’t pre-sell, as well as a few additional things. The brakes might be down to 15 percent, or the tires are worn down to 3/32nd. You tell the tech to just note it and you’ll get the customer to come back. After all, they’ve probably maxed out their Visa for Christmas gifts anyway.

Doing a Disservice

I can tell you from personal experience that, while you think you’re helping the customer out, you’re actually doing them a disservice. Here’s why.

Assuming Their Finances

You don’t know what a customer can and can’t afford. You just can’t know that unless you ask. All service advisors have fallen into the same trap before, some more often than others. Just because a vehicle has high mileage, it’s behind on maintenance, or the customer isn’t dressed in Gucci and Armani, it doesn’t mean they can’t afford the maintenance and repairs.

Assuming Their Priorities

Again, you can’t assume to know what a customer’s priorities might be. If you take a pass on selling maintenance, brakes, tires, or what have you, the customer isn’t given the opportunity to approve the sale. What if that vehicle owner is traveling two states over to visit family on icy roads but their tires aren’t in good condition to make the journey safely? What if their brakes don’t last throughout the family vacation and an emergency stop is required to take care of it?

Betraying Their Trust

Every customer that brings their vehicle to the service department expects the same thing: service they can trust. If you’ve made the decision solely to NOT present recommended maintenance or repairs, you’re breaking their trust. How can they expect honest, trustworthy service the next time they come? Are you going to make assumptions on their behalf again?

Let the Customer Decide

It’s not your vehicle, it’s not your finances, and it’s not your decision. As a service advisor, strive to offer the same customer service to each client you meet, every day. That means offering the customer the chance to buy tires from you, have you replace their brakes, and get your certified technician to perform their regularly scheduled maintenance.

Some customers are going to turn you down, and that’s part of the job. You won’t make every sale, whether that’s because of finances, time, priorities, or any other factor. But what you can do is show your customers that you have their interests in mind by offering the opportunity for them to say YES to you.

During this hectic season, it’s easy to go off the rails, take it easy, and stop selling properly. I encourage you to stick to the basics, leave your assumptions at the door, and stop overthinking the sale. Let your customers surprise you.

You learn a lot about yourself in the service drive. You quickly find out if you’re truly an extrovert or an introvert-in-disguise, you discover if you’re as hardworking as you think or if you’re lazy, and it takes no time at all to discover your motivations. As a service advisor, I believed I was going to make a difference; that I would be the one that worked with integrity (contrary to what I witnessed from others).

But very soon after starting the role of service advisor, I found my true motivator. One thing kept me in the service drive for years, and it was the paycheck.

Since I don’t think I’m a unique case, it’s safe to assume that getting a fat paycheck is a motivator for most service advisors, if not all. According to the Harvard Business Review, it’s competitive compensation that motivates 66 percent of the employees. I guess it isn’t rocket science that being financially rewarded for a job well done is what motivates most, especially for positions like service advisors that need a sales mentality.

But here’s a sobering statistic in stark contrast, and from the same HBR study. One in five high performing employees plans to leave their job in the next six months. For a medium to large service department with five service advisors, that means you should expect you’ll need to hire two service advisors per year.

The Cost of Turnover

We’ve talked about the cost of turnover on DrivingSales frequently. The true cost is hard to pin down but it’s at least $30,000 and up to $70,000 per employee. Yes, it sounds extreme but it’s true. Between unproductive training time and lost sales, it makes sense. So, looking at conservative numbers, the cost to replace two dissatisfied service advisors per year is $60,000 – probably more!

What You Should Do About It

If it sounds ridiculous to waste $60,000 and up on turnover for service advisors annually, that’s because it is. But you can do something about it, and it boils down to paying the position what it’s worth.

Service advisors perform one of the hardest roles in a dealership, dealing with angry and jaded customers, teaching customers about proper vehicle maintenance, training themselves in effective sales strategies, and often in a highly competitive, commission-based environment.

There’s one good way to keep them satisfied in their chosen career so they aren’t looking for greener pastures. Offer a pay plan that keeps their eyes in-house. It’s not as simple as adding a bonus to a paycheck – it has to be a reward for a job well done. Here are a few ideas.

• Change from a monthly commission structure to a rolling three-month commission structure. If it’s possible to eliminate droughts on the paycheck, you’ll have happier advisors, even if the peaks aren’t quite as high.
• Offer long-term CSI bonuses using achievable targets, not the lofty ones the OEMs set. This helps keep high customer service at the forefront.
• Provide opportunities for spontaneous earnings in the form of spiffs. They’re a challenge that can kick the achiever into high gear, especially when it seems to be a slow time in the store.
• Or, opt to simply add to the base pay or tack an extra few points to the commission structure. That works too.

The Worst Thing You Can Do

If your service advisors are consistently hitting their bonus levels and their paychecks seem inordinately high, DO NOT CHANGE THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS! More than once in my career, after figuring out how to do my job well, the pay structure was changed. At one point, it was twice in one year because our store was at the top of our game. The minimums were upped. All it does is make it harder to take home a decent paycheck and tick off your advisors. That’s why a service advisor will look to leave their job – they can’t trust their pay structure will stay the same when they’re doing well.

If you’ve never been a service advisor or it’s been a long time since you’ve done it, hang out in the service drive for a while. See what they do, day in and day out. It’s a career deserving of great rewards. Make sure your advisors know they are appreciated where they’ll feel it the most – on their paychecks.  

December is in full swing, hopefully off to a strong start. In the blink of an eye, it’s going to be New Year’s, and a blank slate will be in front of you for 2019. A fresh start can be exactly what you need if 2018 wasn’t very kind to you in the service department. Or, it can be daunting if you’re expected to do more than you did in the past twelve months.

Yet, looking at the news, it appears that the automotive sales could take another blow. GM plant closures, slumping passenger car sales, and disappearing sales incentives could put a damper on car sales in the United States. It appears that, once again, there’s a reason it’s called fixed ops: you’ll be relied upon to carry your dealership through 2019.

What can your service department do differently or better in the new year? When you flip pages on the calendar, so to speak, how can you start 2019 strong to buoy your store and see stronger results than this year? Here are three ideas.

Expand Your Target Market

There’s a radius around your dealership where your customers come from primarily. Depending on your location, that could be five miles, ten miles, or even 20 miles or more. All your marketing is targeted at these people, but what about those who are just outside that radius?

Set up digital marketing campaigns that stretch your target market by just a little. Perhaps it’s an extra mile or two in all directions, maybe it’s a bit more. If your in-store strategy is working well already, all you need to do is add a few more customers to grow your service department’s earnings.

Analyze your Pricing Strategy

Compare your service department’s menu item pricing with other dealerships and independents nearby. You’re looking for two things: menu items that are over-priced and those that are under-priced. For over-priced items, the objective is obviously to lower them enough to be competitive, attracting more customers for that service. For items that you’re charging less than average, it’s time to bump up the pricing. Remember, you don’t have to be the lowest price on the block. You just need to service the customer’s vehicle better than the rest.

Emphasize Exploratory Services

There are certain service items that could and should be used better by many service departments. There are often undiscovered issues on a customer’s vehicle simply because their service visit did not explore that far. For that reason, encourage your team to emphasize services that look deeper into a customer’s vehicle than just basic maintenance. It’s multi-point inspections, wheel alignments, and even the service drive walkaround that do the trick.

I hate to use the word upselling – it sounds derogatory, like you’re selling something that’s not necessary. What you’re doing is helping the customer keep their vehicle in top shape by tackling issues before they become a problem. These are necessary services and repairs that the customer simply needs to be aware of. And once they are, it’s an opportunity to capture the business from them today or in the near future.

The new year is rolling around very soon, and these strategies are nothing new and groundbreaking. They’re just solid, everyday tools you can use to optimize your dealership’s service department performance. And if there are dips in car sales like the analysts predict, it’s going to be more important than ever to employ these tools.

“Do something you LOVE.”

“Find a career that fulfills you.”

Our culture today impresses upon students that they can do whatever they set their mind to. And better yet, you can do what you love for a career. Then you graduate high school and attempt to get into the workforce, and everything changes.

Suddenly, you discover that only the ultra-elite DJs ever make it as a career, and it’s a brutally harsh work environment in nightclubs. Playing video games isn’t something you can rely on for consistent income, even if you’re winning tournaments. And fixing up cars in your garage at home does not equate to a passion for automotive service.

Learning a Life Lesson

My father has been a tradesperson his whole adult life, starting after he ‘graduated’ grade 10. As a machinist, he’s a specialist in his field and one of a very, very few who can perform a certain process on the jobsite. And for nearly 40 years, my dad has more or less done the same high-quality work with his beat-up, cut-up hands, day in and day out.

What he won’t tell you is that he loves being a machinist. Sure, he’s incredibly mechanically-minded and can fix pretty much anything. But for Pops, it’s a career. It’s not a passion.

Growing up, that’s taught me an invaluable life lesson. It’s great to find joy in what you do as a career, but only a miniscule part of the population will find employment in a field that they love. For most people, work is WORK.

Think about all the jobs and trades out there that have to be done, and they aren’t glamorous. Garbage collectors, meat processors, ‘water management’ experts, remedial plumbers – there are plenty of people who do dirty jobs you’d never want to touch.

There are going to be times that you just aren’t ‘feeling it’. You aren’t enjoying your career and dread starting your day. Whether you’re writing work orders at the service desk, diagnosing a Check Engine light in the back shop, or leading a service team, there absolutely will be days that feel like hard work.

What to Do About It

It’s normal to have days, weeks, or even longer that your career doesn’t feel satisfying or enjoyable. You don’t have to apologize for it. From more than 15 years in the automotive service industry, I can say firsthand that it can be downright exhausting at times.

Since most of us have bills to pay and mouths to feed, NOT working isn’t an option. There’s a reason we say “going to work”, and not “going to play”.

Keep Going

Want to know why I work? It’s because I love to hunt, fish, ice fish, enjoy the outdoors, volunteer, and spend time with people that I enjoy. I put my automotive knowledge to use so that I can fund all of the things in life that bring me joy.

Sometimes, a job or career just isn’t a good fit, or there’s opportunity to explore different career options. But for the vast majority, the same job dissatisfaction will rear its ugly head at the new post you accept, sooner or later.

Instead of seeking your fulfilment and joy in your career, there will be times you need to focus on the end result – serving customers, co-workers, and managers to the best of your ability so you’re able to do the things in life that bring you joy.

For when times are going really well at your job, use the opportunity to thrive. And when times aren’t going so great, just keep going, focusing on why you work in the first place.

A look back on the past eleven months is going to put you in one of three categories.

• You’re right on pace to finish 2018 on target, and you’re breathing a sigh of relief.
• You’re behind, a little or a lot, and panic is setting in.
• You’re ahead of your 2018 target with a full month to go. You’re full of confidence.

There’s no coasting to the finish line. But as you’re building targets and goals for the coming year, there’s no easy way to plan milestones and goals. It seems like whatever number you pick is arbitrary, doesn’t it?

The Same Target Won’t Cut It

And here’s the thing: whether you’re finishing ahead of target, behind target, or hit a bullseye this year, you can’t use the same goals as you did this year. Certainly, you can’t trim back on your figures either. There’s a dealer principal and a general manager that will scrutinize your budget and make no mistake. They expect growth.

That goes for everyone, whether it’s a service manager, sales manager, parts department manager, or otherwise. You’re meant to improve upon the previous year. And to be blunt, if you’re a department manager and you aren’t striving to blow last year’s numbers out of the water, are you the right person for the job?

You should always be looking to do more. You’re managing someone else’s money. It reminds me of a parable in the Good Book, the Parable of the Talents. A master entrusts his money to three of his servants while he’s away. While two invest the master’s money and grow it, one simply hides it to keep it safe. When the master returns, he is incredibly displeased with the servant who didn’t increase his earnings.

The same is true for dealership management. As a manager, you’re a caretaker or middleman for someone else’s cash; their source of income. It’s job to grow this revenue stream from year to year. But what’s a reasonable goal?

From the Eyes of an Employee

As a service advisor, I was never very happy to learn about the new year’s targets. That’s especially true for years that were so good, it was an anomaly. I recall one year where the service department alone experienced between 7 and 8 percent NET above target, and on a predicted 3-percent growth. That’s a double-digit increase year over year. And when the new targets were unveiled, there was another 3 percent or so expected the following year.

The flip side are years that were less than stellar. When you don’t meet your expectations and the following year still predicts growth, it can cause frustration – a rift between management and employees for setting unrealistic targets.

In an employee’s eyes, there need to be two things before the new targets are revealed. Managers should first address the year’s successes or shortcomings with the team. A dinner reward or small token of appreciation over the holidays does the trick. And secondly, there should be a plan in place for how to achieve the expected growth. A real, honest strategy on how it’s going to happen.

So, How Much Do You Project for Growth?

I'd suggest a good rule of thumb is three percent. Unless there’s a significant reason that it can’t be done, or if there’s a reason that you’re going to do more than that, plan for a three percent increase. If you’ve met your target in 2018 or came in under, that’s three percent more than your 2018 target. If you exceeded your targets in 2018, that’s three percent more than your actuals.

And that’s when the tough stuff really starts. Now you have to strategize for growth and put your plan into action. You’re the right person for the job, aren’t you? Then you’ll find a way to get it done.

Inevitably, the service department in December is a frustrating enigma. It’s next to impossible to predict the ebbs and flows, the staffing schedule over the holidays, and how the weather is going to play out. It would be easy to just play it by ear, writing off any sort of strategy, but that’s not exactly a recipe for success.

You could dump major resources into marketing the final month of the year. But that could prove challenging to justify for a month that’s typically less than stellar. Also, it’s tough to judge how well marketing performed in a time period so disrupted by holidays. Lets’ face it – December 24th, 25th, and 26th is a Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday, and New Year’s Eve is the following Monday. You’re really just working or the first few weeks of the month.

Instead of just winging it for the month of December, strap your team in for a wild ride to year end. Be intentional and implement a bold strategy on a shoestring budget (relatively speaking) to keep the shop full throughout the month.

Go Mobile

We’re talking a broad picture here. Whether you do your marketing in-house or farm it out, cast a net with a mobile marketing strategy. Snap up keywords related to services and repairs with ‘near me’ or ‘in YOUR CITY’ and pump a bit of money into it.

Think with Google has a Shopping Insights tool to help you figure out what’s important to people in your area. Pick rather specific services and products to advertise to keep the budget small yet effective in the mobile market.

Push Notification Blast

Have an app for your store? Good – use it. This will cost you next to nothing to use for your service marketing strategy. Send out an offer to your current customers for either a minimal holiday-time discount on a service with high profit margin, or a giveaway works too. Whatever you do, DON’T stack a discount on top of a loss leader like an oil change. You’ll have customers take advantage of the deal with no chance to upsell.

One tip about push notifications: don’t overdo it. Keep them infrequent so customers don’t gloss over as soon as they see them. You want to keep them fresh.

Offer Referral Bonuses on Seasonal Services!

For a few bucks per RO, you can KILL IT this December by offering referral bonuses to your staff. Pay the people you work with for bringing in their family, their friends, their acquaintances, their kid’s softball coach’s grandmother – anyone and everyone.

Set the criteria, and I suggest rather liberally, but make it on seasonal services. Choose items like cooling system flushes and winter tire packages. Pay your people either a flat rate per RO for these referred customers, an extra spiff if they’re first-time customers, and an opportunity to level up if it’s more than a threshold you’ve set (like $500).

Honestly, it’s probably the best advertising your money can buy. Sure, it’s going to be a challenge to get the GM or DP to sign off on it (because why wouldn’t your staff already do this?) but it’s going to be extremely rewarding if December is shaping up to be quiet.

A side bonus: you keep your staff happy when the service department is hopping. For advisors, technicians, and even managers, there’s nothing worse than going to work when you know you’re not making money but have to be there anyway. If there’s money to be made, it makes working during the holiday season palatable and maybe even enjoyable.

Everyone is talking about KPIs and measuring the past ten months to plan for the next calendar year. It’s critical stuff. A dealership would struggle to exist without proficient service and parts departments. At the end of the day, month, or year, it usually boils down to the bottom line. How much did the service department or parts department earn for the store?

To that end, the service and parts departments make conscious investments throughout the year. A bonus spiff here, a service drive facelift there, new parts bins or shelving, a new wheel alignment machine in the shop, and maybe even expanding for a few more bays. It’s a calculated investment, all with the intention to grow production and profits, ultimately achieving the committed target on the DOC.

It would be crazy to argue against this type of return on investment. It’s necessary, no doubt. But in the service department, is there a more important measurement to determine if money has been well spent?

It’s the People

Don’t think I’m getting all schmaltzy on you here. But the foundation of the fixed operations departments has been, is, and always will be the people. Staff and customers.

Investing in Staff

If you’re keeping track of the department’s productivity, you should also be keeping track of individual performance. It takes on several forms. For service personnel specifically, it would be stats like hours per RO, effective labor rate, dollars per RO, and so on. Figures can include CSI scores as well.

But here’s where it gets a little crazy, and it takes some mathematics. Determine exactly how much money your store spent in training costs for each team member. That includes off-site training, online courses, even team-building exercises.

Now, compare last year’s performance with this year’s performance to date. Are you seeing an increase in the KPIs you’ve determined are most important? I’d bet a few Benjamins you’ll see proportional growth to the money you’ve invested across each of your team members. That’s the ROI I think should be tracked more frequently.

Fixed operations training has been getting more attention than ever, but it’s still lagging behind the sales department. I’d challenge you to invest more in your staff training for the next calendar year, calculate the ROI, and tell your GMs and DPs about the success you see.

Invest in Customers

It might be just an average parts department or service department. But when customers enter the picture, they get a first impression on every visit. It isn’t just getting their car serviced – it’s an experience.

Invest in the customer experience for the service and parts departments. That can seem nebulous or daunting, but all you have to do is put yourself in the customer’s shoes. What would you want when you visit the dealership?

Make the customer lounge an inviting experience, not just couches and stale coffee. Use TV services like Spectrio that incorporate digital messages about your services and repairs, and the benefits of choosing OEM accessories. Provide free Wi-Fi, work stations, complimentary shuttles and loaners, and even iPads for Netflix or web browsing while they wait.

Some dealerships do this stuff already, and that’s great. It isn’t a stretch to expect that the better the customer’s experience, the more they’re willing to open their wallet. And does it factor into better CSI scores? I’ll bet it does. Again, you can measure your investment in specific customer experience items against financial growth easily enough.

Last year, I was shown around a local dealership by the dealer principal, someone I had worked for elsewhere in my past. He walked me through the parts department with a passing mention of massive monthly tire sales volume, straight to a small office hidden deep in the bowels of the store. We didn’t see the showroom or the service department, and we didn’t cross the street to their collision center either. We bee-lined to his pride and joy, the BDC.

It’s here that he spent nearly all our short time together, boasting about their incredible successes among the five-person team. They’re committed to answering every call, sending video messages to interested buyers in the vehicle they’ve inquired about, maintaining customer relationships, and setting sales appointments that comprise approximately 90 percent of their sales traffic.

It was obviously a source of great pride as he turned this tradition dealer with a limited physical footprint into a huge success story, all on the backs of a tiny BDC.

But as someone with a fixed ops background, there’s a nagging feeling that their service department remains forty years behind the times.

How Can a BDC Benefit the Service Department?

When I was a service advisor, I was expected to make all my own calls – and half the time, I did. Every call was supposed to be answered by the second ring – and when I wasn’t with a customer, that’s what I did. Follow-up was the service advisor’s responsibility for the most part.

What I can tell you first-hand is this: countless, innumerable phone calls went unanswered on a busy day. Not just me, but across the five service advisors on the front line. A little support would’ve gone a long way.

What I can be certain of is that dozens, hundreds, or thousands of those calls that weren’t answered in a timely fashion were from potential new customers, or customers who defected because we couldn’t be reached. There’s no way to break down the cost per missed opportunity here, but there’s no question it would be much, much more than the cost of implementing a BDC.

Answering Calls

Depending who you ask, anywhere from one-third to two-thirds of dealership calls are for the service and parts departments. For busy service staff, it’s a nightmare trying to stay on top of phone calls while serving customers in person. A BDC, most obviously, can be used very well to answer calls and alleviate constant phone ringing.

Setting Appointments

A central source for appointment-setting can give advisors a sigh of relief. Some customer just naturally want to talk to their advisor personally, or have additional questions about their vehicle, and that’s fine. But taking the majority of appointment calls and putting them in the hands of call center professionals isn’t lazy – it’s good business. Proper time can be spent advising on the vehicle requirements for the current mileage and time without the pressure of a customer across the desk.

Dealing with the Minutia

The follow-up calls, diverting calls for “is my car ready yet”, and funneling incorrectly-transferred calls to other departments is minor but necessary. In the BDC, these calls are normal, everyday business, freeing up valuable time for service advisors.

But one thing a service advisor must do on their own is properly advise customers about their vehicle while it’s in the shop. An idea from the BDC I mentioned earlier is ideal, and advisors may have the time to do it if a service BDC is working well. Advisors should be equipped to send quick video messages from a customer’s car about the cause and correction for their concerns. Just a 20-second video clip sent by cell phone to the customer where they can see what’s needed as if they were there in person.

So, it’s now not just about time management and catching calls from customers that would be lost otherwise. It’s about creating space for advisors to do their jobs really well. If that’s not the trifecta to use your BDC for the service department in the same capacity as the sales department, I don’t know what is.