It has been said, you are only good or bad by comparison. That is why you must compare your processes to benchmark dealers and be prepared to give service that is superior to your competition.
Providing superior service always generates profits, but it doesn’t just happen. Dealerships must have a strategic plan for developing and providing superior service. Strategic planning must include all the fundamentals that will inevitably affect your customers’ service experience. These include employee selection process, company policy, customer driven pay plans, training, parts availability, facility comfort, and many other aspects of your dealership, some big some small. Gauging all of these is imperative for taking aim at profits. The single most important factor for hitting the bull’s eye, however, starts at the foundation—dealership hiring practices.
Service is primarily about people. Customers purchase vehicles based on trust and need. Your dealership is only as good as the employees representing it and they are only as good as the company prepares them to be. It sounds simple, but it all begins with the staff. They symbolize the company.
Sales and service must work together to strengthen each other.
Service consultants and salespeople need to be trained to schedule service appointments early in the ownership experience. This should be a priority for sales and service. Why is the sales department included in the scheduling service equation? Because the sales force begins the birth of the customer, while the service department continues the growth.
Service personnel should introduce customers to the sales team, especially customers that have just received very expensive repair bills. Considering the high cost of some service repairs, sometimes it could be in the best interest of the customer if the vehicle was traded in for a new one. How often does a member of the service department provide a copy of a repair order for the sales staff with a vehicle over 150,000 miles?
Make your service department a habit for customers.
We are creatures of habit. Customers establish their service habits quickly. Their first chance to do so begins with their first oil change. It is important for the sales force to intervene early with customers for your service department, regarding maintenance. Customers should learn right from the start that maintenance on their vehicle is a good habit to get into, because maintaining their vehicle will save them hundreds of dollars in costly repairs.
Employees should be well versed at using key word phrases to sell additional needed services. Using words such as safety, manufacturer recommendation, quality, factory trained technicians, reliable, and experienced should be incorporated in the training with your service consultants. These words will help turn your service department into the customer’s choice for regular maintenance and hopefully a new car when they are ready to buy.
If you focus on the right targets, you can be assured of hitting your mark for higher profits.
David Brown, president of Brown & Associates consulting firm, has 36 years of experience in the automobile field, including 16 years in the GM parts division and the Chevrolet Motor division. If you have any questions or comments about this article, please call 866-578-8773 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .