Most auto dealerships do some, if not all of their service marketing with their manufacturer owner retention programs (ORPs). The purpose of ORPs is stated in the name: to build customer loyalty. But how well do these programs deliver on that promise?

The results from ORPs are all over the board. Some dealerships effectively use ORPs to…

In search of service revenue, dealerships turn to randomly scheduling service appointments regardless of shop capacity. Or they take everyone that drives up. This can easily overwhelm the service department. It leaves customers frustrated and causes a LOSS in service revenue from both new/drive-up customers and customers with appointments.

How…

After an unprecedented period of sales volume growth, the prediction for a flat Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) in the coming years has significant implications for dealerships. As competition for new vehicles heats up, front-end margins will continue to decline, forcing more dealers to focus on back end profitability.…

If you haven’t noticed, a revolution is happening in our society. More and more businesses are going paperless. Airlines issue boarding passes via, email, text message or through a mobile app. Sporting and entertainment tickets are increasingly delivered via email or through a mobile app. Most credit card companies and banks send electronic statements and incentivize…

As industry experts forecast slumping sales numbers, a…

In the past, customers were willing to bring their vehicle into a service department and wait patiently. However, with the rise of convenience and the promise of speed in the form of express independent chains such as Jiffy Lube, regular service customers began forsaking the dealership and started defecting to these chains. Manufacturers took notice and started initiatives…

For sure, no dealership manages and maintains its warranty claims process as cleanly and thoroughly as they should, but given the nature of the job, probably the best they can.

Still, because processing warranties correctly requires diligence to warranty claim integrity by so many people in fixed operations, the devil can too easily hide in the details. When this particular devil’s left unchecked, the result can be costly to the dealership.

According to a new…

Todays Turbo Charged Dealer World Blog is a core training element that should be visited over and over again.  Probably something we all know, but just great to keep in the "top of mind" awareness section of the brain.