News has not exactly been great recently. And, I don’t know about you, but I welcome any good news that brightens my day in some way. For that reason, I loved a recent story a friend sent to me from the Charlotte Observer.

It is one thing to be involved in your…

Partnership drives much-needed dealership service revenue by facilitating  recall repairs at no cost to private-party vehicle sellers

Laguna Hills, CA, May 19, 2020 — Recall Masters, Inc., the nation’s leading provider of automotive recall solutions, today announced a partnership with Boost Acquisition, a data and technology developer that connects in-market vehicle sellers with potential buyers at online…

In my last blog, I shared some tips about how dealerships can help protect customers and staff in their service departments during this challenging time. In addition to having the precautions in place, it is important to know how to correctly communicate…

April 8, 2020, Laguna Hills, CA – Recall Masters, Inc., the leading provider of automotive recall data, technology, and communications, today announced the launch of a special COVID-19 Response Kit at no cost for its auto dealer clients. The kit is designed to help improve the handling of service…

How well do you know your sales and service customers? Not just the customers who have purchased a car in the last month, or the ones who get their cars serviced on a regular basis, but all of your customers?

Considering your dealership has thousands of contacts in its DMS, it’s highly unlikely —and unrealistic—that you know your customers…

Service retention rates in dealerships have been steadily declining over the last three years, according to Affinitiv’s recent Automotive Loyalty Trends study, which analyzed data from more than 1,000 auto dealerships.

In domestic brand dealerships, service retention rates have dropped from 61.2% to 60.2%. At import brand dealerships,…

The problem of how to increase recall completion rates has been a thorn in the side of both manufacturers and dealers for quite some time. Despite numerous attempts from several sources, a majority of consumers fail to pay attention to any notification because they discard the mailers, discount the severity of the recall or simply don’t have the time needed…

As of Q4 2019, RV wholesale shipments were down nearly 17 percent year-over-year, according to RV Road Signs. The good news is that this decline is expected to ease up and gradually diminish to a decline of 3.9 percent by the end of 2020, thanks to low inflation and an expanding economy.

You can still post strong revenue and meet sales goals…

Long Beach, CA —January 31, 2020 — myKaarma, the leading communications and payments software provider for automotive dealer service departments, today announced the launch of Service Cart. The mobile repair recommendation tool is designed to improve customer transparency and convenience by enabling instant approval and feedback from the customer. This results in higher retention, shorter authorization times, a significant…

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…

Consumers are notoriously difficult to reach when it comes to safety, needed repairs and attending to recalls. OEM and dealer methods include everything from phone calls, to text messages and direct mail. However, far too frequently, these notifications end up in the trash and are ignored.

Perhaps there is a new way to communicate with these…

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…

Recall completion percentages have been increasing, but despite increased communication attempts, that increase is hitting a plateau.

A recent trend reveals that many vehicle owners are very interested in mobile services. Currently, the percentage of independent repair shops that offer mobile services dramatically outweighs franchised dealers.…

With the increasing demand for service repairs, dealers are scrambling to recruit more technicians. At the same time, the pool of experienced technicians is dwindling, as not enough new technicians are entering the workforce -- and demand will only increase.

Regardless of how much money your dealership may spend to expand your facilities to…

Your dealership has probably been using an owner retention program (ORPs) for years, but when was the last time you evaluated the effectiveness of each communication?

One thing is certain. Sending out the same communications with the same messages via the same channels, again and again, isn’t a winning strategy. The goal of an ORP is to…

When people think of recalls, at least in our industry, most think about vehicles. For many consumers, merely contemplating spending their time at a dealership waiting for a recall to be repaired or losing the use of their car for some time, seems draining and inconvenient. But most consumers probably don’t consider the potential risks recalls can pose to…

Several manufacturers, including Tesla, have rolled out some “innovative” features that include self-driving technology. At first glance, consumers like this type of vehicle technology because it typically means that these vehicles are fuel-efficient, use advanced technologically and are, frankly, cool. However, there are hazards involved with this advanced…

When we think of using customer data, it’s often in the context of marketing. I’ve written previously on how…

If you ask a dealership GM or controller “What’s your marketing per vehicle retail (PVR)?” not only will you get a precise answer, but likely a dissertation on the drivers, trends and plans to optimize. That’s because auto retailers understand that marketing efficiency and effectiveness is the lifeblood of their new and used vehicle…

Customer experience and standing out from the competition by excelling at customer satisfaction is still very much a good business practice today. Time is valuable for today's busy consumers, and many dislike the vehicle service experience at dealerships because of long wait times.

Loaner cars and shuttles help, but they can end up making it…