Customer retention can be tough. Independent repair shops lure customers away in droves with coupons or offers that promise low routine maintenance pricing. However, winning consumers on price alone is a short-term victory compared to winning over their loyalty for the long haul with quality work, certified technicians, and impeccable service. Luring them…

In today’s society, time is a precious commodity. So much so that consumers make their buying decisions based on how long it takes to complete the transaction. If you had the choice between a $20 oil change that would take 4 hours to complete, or a $30 oil change that would take 30 minutes, which would you choose?

For the automotive industry,…

Sales profit margins are getting smaller, and dealerships are looking to service as the profit-making aspect of their business. And there’s one area of service that’s particularly overlooked, especially for how much revenue it can generate:…

Many dealers struggle with getting customers to bring their vehicles in to take care of recall issues. The fact that the average recall completion rate is around 75 percent, tells us that standard recall marketing campaigns aren't as effective as they could be.

Your customers either aren't getting the message, or they set it aside and forget…

In my last blog, Technicians are the Key to Dealerships’ Future, I discussed how the race to acquire technicians may just be outweighed by the difficult task of retaining the ones dealerships already employ.

Of course, as consumers keep…

Does your service department software remove friction for your customers but add friction for your staff? Perhaps that is why we see so many software companies come and go in this industry.

With today’s transformation from a dealership-centric focus to one that is more customer-centric, technology companies are rapidly developing solutions…

As front-end margins continue their decline, dealers are more reliant than ever on fixed ops revenue. Fortunately, the opportunity to maximize service revenue has never been greater for dealerships.

In the last decade auto sales have boomed. Factory maintenance programs are driving more initial service visits. Increased CPO sales are creating…

In a twist of irony, I’ve come to realize what consumers and dealerships have in common when it comes to vehicles recalls – assessing how important they are. Every day I work with dealerships throughout the nation, trying to get them to understand that recalls are not only about vehicle safety but also about an opportunity to engage consumers at their moment…

All too often, dealers are hesitant to make an investment in training new and Preowned salespeople because turnover in the sales department can be as high as 70 percent according to NADA. Service, however, has always been most dealership’s foundation for profitability. That’s where the phrase “service absorption” comes from.

For the most part,…

The good news? To date, automotive sales have remained stronger than many analysts originally predicted, with customers of all ages continuing to buy both new and pre-owned vehicles. Considering some of the earlier ominous forecasts, it’s no wonder numerous retailers are breathing a collective sigh of relief.

The not-quite-so-good news, at least for those…

Arguably, one of the most important marketing channels any dealership has is their website. Think about it. How much money do you spend simply to get customers there? When you combine all marketing efforts including, but not limited to, SEO, SEM, some third-party listing sites and more, dealerships spend tens of thousands of dollars (or more) per month.

Once…

We are in a new era; one in which dealers make most of their money on the service side and not in new vehicle sales. Yet, as an industry we still spend far more money marketing the sales side of the business, and on conquest marketing, than we do on service marketing and customer retention.

Some dealers justify this by saying that sales drives service…

For today’s consumers, time is the ultimate commodity.  No matter how much money they have, consumers are always on the go with their busy lives. Whether that means shuttling the kids to soccer practice, or running a bunch of errands, when it comes to fitting vehicle service into their busy schedule it is often viewed as a large and inconvenient time sink.

To…

Most dealerships at the very least conduct some form of multi-point inspection and inform the customer about any needed repairs discovered during the inspection. But what happens if those recommendations aren’t properly documented?

Well, failing to document those recommendations can be an expensive mistake – and not just because you miss out on any future…

LONG BEACH, California –April 5, 2018-- --myKaarma, the leading communications and payments software provider for automotive dealer service departments, today announced it has received a $15 million investment led by Kayne Partners, the growth private equity group of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P., an alternative investment firm managing $26 billion in assets. The investment will be used to…

There is nothing more frustrating to a customer than being told a repair will take X amount of time - only to be informed later that it will take longer. To those who work in busy dealership service departments, this happens frequently. Customers come in for one thing and, during the multi-point inspection, additional issues are found. Or, as can sometimes be the case, a…

As a dealership there are many ways you can identify if…

I know that in writing this article, I’m completely violating the first rule of the fight club. However, my guess is that your dealership doesn’t have one, so I’m willing to risk the wrath of Tyler Durden to help you get started…