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…

While it’s nice to have room in your shop’s schedule to handle walk-ins and other unexpected work, a service lane no-show isn’t the ideal way to get that extra time. Rather, no-shows throw everyone off and can take quite a toll on both your shop’s workflow and your bottom line.

Here are two holistic approaches to reducing no-shows…

A recent article in Wards Auto shares results from a study of 6,200 dealerships conducted by analytics company Marchex. According to the survey, dealerships who use active listening techniques and build rapport with customers on the initial calls are the…

One of the biggest hurdles dealerships face when attempting to create a personalized experience for every customer is breaking down their data silos. Data silos are common in virtually every auto dealership today. They…

According to the 2019 Women’s Car Buying Report* by JoinWomenDrivers.com, female buyers account for 45% of new car purchases. In 2018, that translated into 7.74 million new vehicles bought by women. And in addition to…

Would you like to hear a ridiculous, unbelievable ROI statement? Well, one luxury brand dealership integrated technician videos into its service processes and, in only seven days, made +$250K in customer pay recommended work revenue. In fact, 80% of all closed repair orders for the week had a technician video sent to the customer.

Why do…

In the automotive industry, the ability to earn a greater share of a customer’s spend is the key to driving higher customer lifetime value. To that end, many dealers utilize flawed retention strategies designed to achieve a minimum number of service visits rather than maximize the…

Federal law currently prohibits dealerships from selling any new vehicle with an open safety recall to consumers. And now, Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal (Democrat - Connecticut) and Edward Markey (Democrat - Minnesota) have reintroduced legislation that also prohibits the sale of used cars with open safety recalls, according to…

Rising interest rates and stagnant incentives point to a slowing new vehicle market through the end of the year. NADA predicts new vehicle sales will decline at least one percent, and probably more. Used car sales are picking up. But not at a velocity to make up for the loss of new vehicle sales. What should a dealer do? Some may need to lean on the parts and…

Though every vehicle today comes with a recommended maintenance schedule from the manufacturer, many consumers don’t follow them. What’s worse, some may not even know they exist! We recently surveyed 1,000 auto dealer customers and found that younger generations are less likely to follow manufacturer recommendations than their older counterparts. While 61% of…

In a quick review of dealership’s websites, I find that many are almost entirely sales focused and tend to neglect the one department that brings the most significant percentage of profit… service. Go ahead. Take a look at a few dealership websites. Service tends to be the red-headed stepchild; often neglected and forgotten. Yet it accounts for 50% or more of…

According to an article in Automotive News, dealerships are in a new car sales slump and have to increasingly rely on used car sales and service revenue to drive profits. Industry experts recognize that used cars are typically more profitable to a dealership than…

Most marketers think of third-party data as something to be used in conquest marketing. While it's true that we must rely on 3rd-party data to acquire new customers, it's important not to overlook the value of this data in marketing to your current customers.

Most companies use only 12 percent of the data they have on hand, which means 88…

If your dealership is like most, the sales and service side of the house feel like two disconnected islands most of the time. The teams rarely come together unless handling reconditioning or aftermarket accessory installation. But…

Drivers participating in the nation's most extensive ridesharing services are all independent contractors and, as such, are responsible for keeping their own vehicles maintained. After all, if they want to make money as a contracted driver, it seems perfectly reasonable to expect them to oversee vehicle maintenance, performance, and…

With the auto industry facing a shortage of technicians, it’s important to do what we can to attract young technicians and keep them. After all, when the front end of the business slows down, it’s the back end that can keep your store afloat and profitable. But there are two main problems with getting young professionals into the automotive industry: image…

The current automotive market presents today’s dealers with unique challenges—the biggest one being the evolution of the customer experience. As shown by the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), which gauges the strength of overall vehicle demand in any given month, the current automotive market…

According to a recent article in Automotive News, consumers LOVE the idea of all of this new in-vehicle technology. The problem is that many of them don’t truly understand the intricate features and benefits. There is no way a salesperson can explain each and every technological…

Everyone wants to be number one when it comes to search engine results. Many dealers are fighting an uphill battle because they're competing with not only their manufacturer but also massive third-party sites. This competition has the benefit of working on a single website that can use its authority to push dealerships out of relevant search terms. In…

As the old adage goes, no one plans to fail, they just fail to plan. This could not be more true when it comes to service marketing budgets in dealerships.

As new vehicle sales and gross margins decline, it's natural to look for ways to cut expenses. But I've never understood the logic behind cutting service marketing…