Practical articles for dealership teams on the service drive, the sales floor and in the F&I office.
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Service Drive
Hours Per RO is an important metric that indicates whether a service team is sitting back selling oil changes, or eagerly hunting down additional work. Mathematically speaking, it’s the number of…
Ted Ings3 min read
Service Drive
Every vehicle has them. Those black and round rubber rings are mounted on every rim that rolls out the dealership’s doors. And, in more than 87 percent of cases, it’s the last time the dealership will…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
A service walk-around is undoubtedly the best tool a service advisor can use to increase sales at write-up. The benefits carry throughout the service visit, opening the door to estimate sales and…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
In our previous article, we began discussing the seven essentials District Parts and Service Managers must check during a dealership visit. Today, we continue to explore the topic. What to check…
Ted Ings5 min read
Service Drive
Picture this: you sit down to a meal at your favorite restaurant. Of course, you have a tried-and-true selection on the menu, and you’ll probably choose that. Imagine if the waiter read the daily…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
A service walk-around should be performed on every vehicle in the service drive. The customer should be asked to participate, but how do you know when you’re doing it right? When the customer kneels…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
While the conversation surrounding the Service Business Development Center (BDC) is often about whether or not your dealership needs one, this conversation is about how to manage, develop and execute…
Ted Ings3 min read
Service Drive
One aspect of the Service Business Development Center (BDC) that is often overlooked is the relationship between the Service Advisors and BDC Agents. If the two teams do not work together it makes it…
Ted Ings3 min read
Service Drive
Customer satisfaction and enhanced profitability are two reasons to incorporate a formalized service process at your dealership. So how do you get started? Your service process should begin exactly…
Ted Ings3 min read
Service Drive
To hold a full-time leadership position and run a successful business, you have to be a mastermind, like David Foy. Known appropriately throughout the industry as the Fixed Ops Mastermind, David works…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
Consistency needs to be a cornerstone of any business if you want to succeed. In customer service, in the application of company policy, in training methods and sales techniques, consistency is a…
Ted Ings4 min read
Service Drive
There are two ways to look at the word “declined.” One of them being negative and the other as an opportunity to not only refine the multi-point inspection and interactive walk-around yet also…
Ted Ings5 min read
Service Drive
Texting is an integral part of our day. It’s arguably one of the most used applications on the phone, which is why it is crucial that we get it right. That is understanding not just the “purpose” of…
Ted Ings6 min read
Service Drive
Mistakes are part of human nature, so there will always be an occasional car that doesn’t get fixed right. But when improper repairs happen on a regular basis, that’s a problem. The good news is, even…
Ted Ings3 min read
Service Drive
Do First Impressions Matter? Whether you are answering the phone at the dealership, greeting a customer on the showroom floor, or booking a vehicle in for a service, the customer will form an opinion…
Ted Ings5 min read
Service Drive
Is tablet use hurting your fixed ops department? These days, electronic tablets are all over the place. Wherever you go, people are walking around with their heads down staring into digital displays…
Ted Ings3 min read
Service Drive
Most customers don’t have a clue about proper vehicle maintenance. At best, they know to change their oil every few thousand miles. If you don’t use a service menu to remind these individuals of the…
Ted Ings3 min read
Service Drive
Join us for a complimentary, interactive roundtable among industry peers, featuring an in-depth discussion of strategies and concepts that will forever change the way your fixed-ops team works with…
CPI1 min read
Service Drive
The dealership service experience doesn’t end when the customer picks up their vehicle from the cashier. For the next three to six months, the service department needs to communicate with their…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
Imagine getting trained to sell, then being left to do your job for years and years. It doesn’t sound like the way to grow and improve, does it? Your product has changed significantly, and the way to…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
Wouldn’t it be great to improve your hours per RO, and subsequently your dollars per RO? That’s one of the goals in every service department nationwide. For a small store that averages 500 repair…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
The service department used to have red-hot sales and top CSI in the zone. But lately it has plateaued, maybe even started slipping. General Managers and Dealer Principals want to see continual growth…
Ted Ings1 min read
Service Drive
Consider the multi-faceted role of a service advisor. It involves customer service, selling, mediating between the customer and technician, mechanical understanding, and financial aptitude. It’s a…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
Pick up one of the flyers from your local newspaper. Find an item that looks like a great deal. Compare its sale price with the small-print retail price at the bottom of the ad. Now imagine going to…
Ted Ings2 min read