The old saying is that we can sell them out the front door, but where we keep the customer returning is what happens behind the firewall. Parts and service are the meat on the bone to a wholegood sale. However, for a service department to improve, they need the parts and sales departments to improve also. Without all these department leaders working in harmony, you can't get over 100% absorbed. And that’s where every dealership needs to be to weather the seas of changes. Today, you can easily find the best practices of operating a high-performance service department in written docs found online and through numerous meeting venues and offerings from independent trainers and consultants. Knowing what to do is always the first step; implementing these ideas into day-to-day practices is yet another journey. Every interaction between a customer and your dealership creates a moment of truth, or a touch point as I call it. Your competition isn't just the dealer down the street anymore. You are competing with every service provider your customer comes in contact with, and they are constantly comparing you to others. Just like the telephone, emails and texts are vital communication tools to master. When proactively handled with care and professionalism, they can differentiate you from your competition. Are you meeting or exceeding the customers’ expectations? It can be that simple. A challenge moving forward will be influencing all these interactions by planning to improve the customer's experiences with your organization. Customers are smarter and more informed today. A dealership's front-line staff has to be more than just someone who knows how to repair equipment or open or close a work order. Every front-line employee can make every interaction one that exceeds the customers' expectations. The skill sets for front-line people have changed dramatically. Those who hire the right people then implement soft and hard skill training while creating a learning culture will continue to be what separates the good from the great dealerships.
FLOYD JERKINS Executive Coaching Past Founder, and President of Jerkins Creative Consulting
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