Braking News

 For dealerships focused on long-term customer retention, the first service appointment may matter more than most stores realize. All American Auto Group recently shared how it approaches that first visit, and the process starts before the customer even leaves the dealership. According to Fixed Operations Director Jim Sabino, every new or used vehicle delivered across the group’s stores receives a first service appointment before the customer leaves. If the service department is open, the sales team introduces the customer directly to a service advisor or reception desk to schedule it. If the vehicle is delivered after hours, the dealership follows up by email and phone the next business day. That may sound like a small operational step. But it can have a major effect on the customer relationship. Once a buyer leaves the dealership without a clear next step, the service relationship has not really started. Months later, when the vehicle needs maintenance, that customer has options....

 Mobile service is starting to look less like an experiment and more like a real extension of the dealership service department. Bozard Ford Lincoln recently shared how far it has pushed the model. The dealership now operates 47 mobile service trucks , handling everything from recalls and basic maintenance to check-engine diagnostics, tires, air conditioning work, detailing, and fleet service. That is a long way from simply sending someone out to change an oil filter. And the bigger lesson for dealers is not necessarily that everyone needs 47 trucks. It is that customers increasingly expect service to fit into their lives instead of forcing their lives to fit around service. That matters because convenience has become one of the biggest competitive pressures facing dealership fixed ops. Independent shops, quick-lube chains, tire stores, and mobile service providers are all fighting for the same customer. If one option requires the customer to rearrange an entire workday and another...

  Dealerships have more data than ever. CRMs, DMS platforms, digital retailing tools, service software, marketing dashboards, F&I reporting, CSI scores — there is no shortage of numbers. But numbers usually tell dealers what happened . They do not always explain why it happened . That is the point behind a new CBT News story published today looking at the value hidden inside customer conversations. A dealership may know that product penetration dropped. It may know that appointment conversion softened. It may know that one advisor consistently outperforms another. But the report itself usually does not explain whether one employee asked better questions, handled an objection more effectively, skipped part of the process, or simply communicated more clearly. That context often lives inside the conversation. And historically, most of that information disappeared the moment the conversation ended. Managers could listen to a few calls. They could observe a few customer interactions...

  Artificial intelligence is moving quickly into automotive retail, but dealers should be careful about expecting technology to solve problems that are really caused by broken processes. That was one of the key points from a recent CBT News discussion with Jen Suzuki, Founder and President of eDealer Solutions. Her message was simple: AI does not automatically make a dealership better. In many cases, it makes existing weaknesses easier to see. If communication is inconsistent, AI will expose it. If customers are getting lost between departments, AI will expose it. If employees are not following a clear process, AI may simply automate the confusion. That is an important distinction for dealerships investing in new technology. AI can absolutely improve efficiency. It can help answer routine customer questions, support scheduling, organize communication, identify opportunities, and reduce repetitive work. But it still needs a strong process behind it. Think about a service department....

 For dealerships trying to improve service retention, the answer may not be one dramatic change. It may be getting the fundamentals right every single time. Diehl Automotive, a growing dealer group with more than 20 dealerships and a dozen body shops, recently shared some of the standards it is using to improve fixed ops performance across its stores. One of the biggest is video multi-point inspections. Diehl has established a 70% standard for MPIs , meaning the group expects a large majority of service visits to include a video inspection that helps customers understand what technicians are seeing. But Fixed Ops Director Matthew Whittenberger says the number alone is not the most important part. Quality matters. A rushed video that customers cannot understand does not accomplish much. A clear video showing tire wear, brake condition, a leaking component, or another service concern can completely change the conversation. Instead of simply being told that something needs attention, ...