Despite car sales being a number one priority for most auto dealerships, the fixed ops department has become increasingly important, and dealers are finally starting to notice.
Recent inbound automotive call data published from a sampling of over 106 million phone calls over four years confirms the significance of fixed operations since 75% of all possible inbound revenue-generating calls to dealerships come from this department.
2018 NADA data shows total service and parts sales have increased from about $40 billion in 2012 to more than $58 billion in 2018.
While these numbers are significant, there are still many improvements to be made to really get the most out of your service and parts department. Although fixed ops sales have been increasing, and the majority of phone leads are calling to this department, the same inbound auto call data study also shows that less than half of these leads end up in an appointment.
Are you tracking your inbound calls to have a full picture of what’s happening with leads phoning your fixed ops department? Below are a few tips to start implementing so that you can begin improving your fixed ops department and maximizing the leads reaching out to your dealership in this ever-growing and important facet of your business.
- Stop letting calls go unanswered.
- Unanswered calls or calls transferred straight to someone’s voicemail have no benefit for your dealership.
- Show your potential customers that you care about their problems and are trying to earn their business. Answering the phone and taking care of their issues is the first step in gaining more customers.
- Fix your inbound phone call patterns. Almost half of all service calls don’t result in an appointment. Improving inbound phone patterns is the key to earning more business.
Just like they would for a sales lead, phone handlers need to follow the protocol for a successful phone call that will result in an appointment for calls to your service and parts department, too. When a lead calls into fixed ops, the person at the dealership must still be selling, overcoming objections, and gaining the commitment from the caller.
One solution for better phone experiences is implementing a service BDC, which gives opportunities to have more dedicated, skilled professionals handling calls to your service department – but this may not be in the budget for every dealership.
If you aren’t yet ready to have a full-fledged BDC dedicated to your service department, make sure to train your service advisors and other employees who will handle calls to the service department on proper service phone call handling. Give them access to the calendar, so they have true appointment-setting opportunities. Telling a call handler that you will have to check with someone and call them back is giving them the opportunity to call your competition.
Use a texting service for appointment reminders
If your employees already don’t have enough time to answer every phone call and give superior service to gain a caller’s commitment to choosing your dealership for their service needs, then spending time making outbound calls for appointment reminders and follow-ups are only taking up more of their important time.
By utilizing a texting service for appointment reminders, call handlers can focus on other revenue-generating opportunities instead of making these outbound calls – and it’s easier for consumers to see a new text message than to answer a phone call or listen to a voicemail.
Pay attention to your parts inventory
Almost 90% of parts calls don’t result in an appointment. Why is this number so high?
Start listening to calls to your parts department and make a note of what callers are asking for. Keep track internally to notice any patterns and start stocking more parts that are requested often or have a reliable connection to know that you can get these parts if and when needed by callers in need.
Keep a better inventory of your parts or where you can get them; you can be more confident when customers contact your dealership for their need and win their business quicker.
Ask for online reviews
No one is happy about having to turn their car in for service – especially when it is an unexpected situation. People want to be sure they can trust who they are handing their car over to.
Overcome this possible objection before it even comes up by having a stellar online reputation, especially for your service department. To ensure that you have a great online review presence, you need to ask your customers to review you.
Having feedback won’t only help your reputation but reading constructive criticism about your dealership online will help you address any issues and make internal changes to improve the customer experience.
Improve the fixed operations experience and improve your dealership
Start investing in your fixed ops department with these key takeaways and reap the benefits.
By delivering a superior customer service experience, your dealership can capitalize on a new segment of customers who may not be ready to buy yet but will surely keep your dealership in mind for future car purchases.
Having a great service department will also help with customer retention. When their new car service warranty is up, you want customers to keep choosing your dealership for their service needs because they want to, not just because it’s convenient.