Technology can streamline communication, but only good processes build trust.
I was recently sitting in a service lounge waiting to meet with a manager when I noticed a young woman approach the counter. She’d received a text saying something on her vehicle needed immediate attention. Her tone carried that familiar mix of concern and uncertainty. She told the advisor she wasn’t in a position to cover a major expense.
The advisor looked it up and calmly said, “You’re good for a few months. We can handle it next visit or schedule it now if you prefer.”
That’s good process. He eased concern, gave options, and still booked future work.
Not All Fixed Ops Communication is That Clear
A few days later, I had my own experience while my car was in for recall work. I got a text listing of about twenty “recommended” services, each with red warning icons and prompts to approve or decline. I could not tell what part of the recall was and what wasn’t.
I was busy, and calling meant navigating an automated directory with no guarantee of reaching the right person. So, I did what most consumers do now, I Googled. I even dropped a few screenshots into ChatGPT to ask if any of the services were related to the recall. It told me, more or less, that some items looked like generic upsells. Which reaffirmed what I’ve been saying all along: the communication tool isn’t the problem; the process behind it is.
When I later spoke with a few service managers, they said their policy is to follow up every automated message with a call. But as more advisors who have grown up in the digital age enter the business, some skip that step because they assume the text is the communication. To them, efficiency means automation. To the customer, it can feel like avoidance.
One manager pointed out that these systems protect the dealership from liability. If a customer declines a service and something fails later, there is a digital record. Fair point. But he also admitted those same systems haven’t noticeably lifted service revenue.
Building Customer Trust Must Be Step One
So, the question is, if automation isn’t helping sales or building trust, what exactly is it improving? Dealers must start from a realistic place: most customers don’t begin a service visit trusting us. That’s not a knock; it’s the reputation our industry has earned over decades.
When the communication starts with flashing red icons and words like “immediate attention,” it triggers skepticism, not urgency. That fear-based messaging doesn’t build confidence. It drives customers to seek reassurance elsewhere, or worse, ignore the recommendation altogether.
What customers need are facts, not fear.
The best processes, supported by the right technology, help advisors explain what’s needed versus what’s recommended. The top-performing tools in the lane educate the customer without alarming them. They show predictive wear, demonstrate stopping distance, and give context before cost.
That’s the difference between selling a repair and building a relationship.
Proper Communication is Key
The most effective stores build this process into their daily culture, starting at the sales-to-service handoff. From the first visit, the customer should understand that the dealership is invested in the long-term health and safety of their vehicle.
When that mindset carries through every interaction, communication becomes proactive, not reactive. Customers stop seeing alerts as a sales tactic and start seeing them as part of a trusted relationship. AI tools, automation, and digital inspections are powerful. But they cannot replace human judgment or emotional intelligence.
The dealerships seeing consistent growth use data and automation to enhance communication, not to take the place of it. If your advisors rely on technology to talk for them, you will keep missing the biggest opportunities sitting right in your service drive. Technology helps, but the process is what builds trust, and trust is what drives profit.
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