Blog
Why Complacency Is the Biggest Threat to Fixed Ops Success
Every dealership faces the same silent threat, and it’s not bad service, but comfortable service. The kind that gets the job done, but never gets better. Complacency can sneak into any service drive. The processes work, the numbers look fine, and yet the team stops...
The Overlooked Engine of Retention: Your Service Drive
Dealership leaders know retention doesn’t hinge on one magic fix. It’s the accumulation of countless small moments that shape how customers feel, and whether they come back. The most important of those moments often happen in the service drive. A wave-in, a warm...
Are Recalls the Untapped Key to Customer Retention?
It’s easy to treat recalls like a headache. They clog up the schedule, frustrate customers, and don’t exactly make anyone excited. But what if that “problem” is actually one of the most powerful opportunities in fixed ops? According to Chris Miller, Founder &...
Retention is a Process Problem: Why Accountability is Your Real Advantage
Most dealerships don’t lose customers because of a single bad experience. They lose them because of weak processes and missing accountability. A service visit feels inconsistent, a recommendation gets skipped, or a new tool is rolled out without real follow-through....
How Data, Tech, and Mobile Innovation Are Reshaping Retention
In today’s dealership landscape, service retention isn’t just a department goal — it’s a full-team strategy. And for Tiffani Stefanescu, Director of Performance Management at Cox Automotive, that strategy starts with one key idea: meet customers where they are and...
Retention Starts with the Relationship: Building Trust That Lasts
Most dealerships say customer relationships matter, but few actually treat them like the retention strategy they are. According to Ron Maki, a fixed ops veteran with nearly four decades of experience (including corporate leadership roles at Volkswagen of America), the...
Dealer Plate Guy on Retention, Culture, and the Power of Empowered Teams
What happens when a fixed ops director with six rooftops under his belt also builds a 200K+ following online by sharing the real, unfiltered life of a dealership? You get someone like Austin Conroy — Regional Fixed Operations Director for Rohrman Automotive Group in...
AI That Actually Helps: Smarter Retention Strategies for Dealerships
Artificial intelligence isn’t just hype anymore; it’s showing up in service lanes, call centers, and marketing campaigns across the industry. But while the potential is big, the application often feels… messy. That’s because many tools promise to fix retention, boost...
From Reactive to Predictive: How AI is Transforming Service Retention
Too many dealerships still treat artificial intelligence like a shiny object: interesting, maybe even promising, but not essential. But that mindset is costing them customers. In a recent episode of the Retention Roadmap podcast, we sat down with Dave Foy of Fixed Ops...
Why the Role of Service Advisor Needs a Rethink
Most dealerships know retention matters, but too many start the process after the customer’s already gone. They send a reminder email. Maybe a BDC call. Sometimes an incentive. But by then, it might be too late. That’s why Kieran Stack, founder of Service 101 and a...
From Mobile Service to Customer Loyalty: What Smart Dealerships Are Learning Now
Mobile service isn’t a brand-new idea; Cadillac was offering at-home vehicle service as far back as the 1920s, dispatching Harley-Davidson sidecars to customers’ homes. But what’s new is how dealerships today can operationalize it at scale using modern tools, data,...
From Clipboard to Kiosk: Innovating Dealership Service Experiences
Sometimes, the biggest wake-up call doesn’t come from a competitor, it comes from your neighborhood coffee shop. That’s what happened to Richard Lupo, Fixed Operations Director at Apple Tree Honda and Apple Tree Acura in North Carolina. After moving to the area, he...