Maximizing Profits Through Multi-Point Inspections: Are You Doing It Right?

Mastering Multi-Point Inspections (MPIs) is about more than knowing what to look for. A complacent inspection can easily lose customers, and an average inspection doesn’t provide any incentive for a customer to return. If growth and retention are the goals, your dealership must strive for excellence. But what will that require?

In our latest episode of Retention Roadmap, we had the pleasure of interviewing Don Andres, President of Auto SCT Consulting and Training and author of Why Auto Service Departments Fail to Grow. Don shared valuable insights on the importance of MPIs and their impact on service department growth and customer retention.

Here’s a summary of the key strategies and actionable tips he provided for enhancing your service operations.

1. Be Proactive and Prepared

One of the essential strategies for service department success is ensuring that your service advisors are proactive and well-prepared. For example, successful service advisors know exactly:

• Who is coming in
• What their needs are
• How to engage them effectively

This level of preparation helps build strong relationships and trust with customers.

By planning for tomorrow and owning their appointments, your team can enhance customer satisfaction and drive higher sales and retention rates.

2. Are Your Multi-Point Inspections Consistent?

Multi-point inspections are crucial for identifying additional needed services and boosting profitability. Consistency and quality in MPIs are key.

Get this – Don once had 45 technicians inspect the same vehicle and came up with 45 different sets of findings. He went on to develop a standardized approach to prevent that kind of inconsistency.

Implementing daily routines where service managers evaluate the cautions and fails can ensure all potential issues are identified and communicated to the customer. This not only enhances service quality but also builds customer trust.

3. Keep Your Customers Engaged at Every Stage

Keeping your customers fully informed and satisfied before they leave is vital for maintaining customer relationships and ensuring smooth transaction closures. If you go over the work done and any extra findings with the customer during delivery, it builds trust and makes them aware of their vehicle’s condition and future needs.

But it’s not all about communication during the visit.

• Get ahead of scheduling dilemmas: By setting up the next maintenance appointment before the customer leaves, you can further improve retention rates. It’s also an easy way to consistently provide a seamless customer experience.
• Leverage technology: Real-time photographs and videos help add credibility to inspections, especially among younger customers. These tools also help with maintaining personal engagement.

Are You Ready to Adopt These Strategies?

By implementing these strategies, you can significantly enhance service operations and retain more customers.

For a deeper dive into these strategies and more insights from Don Andres, listen to the full episode.

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