Navigating Service Success for New Car Dealerships
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About retention roadmap
Retention Roadmap with Bill Springer is a podcast dedicated to helping new car dealership management tackle customer retention and service department challenges. Published twice a month, the podcast provides actionable insights, industry best practices, and real-life success stories from experts and peers. Our mission is to transform service departments into powerhouses of customer retention and satisfaction, where motivated teams, loyal customers, and consistently high revenue and profit are the norm.
Meet our host
Bill Springer brings over 35 years of experience in the automotive industry, focusing on customer retention and dealership success. As President of Krex, Inc. since 2001, Bill has dedicated himself to helping new car dealerships excel in maintenance, tires, and repairs. His unique approach to leadership is shaped by a background in commercial banking and education in finance and marketing.
Bill lives in Evanston, Ill., with his wife, Andrea. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, cycling, running, and spending time with his four children.
BILL SPRINGER
Host of Retention Roadmap
and president of Krex Inc.
From Transactional to Relational: The Service Advisor Shift
What if your best retention strategy had nothing to do with pricing, loyalty programs, or even your shop’s hours, and everything to do with how your service advisors say “good morning”? Most customers don’t come back because they weren’t helped… they were handled. The fix? Train your advisors to build relationships, not just close tickets.
Service on the Move: Why Dealerships Are Going Mobile in 2025
Offering mobile service sounds like a win-win, but for many dealerships, the logistics feel overwhelming. How do you staff it? Route it? Make money on it? And will customers even use it consistently? In this episode, sponsored by DriveSure, Bill sits down with Amit Chandarana, CEO of Curbee, a mobile service software platform that’s helping dealerships turn these questions into action.
From Clipboard to Kiosk: A Modern Fixed Ops Makeover
Most customers expect a modern, seamless experience everywhere they go, so why does the dealership service lane still rely on clipboards and key drops? It’s time to ask whether your service experience reflects the kind of innovation and convenience today’s customers take for granted.
Unlocking Retention: The Power of the First Service Appointment
The success of dealership service departments often hinges on effectively setting and securing first service appointments—a pivotal step many dealerships overlook. But it could significantly boost customer retention through strategic processes and engaging customer experiences.
The Retention Formula: Insights from Tully Williams
Customer retention in the dealership service department is about more than just numbers—it’s about treating every customer as if they’re family and earning their repeat and referral business. In this episode, Tully Williams, Fixed Operations Director at the Niello Company, emphasizes the importance of measuring retention consistently and realistically, sharing his unique insights on why customer-focused recommendations and competitive pricing strategies (especially with tires, brakes, batteries, and maintenance) directly impact dealership loyalty and profitability.
Service Retention in 2025: What’s Changing & How to Adapt
The service retention landscape is shifting, and dealerships must adapt to stay ahead. With fewer new cars being sold in recent years, the traditional flow of service customers is slowing, making it more important than ever to win back lost customers and capture more aftermarket business.