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From Transactional to Relational: The Service Advisor Shift

Bill Springer | October 6, 2026

Episode 25 — Featuring Guest Kieran Stack |

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.

In this episode, sponsored by DriveSure, Bill Springer sits down with Kieran Stack, founder of Service 101 and a sought-after voice in global aftersales training. Known for his practical approach and advisor-first philosophy, Kieran shares why dealership processes haven’t kept pace with modern expectations and how that’s holding back customer loyalty and employee success. From rethinking advisor onboarding to the words that destroy trust at the counter, this conversation cuts straight to the core of what makes or breaks retention.

Takeaways from this episode:

Retention hinges on mindset: Advisors must shift from transactional to relational communication
The most successful advisors treat every day like showtime: they’ve got a costume, a script, and a standard
Poor training and outdated processes are fueling turnover and burning out frontline staff
Language matters: words like “recommend” may be killing your approvals without you realizing it
If your customers aren’t coming back, it’s not a marketing issue, it’s a service experience issue