EPISODE 25
From Transactional to Relational: The Service Advisor Shift
Featuring Guest Kieran Stack
Episode Description
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- Poor training and outdated processes are fueling turnover and burning out frontline staff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
BILL SPRINGER
and president of Krex Inc.
KIERAN STACK
Aftersales Service & Parts Trainer
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Turning Service Visits Into Future Vehicle Sales
Your next vehicle sale may already be sitting in the service drive. Yet while one-third of customers say they would be open to a sales conversation during a service visit, only 14% report that anyone actually starts one. The opportunity is not to pitch every customer who pulls into the lane. It’s to build a defined process that helps sales and service identify the right customers, start relevant conversations, and keep the relationship moving through the entire ownership cycle.
The Three Habits Behind High Service Retention
A dealership can deliver a great service visit and still lose the customer the next time around. That’s because retention isn’t won through one strong offer, one new tool, or even one memorable experience. Retention is built by making every part of the customer journey reinforce the next.
Convenience Has Changed the Fixed Ops Playbook
Customers are no longer comparing your service drive only to the dealership across town. They’re comparing it to every fast, convenient, transparent experience they have elsewhere. Many dealerships may not realize how quickly that standard is rising. Keeping up means choosing technology and service models that fit your customers rather than adopting every new tool the same way.