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- Poor training and outdated processes are fueling turnover and burning out frontline staff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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The Anatomy of Defection: What 1,277 Drivers Say Pushes Them Out the Door
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In this episode of Retention Roadmap, Bill Springer dives deep into the 2026 Dealership Service Retention Report to break down the anatomy of defection, using data from 1,277 vehicle owners across the country. The top two defection drivers — a bad dealership experience (cited by 50% of respondents) and lower prices elsewhere (44%) — have held their positions across all three of DriveSure’s studies, going back to 2020. That consistency isn’t a trend. It’s the rule.
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What if the biggest problem in your service department isn’t your technicians, but your calendar? Most dealerships think they’re managing capacity when in reality, they’re reacting to chaos they created themselves.