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- Poor training and outdated processes are fueling turnover and burning out frontline staff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
Would you like to Be a guest on our podcast?
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.
Moving Beyond the Discount
A discount may win today’s repair order, but what brings that customer back for the next one? As service prices rise and customers become more price-sensitive, dealerships need to separate the offers that close a transaction from the strategies that build an actual habit.
The Trust Gap Hiding in Your Multi-Point Inspections
Most dealerships say they want to build trust in the service lane, but too many are sitting on one of the simplest tools for doing exactly that. Video inspections don’t just explain recommended work. They help customers see what you see, and that visibility can be the difference between hesitation and approval.