EPISODE 32
Turn Recalls into Retention with Chris Miller
Featuring Guest Chris Miller
Episode Description
A recall feels like a headache until you see it for what it really is: a built-in reason for lapsed customers to walk back through your service doors. If you’re letting those opportunities slip, you’re leaving retention, CP revenue, and future vehicle sales on the table. The fix? Treat recalls like a strategic program, not a one-off task.
In this episode, sponsored by DriveSure, Bill sits down with Chris Miller, Founder & Chairman of Recall Masters, to break down how data, process, and proactive outreach turn recalls into your highest-ROI retention lever. Chris shares what top-performing dealers do differently, from integrating recall checks in scheduling and the lane to running multi-touch contact cadences and “red-carpet” service that converts one free repair into long-term loyalty. Expect practical stats, workflow ideas, and what’s coming next as software and EV-related recalls rise.
Takeaways from this episode:
- Why 50%+ of vehicles with open recalls still leave serviced—but unrepaired—and how to close that gap with BDC/scheduler integration and lane execution
- How recall campaigns routinely deliver 15–25% response rates
- How to recapture defectors
- Why direct mail drives durable responses while email/SMS/phone accelerate near-term bookings
- The playbook for post-repair retention
BILL SPRINGER
and president of Krex Inc.
Chris Miller
Founder & Chairman of Recall Masters
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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.