The NADA 2016 Dealership Workforce Study tells the story. On average, the service advisor turnover rate annually is 39 percent. That’s roughly two in five service advisors every year. While it’s much better than the sales floor, with sales consultant turnover at 65 percent each year, it’s an alarming statistic. The detrimental effects are many including an impact on car sales.
The Results of New Faces in the Service Department
Repeat car sales are largely dependent on a service relationship with the selling dealer. In a CDK Insights report, “81 percent of drivers agree that a quality aftersales service is more important than price.” A consistent, personal service experience simply isn’t of the same caliber with high service department employee churn.
Consider a consumer’s impression when they pull into the service drive and are met with unfamiliar faces. The consumer must start a service experience from scratch, and without the trust they may have established with a previous employee. During the course of a three-year vehicle ownership, it’s possible that most or all of the employees a customer meets have moved on. That goes further than just service advisors, also; that extends to support staff, technicians, and management.
Can You Expect Repeat Clients?
Since quality aftersales service is so critical, can you reasonably expect a customer to return for their next vehicle purchase? An exhibited inability to retain service staff is likely to deter some customers while others haven’t developed an ongoing trusting relationship to draw their repeat business.
An Overall Indicator of Dealership Health
Employee churn in the service department can be an indicator of the dealership’s overall health. At minimum, a customer can get the impression from turnover that the store isn’t at its prime. As the face of aftersales service, a constant presence by a friendly, professional service team can aid in repeat sales, even if the sales floor has undergone significant staffing changes.
Stem the Flow of Service Staff Churn
Controlling the turnover rate in the service department has the potential to positively influence car sales. Demonstrated reliable aftersales service draws customers more so than price. As well, repeat business and referrals are much less expensive than ‘buying’ a new customer.
Hire Top Quality People
Look for experienced individuals with long tenures in their employment history. It’s unreasonable to expect zero turnover, yet hiring people with a tendency to stay put can dramatically reduce your churn rate.
During the hiring process, look for applicants with good moral character and positive references. The quality of person is more important than their current skill level also.
Provide Exceptional Pay Plans
While money is an obvious motivating factor for employees to stay put or move on, it’s more than that. Exceptional pay plans demonstrate the value you place on a team member’s hard work and are a reward as much as they are compensation. Develop strong pay plans that make it hard to leave.
Encourage Training and Advancement
Some churn can be expected due to ‘dead-end jobs’, even for top-quality team members. This impacts your store two-fold: you lose a good employee PLUS a future upward-mover. Encourage your service staff to continually develop and hone their skills, and offer opportunities to train towards advancement within the dealership.
Lower your service employee churn. The evidence will be noticeable in the service department morale, service department bottom line, and in the dealership’s car sales figures.
Originally posted on May 13, 2017
