The first service appointment can set the tone for a customer’s entire relationship with a dealership. Jim Sabino, Fixed Operations Director at All American Auto Group, explains how his team uses appointment scheduling, mobile service and pickup and delivery to make maintenance more convenient and encourage customers to return.
During today’s CBT Live segment, Sabino notes that every vehicle delivered across All American Auto Group’s stores, new or used, receives a first service appointment before the customer leaves. When the service department is open, the sales team introduces the customer to a service advisor or the service reception desk to book the appointment. When a delivery happens after hours, the team emails and calls the customer the next business day to confirm. Sabino said skipping this step makes it much harder to win customers back for later visits because it breaks the service life cycle before it starts.
To make that first visit convenient, All American Auto Group typically offers mobile service for first appointments and pickup and delivery for customers who cannot use mobile service, such as those who live in apartment complexes or park underground. The group has grown from one mobile service van to 17, with Sabino pointing to the Paramus store, which has reduced its loaner fleet from about 75 vehicles to about 25 as more customers choose mobile service and pickup and delivery. Sabino said the programs demand daily management of schedules and routes, but they add capacity without new service bays and keep customers from defecting to independent shops or other dealerships.
Retention efforts continue beyond the first appointment, as Sabino notes that the group schedules the next service visit before the current appointment ends and tracks results through its CRM and weekly first-appointment retention reports from Ford. Additionally, Ford’s Vehicle Care Portal, which draws on connected vehicle data, alerts the team to upcoming service needs, check engine lights and low tire pressure so staff can contact customers right away. To keep those options visible, Sabino said the group promotes mobile service and pickup and delivery through email, social media, showroom banners and vans on the road, along with Ford’s national marketing.
