The fixed operations department stands as a vital profit powerhouse for dealerships, making its success essential. In this latest episode of Service Drive on CBT News, Shon Kingrey, VP of fixed operations at The Kayser Automotive Group, and John Fairchild, fixed ops coach and president of Fairchild Automotive Solutions, discuss the strategies that separate average service departments from top performers and explore how consistent coaching, transparency, and daily measurement systems contribute to greater accountability and lasting success.
Every service department within the Kayser Automotive Group uses leaderboards to track key performance indicators. The KPIs they focus on change regularly, based on where each store sees its most significant area of opportunity or weakness. The data is always visible, and that transparency fosters team-wide ownership. At Kingrey’s store, the fixed ops department is currently up 28% year-over-year.
The culture of performance at Kayser is reinforced through daily huddles where teams go over their numbers and discuss how to improve. High performers share their approaches, helping raise the bar for everyone.
"It's upon you to know where you're at on a daily basis. You owe it to yourself to be able to flesh that information out and hold yourself accountable." — John Fairchild
Advisors are more engaged because they understand not just their goals but the store’s broader financial picture. The use of leaderboards adds a layer of healthy competition, energy, and personal investment that encourages team members to take ownership of their outcomes.
Fairchild emphasizes the importance of executive-level involvement in training and coaching. Buy-in must come from the top and be reinforced consistently. His training method focuses on building foundational habits, such as walk-arounds and write-ups, through repetition, reinforcement, and accountability.
"Everybody needs to be brought into where your numbers are. If you don't know where you're going, how do you get there?" — Shon Kingrey
Many service managers rely too heavily on traditional KPIs, such as CP gross profit or effective labor rate, without understanding the processes behind them. Daily scoreboards provide clear visibility into the performance of individual technicians and advisors. Without these systems, managers and employees lack direction.
Measurement must be tied to action. Implementing scoreboards and coaching managers on how to use them drives results. Many departments struggle simply because they don’t track performance on a daily basis. In one example, Fairchild mentions a group of stores he recently worked with, where none had a functional scoreboard before training began.
Kingrey highlights how this type of structure supports cultural transformation. Creating a culture of daily accountability helps managers stay engaged, boosts morale, and ultimately drives profitability. While some fixed ops leaders initially resist training and walkarounds, outside expertise can help bridge that gap and build sustainable practices.
One of the most common challenges in service departments is complacency among tenured staff. By setting clear goals, establishing achievable stretch targets, and encouraging technicians and advisors to take ownership of their numbers, they build momentum that drives measurable improvement.
The discussion closes with a clear message to dealers and service leaders: if your team doesn’t know where it’s going, it won’t get there. Consistent coaching, clear visibility into performance, and strong leadership buy-in are the pillars of a high-performing fixed ops department.
