by Dominique Conti, Marketing Director, Kimoby Car dealerships are under increasing pressure to boost their revenues and mitigate their operational costs in order to remain competitive. One of the ways dealerships are choosing to address these challenges is through innovative new marketing techniques, such as business texting. The reason? Gone are the days that car […]

by Ken Rock Here’s what I’ve noticed in dealerships: the problem isn’t just a lack of training, it’s the general lack of a thought process that any training is needed. At dealerships, we often take people who do their jobs well and make them a manager. The problem is, we don’t teach them how to […]

Your accounting staff may not generate revenue like your sales or service staff do, but what happens in your office has a huge impact on the profitability of your business. If your office isn’t being managed efficiently, your money isn’t being managed efficiently. On Wednesday, July 31st Auto/Mate’s Director of Support Services, Melissa Maldonado, will […]

Did you see us in the news this month? Publications How to Prevent Harassment in the #MeToo Era F&I Showroom In the June issue, Dave Druzynski urges dealers to set aside old handbooks and corny training videos, to create an enforceable policy that aligns with current best practices. Is Your DMS Ready for the Digital […]

Three Auto/Mate employees recently celebrated their 20th work anniversary at Auto/Mate. Notably, Auto/Mate’s President and CEO Mike Esposito is one of them. The other two are Kelly Shaw, Payroll Benefits Manager and Donna Irwin Lane, Programmer Analyst. Three Auto/Mate employees recently celebrated their 20th work anniversary at Auto/Mate. Notably, Auto/Mate’s President and CEO Mike Esposito […]

by Dominique Conti, Marketing Director, Kimoby The car industry is changing at an accelerated pace, with retail store consolidation, compressed margins, aggressive competition from independent service shops and difficulty in recruiting and retaining qualified personnel. Another major shift in the auto sector may actually help to mitigate these challenges: digital retailing and servicing. As new […]

A big part of the workplace culture here at Auto/Mate is volunteerism, and we encourage our employees to participate in local community events that benefit a good cause. On Sunday, June 9th a group of Auto/Mate team members rode their bikes or walked in the Tour de Cure, an annual fundraising event that benefits the […]

Did you see us in the news this month? Publications How to Avoid Workplace Harassment CBT News In this CBT News video interview, Dave Druzynski shares tips on how to avoid harassment claims and how to appropriately address claims when they happen. Treat Technicians with Respect Fixed Ops Magazine A 2018 Technician survey revealed deep […]

by Dominique Conti, Marketing Director, Kimoby   In today’s hypercompetitive market, car dealerships are facing tremendous challenges, including declining new vehicle sales volumes, competition for aftermarket servicing and major shifts in customer expectations. Did you know that text messaging can play an integral part in mitigating these issues? As the most widely used feature on […]

Auto/Mate employees have been long-time participants in the Workforce Team Challenge, a local 3.5-mile road race that allows us to demonstrate a commitment to our community while having fun in the process! Last week, 21 Auto/Mate employees, including a couple of first timers, ran for a good cause in the Capital District Physicians Health Plan […]

by Ken Rock Recently I was sitting in an office with a service manager and a few advisors. Someone walked in and said, “The balancer’s not working again.” The service manager’s shoulders kind of sagged as he responded, “OK. I’ll call someone.” He then told me the balancing machine was 25 years old and on […]

Our monthly roundup summarizes best practice articles, participation in events and all the latest news. Publications Digital Dealer Uncovering Policy and Shop Supply Abuse Auto dealers are letting thousands of dollars per month slip through the policy and shop supply cracks. This abuse is hard to spot because the expenses are lumped into the GL. […]

On April 12-13, a group of really smart women (and a few smart men) gathered in Lake George for the New York Celebration of Women in Computing (NYCWiC). This annual event encourages women to complete their studies in computing by allowing them to explore different careers in the field, as well as meet women leaders […]

Sometimes I hear people say things that get me pretty riled up. One of the phrases that bothers me most is “That’s not my job.” Whenever I hear this, I immediately know that person is not a team player, bad for morale and a poor representative of their company. I was boarding a plane not […]

Americans spend billions of hours waiting in line every year. Are your workflows in sales and F&I making their experience better, or worse? Dealers have been turning to technology to solve workflow and customer experience issues for many years. After all, it’s what the digital consumer expects. If your dealership is transitioning to a digital […]