By Ken Rock, Customer Care Manager The definition of service means “the occupation or function of serving.” Therefore, a service advisor’s job is to serve the customer and advise them on how to maintain the second biggest investment in their life. But sometimes when I visit service departments, I don’t get the feeling that the […]

By Vince DeMare, Product Knowledge Expert Team Manager, Auto/Mate As a percentage of dealerships’ new- and used- vehicle gross profits, F&I has increased from 45% to 2015 to 53% in 2018. However, many experts agree that dealers are close to maxing out F&I profit potential due to penetration rates reaching saturation, as well as the […]

Happy New Year! From our Ohana to yours. Publications 9 Qualities of Servant Leaders AutoSuccess Practicing servant leadership can help your dealership become more profitable and to retain customers and employees longer. In this article, Melissa Maldonado shares what it takes to become a servant leader. Events MADA Annual Meeting Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center, […]

Don’t miss this Automotive News PowerTRAINING webinar on Tuesday, January 7th at 2 pm EST! As more dealers rely on fixed ops revenue to grow dealership gross profits, improving service efficiency and the customer experience must become high priorities. Your service advisors are on the front line when it comes to engaging with customers, shaping […]

by Melissa Maldonado, Director of Customer Support The term “servant leadership” was first coined in an essay written by Robert Greenleaf in 1970. Later he expanded the essay into a book, which became one of the most influential leadership texts ever written. Greenleaf spent his entire 40-year working career at AT&T, researching management, development and […]

By Ken Rock, Customer Care Manager, Auto/Mate Many service managers approach management and process change with their own goals in mind. Whether you want more ROs or more labor hours per RO, it’s easy to focus on the results that you want, instead of on the results that the customer wants. But in today’s customer-centric […]

Every month we share a roundup of the latest articles, news and events from Auto/Mate. Here’s what happened in November. Publications F&I Showroom 10 Quick Tips to Boost F&I Profits Experts agree that dealerships are close to maxing out F&I profit potential, but that doesn’t mean you can’t grow F&I profits. Growth is possible but […]

by Ken Rock, Customer Care Manager It’s no secret there’s a big service technician shortage, but do you know why? It’s not because young people aren’t interested in becoming technicians. The problem is that most service technicians say they wouldn’t recommend their job to a friend or relative, and one-quarter of technicians say they plan […]

Every year after our User Summit, we say “This was the best User Summit ever!” This year was no different. It may sound disingenuous, but honestly—our Customer User Summits just keep getting better! Spanning three beautiful October days in Nashville, the User Summit offered Auto/Mate’s customers a variety of educational workshops, presentations and training sessions. […]

By Invitation Only! An exclusive event for Auto/Mate customers When you walk through your service department, do you see technicians working in their bays or are they standing around, waiting to speak to a service advisor or waiting at the parts counter? Without an efficient dispatch process, technicians waste anywhere from 8 to 25 minutes […]

Do you receive all the latest blogs and news by Auto/Mate? To stay in the know, click to subscribe to DMS Central today! Case Study Have you seen our newest case study? When the owners of a large dealer group in Florida switched to Auto/Mate, they saved thousands of dollars with new printers and laser […]

By Melissa Maldonado, Director of Customer Support Traditionally when we think about leadership in organizations, we think about a top-down, authoritarian hierarchy. When many dealers started working years ago, this was the typical structure and there was a general belief that a high-pressure sales environment drove financial success. But a large and growing body of research suggests otherwise. It […]

By Ken Rock Whenever I visit dealerships, I often see technicians standing around at the parts counter or waiting to talk with service advisors. This is a waste of your technicians’ time and billable hours. I’m not blaming the technicians. I’m blaming managers and directors who aren’t enforcing the use of an electronic dispatch process. […]

Did you hear the latest? To stay informed about the latest happenings at Auto/Mate, subscribe to get DMS Central emails delivered right to your inbox! http://bit.ly/2llEk6d Publications AutoSuccess Dealer Service Building a Customer Centric Service Department When you want to increase fixed ops revenue, it’s easy to focus on the results that you want, instead […]

By Melissa Maldonado, Director of Customer Support Do you have what it takes to be a leader? Being a manager doesn’t automatically make you a leader, and you can also be a leader without being a manager. But how do you know if you’re a leader or a manager? A true leader is someone who […]