A lot of business is out there waiting to be picked up by the dealership that offers the best service. According to The Aftermarket Annual 2006/2007 Study conducted by Lang Marketing, there is an increased number of cars on our roads; however, there has been and will continue to be a decrease in the number of service bays available to service these cars. The Lang Study determined that this decrease is due to closings and consolidations. The study also concluded that by 2008, the ratio of service bays to cars will jump from 1:155 ten years ago to a ratio of 1:200! Will your dealership be one of those that benefits from this new business and will you retain your present customers?

Customer Retention, CSI and SSI are the key concerns of any automobile dealership. Your bottom line will reflect where your company stands in relation to these three very crucial areas. We are all aware that quality of service and customer service experiences play essential roles in influencing customer retention. According to JD Power's 2005 Study, "Customer retention is extremely valuable in the auto industry because it costs... less to keep existing customers than to attract new ones and strong retention fosters favorable word of mouth." So, the key questions you must ask yourself are:

• What do you do to retain your customers?
• What quality of service does your dealership offer your customers?
• What kind of service encounters are your customers experiencing at your dealership?
• Is there room for improvement?

Customer Service is more important today than ever before! Increased competition in today's marketplace makes it imperative that all dealership employees understand and meet the needs of their customers. The categories that JD Powers use to arrive at the CSI index scores include: initiating service, service advisor, in-dealership experience, service delivery, service quality, and user-friendly service. Only satisfied employees utilizing superior processes can do a proper job of improving sales satisfaction, customer service and the dealer's bottom line.

Not only are you interested in your dealership's bottom line, but your manufacturer has that same vested interest. JD Powers' Director of Product Research, Neal Oddes, states that "Manufacturers cannot underestimate the power of excellent service and short- and long-term quality in convincing their customers to come back to the brand time and again." Because experiences with the dealer service and sales departments greatly impact a customer's brand loyalty, it behooves you to focus on improving those areas in your dealership. So, how do you get there?

How dealers arrive at a satisfactory level or better bottom line is the rationale for Employee Training and Development. Employee Training and Development can be initiated for many reasons:

1. When performance appraisals indicate performance improvement is necessary
2. To benchmark the status of improvement to date in a performance improvement effort
3. As part of an overall professional development program
4. As part of succession planning to help employees be eligible for new roles in the dealership
5. To test (pilot) the operation of a new performance management system
6. To train about a specific topic

Auto University has successfully trained a host of franchised Automobile Dealerships throughout North and South America. All of our clients have realized a great measure of success in Hours per R/O, Customer Satisfaction, increased SSI, and both customer and employee retention.

Benefits to the dealer when they and their staff attend an Auto University Workshop are significant:

• Increased job satisfaction and employee morale
• Increased employee motivation
• Increased efficiencies in processes, resulting in financial gain and increased CSI
• Increased capability to adopt new processes and methods
• Reduced employee turnover
• Enhanced company image in the community
• Retention of customers and, by extension, new customers through word of mouth

When you are ready to improve your Customer Retention, CSI, SSI, employees' morale and productivity, please give us the opportunity to work with you. Call us today at 800-344-4100. The topics listed below are some of the workshops offered by Auto University and INDIVIDUALIZED to best strengthen your dealership:

• Service and Sales Processes
• Internet Sales Manager
• Maximizing Dealer Operations
• Service/Parts Menu Creation
• Sales Manager and Consultant Training
• Quality Initiatives-Total Quality Management
• Financial Services
• Personal Development
• Goal Setting
• Parts Selling Skills
• Marketing Training
• Human Relations-avoiding conflicts