Recent Stories
Dan Shine
Signs of struggle in those busy shops

Are dealership service departments coming down from the high of a busy spring and early summer?
Dealership classroom lets trainees ‘see the future'

The service manager at a Toyota dealership in Edmonds, Wash., believes his shop's training program is the answer to the technician shortage.
How to keep techs: Find ways to ‘sell a career path'

Matrix Trade Institute CEO Dustin Peugeot said service managers must make tech workers feel like they're part of a larger growth plan.
Partnering with schools to fill tech gap

Two service directors say cooperation with area schools have gone a long way toward easing technician shortages.
Affordability, transparency, experience are keys to customer retention

Why do dealerships score low on customer-retention? How can they give customers a luxury experience? And what help do dealerships need from their makers?
Service departments change to meet customers' evolving needs

What is driving consumer behavior nearly 18 months after the start of the pandemic? What strategies are best for meeting customers' changing needs?
Data analysis helps marketing lock on target

With the help of a data analytics firm, Flow Automotive is bringing a higher degree of sophistication and precision to its service marketing efforts.
Subaru VP: Don't take customer for granted

Here are five insights on service retention, from Subaru of America's fixed ops chief.
Build trust, offer convenience, win customers

How do you create fixed ops customers for life? CDK Global's 2020 Service Shopper Study provides some clues.
Time to get back to customer service basics

To heck with thinking outside the box, says veteran fixed ops boss Bob Cawley. "It's time to get back the box" and focus on relationships.
Dan Shine
Managers encountering good customer service leave a card behind

As the hunt for talent intensifies, one dealership HR director has found that a few carefully chosen words on a business card are a strong recruiting tool.
A mission to get women working in service lane

Roger Conant learned years ago how women avoided car salesmen. Now he's advocating for more female employees in service departments.
How to ease service lane gridlock

There are no easy ways to ease service department backlog issues. But small changes can make a difference.
Wading into online parts sales, collision

Franchised car dealers can find lots of opportunities in selling parts online. But it's not a world for the faint of heart.
Dan Shine
High praise, though I'm no hair apparent

Feedback from the Fixed Ops Journal Forum has been great. Attendees are learning from the presentations and conversations.