Communication within your dealership can make a world of difference for your customers, your employees, and your staff. Even if you believe your dealership is great at communicating inside and out, improvement is always possible. Working toward more effective communication can mean: • Increased Revenue – Do your service technicians spend a lot of time walking back and forth to the parts back counter to discuss and retrieve parts needed for a vehicle? Are you service advisors waiting for customer authorization on services? How long do customers need to wait at the dealership to get updates on their vehicles and pay? This time adds up to fewer cars serviced, fewer cars sold, and money left on the table. • Happier Employees – Businesses that present more transparency and communication improve employee morale. This means more engaged team members. In fact, according to the McKinsey Global Institute, effective communication can improve productivity in any workplace by up to 25%. Happier employees also mean reduced turnover. • A Fulfilling Customer Experience – Put yourself in the shoes of a customer for a moment. Which sounds better: spending the day in a dealership waiting room, or going about their day with the trust that they know their car is in good hands? People are known to take better care of their cars over their own health. Your customers want to take their vehicles somewhere where they will be frequently updated on services. • Transparency in Your Dealership – If you communicate better and more frequently with your employees they are more likely to communicate better with you. This means problems are solved quicker, your staff is more relaxed, and your customers come back. If one or more of these would be beneficial at your dealership, now is the time to start. Barriers to Effective Internal Communication If communication is lacking throughout the dealership, there might be a physical or psychological barrier causing it. The cause may be deeply rooted or something easily fixable. Do any of these sound familiar? A Lack of Transparency There could be any number of reasons why staff members might not be in sync. Often it’s because nobody understands the goal. For example, if you expect your dealership to service 1,200 vehicles a month, does everybody in your service department focus on that? If so, are they aware of THE INS & OUTS OF DEALERSHIP COMMUNICATION 36
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