Fixed Operations

Public and private dealership groups paused work on expansions, renovations and new stores in the uncertain early days of the pandemic. Many restarted once confidence returned in the auto market.

Express service is not usually a major profit center for fixed ops directors, but that's not how it should be viewed, experts say.

Franchised dealerships constantly strive to boost customer service rankings by doing things such as minimizing wait times and improving communications. To achieve this, some stores have their service advisers put down their pencil and pick up a computer tablet.

Dealers with express lanes have found they can spend less time trying to lure technicians from other stores if they grow their own talent.

Woody Buick-GMC in Naperville, Ill., is spending $2,500 a month on highly targeted social media and SEO efforts. It's money well spent.

Franchised dealers saw service business volume pick up over the summer, but the value of each repair order was flat.