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How to Manage A Service Department (9 Best Practices for Operations)
How to Manage A Service Department (9 Best Practices for Operations)
How to Manage A Service Department (9 Best Practices for Operations)
From scheduling to service quality, here’s how to manage a service department that runs smoothly and delivers consistent results.
From scheduling to service quality, here’s how to manage a service department that runs smoothly and delivers consistent results.
Jul 16, 2025
Jul 16, 2025
Your service department is a crucial part of your dealership's profitability. Without skilled management, your operations could quickly fall behind, affecting not only your bottom line but also customer satisfaction, employee retention, and even sales. If you're struggling to keep your service department organized and efficient, you're not alone. In this article, we'll explore how to manage a service department and improve your operations with best practices to boost dealership profitability.
One valuable tool to help you learn how to manage a service department is AI for car dealerships. Solutions like Pam can streamline operations and improve efficiency, allowing you to boost profits and elevate customer satisfaction.
What Customers Expect from Modern Service Departments: Instant, 24/7, and Easy
Evolving Expectations for Service Departments
The service department should be a dealership's strongest retention tool, but for many, it’s a missed opportunity. Research shows that more than 43% of car owners choose to service their vehicles at third-party centres instead of returning to the dealership. That number gets even more striking as cars age.
While 73% of owners with vehicles under three years old (typically still under warranty) prefer dealer service, the figure shifts dramatically as vehicles age, with 55% opting for independent mechanics once the warranty expires.
Closing the Experience Gap: Why Service Quality Matters More Than Price
Why? One word: experience.
Poor Service Is Driving Customers Away
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just pricing that pushes customers to independent businesses, but also poor service. And more often than not, that comes down to disorganization and a lack of personalization.
When service departments can’t access or act on customer data, such as past service history, communication preferences, or warranty information, customers feel like just another number. That’s especially frustrating when the cost of dealership service is often higher than that of a local mechanic.
The Experience Gap Is Growing
In today’s world, consumers expect speed, convenience, and relevance. It’s no longer enough to be competent; you need to be responsive and intuitive.
Customers are accustomed to apps like DoorDash, Uber, and Amazon that provide immediate updates, self-service convenience, and personalized recommendations. That same standard now applies to their car service experience.
The New Rules of Engagement: Meeting Customer Expectations in a Mobile-First World
Let’s break down the modern expectations:
On-Demand Communication
Customers want to book service on their schedule, not just during your business hours. If they have to call and leave a voicemail, that dealership may have already lost them. Whether it’s live chat, instant booking, or text updates, consumers want answers now, not later.
Mobile-First Engagement
Most dealership customers are interacting from their smartphones. If your booking process, service updates, or even payment systems aren’t mobile-friendly, it creates unnecessary friction. And in a world of effortless digital experiences, friction leads to attrition.
Zero Tolerance for Voicemail
This one is critical. Today’s customers don’t want to leave a message and wait. If a call isn’t answered quickly or if it's routed through a phone tree, the caller will hang up and search for the nearest alternative on Google. That’s especially true after hours, when many calls go unanswered.
Customer Experience Is the New Differentiator
Pricing and location matter, sure. But when it comes to long-term retention, experience is the battleground. Dealerships that streamline communication, personalise interactions, and stay responsive 24/7 are the ones that keep service revenue flowing, even after the third year.
This is where intelligent tools, like AI-powered receptionists, are changing the game. By offering always-on communication and instant appointment scheduling, dealerships can meet customers where they are on their phones, at 9 PM, or during a lunch break, without needing to double their staff.
Related Reading
Challenges in Managing Service Departments
The Risk of Stagnation Without Active Growth
Fixed operations may seem stable, but that stability can lull dealerships into a state of complacency. Sure, the work keeps coming, the margins are consistent, and the department seems to run itself. As any manager can attest, it takes effort to keep the machine running smoothly.
Relying too heavily on routine maintenance traffic and existing customer retention overlooks a hard truth: without growth tactics, retention stalls. And when it does, customers may quietly defect to third-party garages or national service chains, not because you did something wrong, but because you didn’t stay in front of them.
The Need for Ongoing Marketing and Customer Outreach
Your service department requires the same level of marketing attention as your sales floor.
This means:
Implementing seasonal service campaigns
Providing tailored follow-ups
Offering first-service incentives
Maintaining clear communication through:
Email
SMS
Retargeted ads
One of the most common missteps in fixed ops is assuming customers will return on autopilot. They won’t.
Communication and Training Gaps Among Staff
Your service advisors often have more face time with customers than your salespeople. And yet, dealerships often underinvest in training them for that role. Poor communication can damage trust quickly, whether it’s:
Missed calls
Vague updates
Rushed explanation of repair costs
The best teams combine technical knowledge with strong people skills. That requires:
Ongoing training
Scripting for difficult conversations
Clear internal communication between:
Techs
Advisors
Front desk
Parts Inventory Management Struggles
The parts department doesn’t always get the spotlight, but it plays a crucial role in customer satisfaction and repair efficiency. Out-of-stock parts slow everything down. Overstocking drains cash flow. Finding the balance, especially in today’s unpredictable supply chain, is difficult without solid data and forecasting tools.
Real-time inventory systems, automated reordering, and trusted vendor relationships are key to avoiding bottlenecks that frustrate both technicians and customers.
Meet Pam: The 24/7 AI Receptionist Transforming Dealership Service and Sales
Pam's 24/7 AI receptionist never misses a call, scheduling service, or nurturing leads even when your team is off the clock. Experience the technology that's delivering a 20% revenue increase and a 10× ROI for over 100 dealerships nationwide, with seamless integration into your existing systems, such as Tekion and XTime.
See how Pam outperforms both human agents and competing AI for car dealership solutions by scheduling your personalized demo today. Implementation takes just one day. Book a demo to boost your revenue by 20%, like 100s of dealerships across the nation.
Related Reading
How to Manage a Service Department: 9 Best Practices for Operations
Only one-third of buying customers return to the selling dealership for service because they are not receiving prompt service and competitive pricing. If they were, they wouldn’t be defecting.
We can increase productivity, change the customers’ perception of our service departments, and win back business from third-party service stations.
1. Training and Processes
Your team knows how to do their jobs, sure. But that doesn’t always mean they’re doing them most efficiently. By establishing clear and precise processes (and then training your team accordingly), you can ensure that your entire team operates to the same standard and productivity level, thereby reducing inefficiencies by clearly communicating how every job is expected to be completed.
2. Finding the Right Schedule
Picture this: The first hour of the day, your service team is slammed with business, every team member working feverishly to complete jobs on time. A few hours later, your service bay is only half filled, and team members are catching their breath from the early morning rush. The problem is clear, and the problem is scheduling.
Smarter Scheduling: Keeping Service Bays Full Without Burning Out Your Team
Scheduling correctly removes the peaks and valleys that result in harried workers left increasingly burnt out, balancing the workload to make the best use of your business hours. Pro-Tip: Offering pick-up and delivery not only enhances the customer experience but also enables your team to manage the entire process. You can be certain your service bays remain busy throughout the entire day.
3. Removing Non-Billable Tasks
Your service team shouldn’t be wasting their precious billable hours on non-billable tasks. That helps no one. By reducing or eliminating these menial tasks, you free up your service team’s time to focus solely on the jobs that drive business and revenue.
4. Using a Business Development Center
In line with removing non-billable tasks, investing in a BDC is one of the best ways to support your service team. Instead of spending hours scheduling appointments and following up with customers, your service team can redirect their efforts to the jobs they were trained and hired to do.BDCs are trained to manage and support your service team efficiently, scheduling new appointments and generating additional revenue for your dealership.
5. Supporting Your Team with Technology
The right technology can be the difference between a team bogged down with tasks and one that continuously drives increased revenue. Whether that’s an improved system for tracking customers and their service needs or something as simple as a task management platform, finding the technology that enables your team to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently is well worth the investment.
6. Improving Your Organizational Skills
Ever lost your keys and wasted an hour running through your house checking under every couch cushion and in every cupboard? That kind of inefficiency can be the ruin of a perfectly running service department.
Creating an organizational system (and sticking to it) means your team members never waste time hunting down the necessary car part or tool. And while that may not seem like a huge improvement, these small moments can add up to afford your team a huge amount of additional time.
7. Streamlining Vehicle Pick-Up and Repair Order Close Out
Improving efficiency throughout the entire service process without enhancing vehicle pick-up and repair order close-out is akin to running a marathon only to quit a mile from the finish line. Don’t let your team get hung up at the end by making the payment process a chore.
Whether that means standardizing your billing or expanding the number of payment options you accept, your team and your customers will thank you.
Bonus: New technologies allow customers to pay remotely, removing the need to stop at the cashier altogether.
8. Investing in Your Customers
Speaking of customers, one of the best ways to ensure your bays are busy and your service team is running efficiently is to keep your loyal customers loyal. How? Offering incentives that service customers want, like the ones they identified in our 2020 research report. Renewable benefit programs with those incentives promote customer loyalty and regularly scheduled maintenance. The benefits of which are twofold because happy customers are easier to work with and schedule around. Making your service team’s work easier and more predictable.
9. Reviewing Performance
Like any project, creating efficiencies in your team will require work and review. Check in to see how processes are impacting productivity. Observe how your service team utilizes the new customer support system.
Analyze the scheduling to determine if you are still experiencing valleys of unused time. Continuing to look for new ways to improve will not only benefit your team but also help grow your revenue.
5 Effective Service Department Marketing Strategies for Dealerships
1. Word of Mouth: Let Your Customers Do the Selling
Existing customers are your most powerful form of marketing. People naturally talk about great experiences, often becoming enthusiastic advocates without even realising it. We all have that friend who passionately recommends a product or service they love, no script, no commission, just genuine excitement.
Turning Great Service into Word-of-Mouth Marketing
So, how do you turn your customers into brand ambassadors? Start by giving them something worth talking about. Make every service experience exceptional. Treat them with fairness, transparency, and respect, so they leave feeling confident and cared for.
When the following Facebook post appears, asking for local recommendations, you want your name to be the one they drop in the comments, not for the sales pitch.
Don’t Just Wait, Ask: How to Turn Happy Customers into Active Promoters
Don’t be afraid to ask. When you know a customer has had a great experience, encourage them to share it with others. Ask for a Google or Facebook review. Give them a referral card, maybe it earns them a credit toward future service. Often, they’ll spread the word on their own. But when they don’t, a simple nudge makes all the difference.
2. A Winning Website: Make Sure Your Service Department Has One
When potential customers are visiting your website:
What are they seeing?
Is it all about car sales with the service department tucked neatly into the navigation menu?
Is there clear messaging about the service department?
Does the homepage have a clear call to action that encourages them to click through to the service page?
These are questions you should ask your website developers. You also need to ensure the website is search engine optimized for the service department. Too often, dealership websites focus on sales and overlook the need to attract customers who are searching online for their next service appointment, such as an oil change.
3. Google Maps: Claim Your Business and Optimize It
Take just a minute, and Google “oil change near me”. Chances are you’ll see every quick lube and independent auto repair shop within a 10-mile radius. It is doubtful that you’ll see a dealership in the mix. Oil changes may not bring in the big bucks, but it’s not about the oil change transaction itself. It’s more about the long game.
The goal is to earn a customer’s trust. It’s also to encourage them to return for future services. If it's worth losing a little profit to acquire a customer for an oil change, why aren't dealers appearing on maps when searching for a nearby oil change? Prioritize this as it is marketing on cruise control once it is in place.
4. Email Newsletter: Keep Your Customers in the Loop
Email remains a must-have tool for dealership service marketing. As you collect customer contact information, be sure to ask for their consent to receive email updates, and more importantly, tell them why it’s worth saying yes. Make it clear that your emails aren’t just more inbox clutter; they’re a source of real value.
Building Better Service Emails: Value, Personality, and the Power of a Great Subject Line
Highlight the benefits upfront: exclusive discounts on oil changes, free car washes with select services, or seasonal service offers. Once a customer shares their email with you, deliver on that promise. Each newsletter should offer more than just promotions, include helpful content like:
Maintenance tips
Seasonal checklists
Behind-the-scenes looks at your team
Spotlighting a technician or advisor not only adds personality but also builds trust with your audience. And don’t underestimate the subject line. It’s your first impression. Why should someone open your email? What's in it for them? Make it clear and compelling, something as simple as “$20 Off Your Next Service, Open to Claim” gives them a reason to click.
5. Social Media Marketing Ideas: Create a Following for Your Dealership’s Service Department
With so many social media platforms available, it’s easy to wonder which one is best for marketing your auto repair business. The simple answer? The one you’ll use. Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, consistency matters more than being everywhere at once. Start with the platform you’re most comfortable with and focus on learning how to use it well.
From Followers to Customers: Using Engagement to Build Trust on Social Media
Create engaging content that resonates with your audience. Yes, you’ll want to post service offers and promotions occasionally, but the real value lies in building a connection. Share tips, answer questions, and spark conversations.
If a follower comments on a post about car maintenance, respond thoughtfully, don’t lead with a sales pitch. Instead, offer helpful advice and close the interaction with something like, “We’d be happy to schedule that oil change whenever you’re ready.”
Boosting Visibility with Paid Social: Targeted Ads for Local Growth
Also, consider exploring paid social media advertising. With tools to set your budget, define your target audience, and target specific locations, paid ads can be a cost-effective way to attract new business while reinforcing your presence in the community.
Related Reading
Book a Demo to Boost your Revenue by 20% (Trusted by Hundreds of Dealerships Across the Nation)
Pam's 24/7 AI receptionist never misses a call, scheduling service, or nurturing leads even when your team is off the clock. Experience the technology that's delivering a 20% revenue increase and a 10× ROI for over 100 dealerships nationwide, with seamless integration into your existing systems, such as Tekion and XTime.
See how Pam outperforms both human agents and competing AI for car dealership solutions by scheduling your personalized demo today. Implementation takes just one day. Book a demo to boost your revenue by 20%, like 100s of dealerships across the nation.
Your service department is a crucial part of your dealership's profitability. Without skilled management, your operations could quickly fall behind, affecting not only your bottom line but also customer satisfaction, employee retention, and even sales. If you're struggling to keep your service department organized and efficient, you're not alone. In this article, we'll explore how to manage a service department and improve your operations with best practices to boost dealership profitability.
One valuable tool to help you learn how to manage a service department is AI for car dealerships. Solutions like Pam can streamline operations and improve efficiency, allowing you to boost profits and elevate customer satisfaction.
What Customers Expect from Modern Service Departments: Instant, 24/7, and Easy
Evolving Expectations for Service Departments
The service department should be a dealership's strongest retention tool, but for many, it’s a missed opportunity. Research shows that more than 43% of car owners choose to service their vehicles at third-party centres instead of returning to the dealership. That number gets even more striking as cars age.
While 73% of owners with vehicles under three years old (typically still under warranty) prefer dealer service, the figure shifts dramatically as vehicles age, with 55% opting for independent mechanics once the warranty expires.
Closing the Experience Gap: Why Service Quality Matters More Than Price
Why? One word: experience.
Poor Service Is Driving Customers Away
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just pricing that pushes customers to independent businesses, but also poor service. And more often than not, that comes down to disorganization and a lack of personalization.
When service departments can’t access or act on customer data, such as past service history, communication preferences, or warranty information, customers feel like just another number. That’s especially frustrating when the cost of dealership service is often higher than that of a local mechanic.
The Experience Gap Is Growing
In today’s world, consumers expect speed, convenience, and relevance. It’s no longer enough to be competent; you need to be responsive and intuitive.
Customers are accustomed to apps like DoorDash, Uber, and Amazon that provide immediate updates, self-service convenience, and personalized recommendations. That same standard now applies to their car service experience.
The New Rules of Engagement: Meeting Customer Expectations in a Mobile-First World
Let’s break down the modern expectations:
On-Demand Communication
Customers want to book service on their schedule, not just during your business hours. If they have to call and leave a voicemail, that dealership may have already lost them. Whether it’s live chat, instant booking, or text updates, consumers want answers now, not later.
Mobile-First Engagement
Most dealership customers are interacting from their smartphones. If your booking process, service updates, or even payment systems aren’t mobile-friendly, it creates unnecessary friction. And in a world of effortless digital experiences, friction leads to attrition.
Zero Tolerance for Voicemail
This one is critical. Today’s customers don’t want to leave a message and wait. If a call isn’t answered quickly or if it's routed through a phone tree, the caller will hang up and search for the nearest alternative on Google. That’s especially true after hours, when many calls go unanswered.
Customer Experience Is the New Differentiator
Pricing and location matter, sure. But when it comes to long-term retention, experience is the battleground. Dealerships that streamline communication, personalise interactions, and stay responsive 24/7 are the ones that keep service revenue flowing, even after the third year.
This is where intelligent tools, like AI-powered receptionists, are changing the game. By offering always-on communication and instant appointment scheduling, dealerships can meet customers where they are on their phones, at 9 PM, or during a lunch break, without needing to double their staff.
Related Reading
Challenges in Managing Service Departments
The Risk of Stagnation Without Active Growth
Fixed operations may seem stable, but that stability can lull dealerships into a state of complacency. Sure, the work keeps coming, the margins are consistent, and the department seems to run itself. As any manager can attest, it takes effort to keep the machine running smoothly.
Relying too heavily on routine maintenance traffic and existing customer retention overlooks a hard truth: without growth tactics, retention stalls. And when it does, customers may quietly defect to third-party garages or national service chains, not because you did something wrong, but because you didn’t stay in front of them.
The Need for Ongoing Marketing and Customer Outreach
Your service department requires the same level of marketing attention as your sales floor.
This means:
Implementing seasonal service campaigns
Providing tailored follow-ups
Offering first-service incentives
Maintaining clear communication through:
Email
SMS
Retargeted ads
One of the most common missteps in fixed ops is assuming customers will return on autopilot. They won’t.
Communication and Training Gaps Among Staff
Your service advisors often have more face time with customers than your salespeople. And yet, dealerships often underinvest in training them for that role. Poor communication can damage trust quickly, whether it’s:
Missed calls
Vague updates
Rushed explanation of repair costs
The best teams combine technical knowledge with strong people skills. That requires:
Ongoing training
Scripting for difficult conversations
Clear internal communication between:
Techs
Advisors
Front desk
Parts Inventory Management Struggles
The parts department doesn’t always get the spotlight, but it plays a crucial role in customer satisfaction and repair efficiency. Out-of-stock parts slow everything down. Overstocking drains cash flow. Finding the balance, especially in today’s unpredictable supply chain, is difficult without solid data and forecasting tools.
Real-time inventory systems, automated reordering, and trusted vendor relationships are key to avoiding bottlenecks that frustrate both technicians and customers.
Meet Pam: The 24/7 AI Receptionist Transforming Dealership Service and Sales
Pam's 24/7 AI receptionist never misses a call, scheduling service, or nurturing leads even when your team is off the clock. Experience the technology that's delivering a 20% revenue increase and a 10× ROI for over 100 dealerships nationwide, with seamless integration into your existing systems, such as Tekion and XTime.
See how Pam outperforms both human agents and competing AI for car dealership solutions by scheduling your personalized demo today. Implementation takes just one day. Book a demo to boost your revenue by 20%, like 100s of dealerships across the nation.
Related Reading
How to Manage a Service Department: 9 Best Practices for Operations
Only one-third of buying customers return to the selling dealership for service because they are not receiving prompt service and competitive pricing. If they were, they wouldn’t be defecting.
We can increase productivity, change the customers’ perception of our service departments, and win back business from third-party service stations.
1. Training and Processes
Your team knows how to do their jobs, sure. But that doesn’t always mean they’re doing them most efficiently. By establishing clear and precise processes (and then training your team accordingly), you can ensure that your entire team operates to the same standard and productivity level, thereby reducing inefficiencies by clearly communicating how every job is expected to be completed.
2. Finding the Right Schedule
Picture this: The first hour of the day, your service team is slammed with business, every team member working feverishly to complete jobs on time. A few hours later, your service bay is only half filled, and team members are catching their breath from the early morning rush. The problem is clear, and the problem is scheduling.
Smarter Scheduling: Keeping Service Bays Full Without Burning Out Your Team
Scheduling correctly removes the peaks and valleys that result in harried workers left increasingly burnt out, balancing the workload to make the best use of your business hours. Pro-Tip: Offering pick-up and delivery not only enhances the customer experience but also enables your team to manage the entire process. You can be certain your service bays remain busy throughout the entire day.
3. Removing Non-Billable Tasks
Your service team shouldn’t be wasting their precious billable hours on non-billable tasks. That helps no one. By reducing or eliminating these menial tasks, you free up your service team’s time to focus solely on the jobs that drive business and revenue.
4. Using a Business Development Center
In line with removing non-billable tasks, investing in a BDC is one of the best ways to support your service team. Instead of spending hours scheduling appointments and following up with customers, your service team can redirect their efforts to the jobs they were trained and hired to do.BDCs are trained to manage and support your service team efficiently, scheduling new appointments and generating additional revenue for your dealership.
5. Supporting Your Team with Technology
The right technology can be the difference between a team bogged down with tasks and one that continuously drives increased revenue. Whether that’s an improved system for tracking customers and their service needs or something as simple as a task management platform, finding the technology that enables your team to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently is well worth the investment.
6. Improving Your Organizational Skills
Ever lost your keys and wasted an hour running through your house checking under every couch cushion and in every cupboard? That kind of inefficiency can be the ruin of a perfectly running service department.
Creating an organizational system (and sticking to it) means your team members never waste time hunting down the necessary car part or tool. And while that may not seem like a huge improvement, these small moments can add up to afford your team a huge amount of additional time.
7. Streamlining Vehicle Pick-Up and Repair Order Close Out
Improving efficiency throughout the entire service process without enhancing vehicle pick-up and repair order close-out is akin to running a marathon only to quit a mile from the finish line. Don’t let your team get hung up at the end by making the payment process a chore.
Whether that means standardizing your billing or expanding the number of payment options you accept, your team and your customers will thank you.
Bonus: New technologies allow customers to pay remotely, removing the need to stop at the cashier altogether.
8. Investing in Your Customers
Speaking of customers, one of the best ways to ensure your bays are busy and your service team is running efficiently is to keep your loyal customers loyal. How? Offering incentives that service customers want, like the ones they identified in our 2020 research report. Renewable benefit programs with those incentives promote customer loyalty and regularly scheduled maintenance. The benefits of which are twofold because happy customers are easier to work with and schedule around. Making your service team’s work easier and more predictable.
9. Reviewing Performance
Like any project, creating efficiencies in your team will require work and review. Check in to see how processes are impacting productivity. Observe how your service team utilizes the new customer support system.
Analyze the scheduling to determine if you are still experiencing valleys of unused time. Continuing to look for new ways to improve will not only benefit your team but also help grow your revenue.
5 Effective Service Department Marketing Strategies for Dealerships
1. Word of Mouth: Let Your Customers Do the Selling
Existing customers are your most powerful form of marketing. People naturally talk about great experiences, often becoming enthusiastic advocates without even realising it. We all have that friend who passionately recommends a product or service they love, no script, no commission, just genuine excitement.
Turning Great Service into Word-of-Mouth Marketing
So, how do you turn your customers into brand ambassadors? Start by giving them something worth talking about. Make every service experience exceptional. Treat them with fairness, transparency, and respect, so they leave feeling confident and cared for.
When the following Facebook post appears, asking for local recommendations, you want your name to be the one they drop in the comments, not for the sales pitch.
Don’t Just Wait, Ask: How to Turn Happy Customers into Active Promoters
Don’t be afraid to ask. When you know a customer has had a great experience, encourage them to share it with others. Ask for a Google or Facebook review. Give them a referral card, maybe it earns them a credit toward future service. Often, they’ll spread the word on their own. But when they don’t, a simple nudge makes all the difference.
2. A Winning Website: Make Sure Your Service Department Has One
When potential customers are visiting your website:
What are they seeing?
Is it all about car sales with the service department tucked neatly into the navigation menu?
Is there clear messaging about the service department?
Does the homepage have a clear call to action that encourages them to click through to the service page?
These are questions you should ask your website developers. You also need to ensure the website is search engine optimized for the service department. Too often, dealership websites focus on sales and overlook the need to attract customers who are searching online for their next service appointment, such as an oil change.
3. Google Maps: Claim Your Business and Optimize It
Take just a minute, and Google “oil change near me”. Chances are you’ll see every quick lube and independent auto repair shop within a 10-mile radius. It is doubtful that you’ll see a dealership in the mix. Oil changes may not bring in the big bucks, but it’s not about the oil change transaction itself. It’s more about the long game.
The goal is to earn a customer’s trust. It’s also to encourage them to return for future services. If it's worth losing a little profit to acquire a customer for an oil change, why aren't dealers appearing on maps when searching for a nearby oil change? Prioritize this as it is marketing on cruise control once it is in place.
4. Email Newsletter: Keep Your Customers in the Loop
Email remains a must-have tool for dealership service marketing. As you collect customer contact information, be sure to ask for their consent to receive email updates, and more importantly, tell them why it’s worth saying yes. Make it clear that your emails aren’t just more inbox clutter; they’re a source of real value.
Building Better Service Emails: Value, Personality, and the Power of a Great Subject Line
Highlight the benefits upfront: exclusive discounts on oil changes, free car washes with select services, or seasonal service offers. Once a customer shares their email with you, deliver on that promise. Each newsletter should offer more than just promotions, include helpful content like:
Maintenance tips
Seasonal checklists
Behind-the-scenes looks at your team
Spotlighting a technician or advisor not only adds personality but also builds trust with your audience. And don’t underestimate the subject line. It’s your first impression. Why should someone open your email? What's in it for them? Make it clear and compelling, something as simple as “$20 Off Your Next Service, Open to Claim” gives them a reason to click.
5. Social Media Marketing Ideas: Create a Following for Your Dealership’s Service Department
With so many social media platforms available, it’s easy to wonder which one is best for marketing your auto repair business. The simple answer? The one you’ll use. Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, consistency matters more than being everywhere at once. Start with the platform you’re most comfortable with and focus on learning how to use it well.
From Followers to Customers: Using Engagement to Build Trust on Social Media
Create engaging content that resonates with your audience. Yes, you’ll want to post service offers and promotions occasionally, but the real value lies in building a connection. Share tips, answer questions, and spark conversations.
If a follower comments on a post about car maintenance, respond thoughtfully, don’t lead with a sales pitch. Instead, offer helpful advice and close the interaction with something like, “We’d be happy to schedule that oil change whenever you’re ready.”
Boosting Visibility with Paid Social: Targeted Ads for Local Growth
Also, consider exploring paid social media advertising. With tools to set your budget, define your target audience, and target specific locations, paid ads can be a cost-effective way to attract new business while reinforcing your presence in the community.
Related Reading
Book a Demo to Boost your Revenue by 20% (Trusted by Hundreds of Dealerships Across the Nation)
Pam's 24/7 AI receptionist never misses a call, scheduling service, or nurturing leads even when your team is off the clock. Experience the technology that's delivering a 20% revenue increase and a 10× ROI for over 100 dealerships nationwide, with seamless integration into your existing systems, such as Tekion and XTime.
See how Pam outperforms both human agents and competing AI for car dealership solutions by scheduling your personalized demo today. Implementation takes just one day. Book a demo to boost your revenue by 20%, like 100s of dealerships across the nation.
Ready to See Pam in Action?
Book a demo today and see why hundreds of dealerships trust Pam to capture more revenue, day and night.
Ready to See Pam in Action?
Book a demo today and see why hundreds of dealerships trust Pam to capture more revenue, day and night.
Ready to See Pam in Action?
Book a demo today and see why hundreds of dealerships trust Pam to capture more revenue, day and night.
Ready to See Pam in Action?
Book a demo today and see why hundreds of dealerships trust Pam to capture more revenue, day and night.
Pam is the fastest-growing AI voice and customer experience platform (CXP) helping car dealerships win at the digital doors.
Pam is the fastest-growing AI voice and customer experience platform (CXP) helping car dealerships win at the digital doors.
Pam is the fastest-growing AI voice and customer experience platform (CXP) helping car dealerships win at the digital doors.
Pam is the fastest-growing AI voice and customer experience platform (CXP) helping car dealerships win at the digital doors.
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