The automotive industry is facing one of the most severe technician shortages in its history. Dealers and repair shops are competing for a limited pool of qualified techs , and the struggle is real. Yet while the shortage is nationwide, the employers who continue to hire successfully share one surprising advantage. They are not always the ones offering the highest pay or the most benefits. They are the ones who move faster . In today’s market, speed is the new competitive ed

Every year, dealerships and repair shops walk into January with the same challenge. Customer demand spikes. Service bays fill up. Phones ring nonstop. The work comes in fast. Yet many stores begin the year already short-staffed because they waited too long to build their hiring pipeline . The truth is simple: Your January hiring pipeline depends entirely on what you do in December. If you spend December sorting through junk resumes , you’ll still be hiring in February. If you

Every service department knows how to track the obvious performance markers. RO count , CSI , labor gross , and parts margins are measured every day. What never appears on a report is the silent financial drain caused by the wrong person in the wrong seat. A single bad hire in fixed operations creates profit leaks that compound over time, and most shops never notice the loss until it shows up in lower retention, slower workflow, and higher turnover. Bad hiring is not just a

When your CEO goes on national business programs and says Ford has 6,000 empty service bays and a two week average wait time , that’s no longer an industry trend - that’s a capacity crisis . Jim Farley didn’t mince words. Despite offering competitive compensation (including six-figure earnings for many experienced techs), Ford dealerships “don’t have the mechanics” to meet customer demand. The result: empty bays, frustrated customers, and lost revenue that no store can affor

Burnout has quietly become one of the biggest threats to success in automotive retail. Long hours, high expectations, inconsistent traffic, and nonstop follow-ups create a perfect storm that wears even the best sales professionals down over time. While the industry rewards hustle, the truth is simple: salespeople who don’t protect their energy eventually lose their edge. The good news? Burnout is not inevitable. There are proven strategies that help salespeople stay sharp, mo

It’s every service manager’s nightmare. You finally hire a great technician, someone who knows their craft, gets along with the team, and keeps the bay moving. Then out of nowhere, they give notice. You’re left scrambling to fill another empty bay while productivity drops and customers wait longer for service. It’s a costly cycle that can quietly drain tens of thousands of dollars per year. But the truth is, most great technicians don’t quit overnight . The signs are there, t

Every dealership knows how hard it is to find strong management , but fewer realize the true cost of waiting too long to fill those roles. Whether it’s a vacant GM chair, a GSM stretched too thin, or a missing Fixed Ops Director, every day that key position remains open chips away at your profitability and stability. Let’s break down what those empty seats are really costing your store,  and why dealers who fill management gaps quickly (and confidentially) often outperform th

Discover how dealerships and repair shops can find and develop future technicians through trade schools, veterans, high schools, mentorship, and online training.

For decades, the service manager’s job was fairly predictable: oversee technicians, manage workflow, ensure repairs were completed efficiently, and keep customers satisfied. But that was before cars began talking; not just to their owners, but to manufacturers, dealers, and even other vehicles. Connected car technology has completely transformed what happens inside a service department. And the modern service manager is no longer just running a repair operation; they’re manag

Hiring the right people isn’t just an HR function, it’s a revenue function. Every unfilled position in your dealership directly impacts sales, service throughput, and customer satisfaction . Yet even the most established operations lose qualified candidates and valuable time because of recurring HR mistakes. In a market where experienced technicians, service advisors , and sales professionals are in high demand, dealerships can’t afford inefficiency. Below are the five most c

Running a profitable service department isn’t just about keeping bays full, it’s about knowing exactly how well your team is performing every day. The best Service Managers treat their department like a business within a business, and the data tells the real story. Below are five key performance indicators (KPIs) every successful Service Manager tracks closely, plus how to use them to improve efficiency, profitability, and team performance. 1. Technician Productivity What it

Finding qualified automotive talent has never been more difficult. Dealerships everywhere are feeling the pressure, service bays are backlogged, open positions sit unfilled, and competition for experienced technicians, advisors, and BDC agents is fierce. But while many dealerships are still stuck sorting through stacks of résumés manually, others are quietly outpacing the competition, filling positions faster, hiring better candidates, and improving retention. Their secret?

In today’s dealership environment, your Business Development Center (BDC)  is often the engine that drives sales and service growth. It’s the first point of contact for most customers,  the voice that turns website leads, texts, and phone inquiries into actual appointments. But hiring BDC staff isn’t just about finding friendly voices or good communicators. The skills you need depend heavily on how your BDC is structured  and what technology it runs on . Over the last decade,

Hiring great service advisors is tough, keeping them is even tougher. Across the country, dealerships are facing the same challenge: rising turnover, declining CSI scores, and a service department stretched thin. You can recruit the best talent in the market, but if your advisors burn out or leave within six months, you’re right back to square one. Retaining experienced, motivated advisors is the key to protecting both profitability and customer loyalty. Why Advisor Retentio