Just Because You are Wearing a Red Cape Doesn’t Mean You Should be Afraid of the Wolf

Automotive and powersports dealerships require a lot of attention and focus on details. It is a competitive industry where customer satisfaction and sales play a crucial role in determining the success of the business. However, the daily operations of a car dealership can be quite repetitive, tedious, and time-consuming. Repetitive tasks such as data entry and customer follow-up can be a major drain on the productivity and efficiency of dealership staff. In this regard, automation can play a vital role in helping dealerships become more efficient and freeing up valuable employee time to focus on new opportunities that can lead to an immediate increase in revenue while preventing less work fatigue.

Harold Alexander, the First Earl & British Field Marshal, was once asked by his assistant on his habit of tipping into his ‘Out’ tray and letters remaining in his ‘In’ tray at the end of the working day. “Excuse me, Sir.” He asked, “Why do you do that?” Alexander replied, “It saves time,” he said.

How many of your salespeople or employees are doing the same thing? Dumping today’s communications into tomorrows? Marking their “to-do’s” either completed or for a future date?

Automating repetitive tasks in a dealership can lead to many benefits. First and foremost, it can save valuable time and effort for dealership employees, who can then use this time to focus on more productive and revenue-generating activities. Automation can handle mundane and repetitive tasks such as follow-up with unresponsive leads.

Work fatigue is a major issue for dealership employees who have to work long hours and handle multiple tasks at the same time. By automating repetitive tasks, employees can avoid the monotony of them and focus on more challenging and interesting work, which can lead to better job satisfaction, motivation and increased revenue.

Furthermore, automation can provide valuable insights into dealership operations, allowing management to know which tasks are being performed efficiently and which ones are outdated and require attention. This can help in identifying areas for improvement and optimization, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.

One of the major benefits of automation is that it can help dealerships focus on new opportunities that can lead to an immediate increase in revenue. By freeing up valuable employee time, management can devote more resources and attention to areas such as sales, marketing, and customer service, which can directly impact the bottom line. For instance, sales staff can focus on identifying new sales opportunities and closing deals, while marketing personnel can develop innovative marketing campaigns that attract new customers and retain existing ones.

Automation can also help in providing a better customer experience, which is crucial in the highly competitive dealership space. By automating tasks such as customer follow-up and feedback collection, dealerships can provide a more personalized and efficient service, which can lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty. For instance, automation can be used to send personalized follow-up emails or messages to customers, inviting them in, thanking them for their business or asking them to provide feedback.

In conclusion, automation can play a vital role in helping dealerships become more efficient, productive, and customer focused. By automating repetitive tasks, employees can focus on new opportunities that can lead to an immediate increase in revenue and customer satisfaction. Automation can also help in reducing work fatigue, providing valuable insights into dealership operations, and improving overall efficiency and productivity. Therefore, dealerships should consider investing in automation technologies that can help them stay ahead of the competition and achieve their business goals.

Why? According to Harold Alexander (in the reference above,) “It just saves time.” And nobody can make more of that.