One of the key struggles I continue to hear from dealers is the inability to attract and retain employees.

Turnover has become a normal part of the industry, but many sources report employees aren’t leaving for better pay – they are looking for better technology, coaching, training, and opportunities. Take a look around your dealership: who do you think will still be with you in a year? More importantly, why are they leaving?

Losing employees has a surprising impact on your overall business. Did you know replacing an employee costs businesses on average 150% of their annual salary?

Let’s dig into that a little:

• According to CADA, the average turnover is 31% annually.
• If the average yearly salary for a dealership employee is $55,000, that translates to over $72,000 to replace each employee.
• F&I has one of the highest salaries and is one of the most profitable departments. If an F&I Manager walks out tomorrow, how much money will you spend to replace them? Can you even replace them?

Think of that same F&I manager. Maybe they excelled in their position and left for another job. Perhaps they worked well with others, knew your business inside and out, and gave the best customer service. You may have filled their role quickly, but how difficult was it to replace the work they did in that role? Do you ever wonder what you could have done to keep them from leaving? Would more money or a title change have been enough? Is there something else they were missing in their job experience?

Another thing to keep in mind is your employees are how your customers experience your dealership. Customers may not remember the name of the person who delivered the bad experience, but they’ll surely recall your dealership name. It’s no secret that customers want a great buying experience. According to Deloitte, customer experience is three times more important than the vehicle design when making a purchase. Are you bringing your A-team to the customer’s experience or have those employees moved on to new jobs? Is your team ready when they have that one shot to make a great first impression or are you forced to rely on employees coming off the bench?

To keep employees engaged and customers happy, the work environment is crucial. Here are a few ways you can start to create a world-class dealership experience for both customers and employees:

• Offer new, engaging, user-friendly technology with built-in training for your employees.
• Use solutions in service or sales that enable a forced-march process so your employees hit every point and customers don’t miss anything.
• Reduce the need for third-party vendors, duplicate data entries, and manual keystrokes with connected technology throughout the dealership.
• Keep customer contact information up-to-date so employees instantly know who they’re working with and customers feel valued.
• Engage customers with a better F&I process and shorten contracts-in-transit times.

Updated technology will have a significant impact on your business. Employees can be more efficient, more engaged, and provide better customer interactions. Additionally, you’ll see a decrease in employee turnover, saving you money and keeping good employees at your dealership. What’s not to love about a better way to do business?

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