xTime COLOR Icon with CAI BLACK-2
backtobasics

Back to Basics: A GM’s Guide to Managing the Service Lane

Most General Managers don’t come from a service background – but that doesn’t mean you should hesitate to be a fixed operations leader.

In this series from Brenda Berg, Fixed Operations Strategist at Cox Automotive, we provide a guide for using Xtime tools to identify goals, monitor performance along the way and increase team accountability.
Cox-Auto-NADA2023_Cube-Identifier-with-Text_Horizontal.png

Back to Basics: Service Success in 5 Steps

Driving Appointments with Xtime Schedule

Most managers look at the number of appointments when gauging performance in the service lane, but quantity isn’t everything.


Avoid missing out on additional revenue by using your service scheduler to maximize capacity, present previously declined services, and showcase transportation options that increase the value of your ROs.

Successfully Selling in the Service Lane

Service customers can be leery of committing to additional service recommendations, but Xtime provides tools to spur confident approvals.


This segment explores how GMs can build a greeting process that sets advisors, technicians and especially customers up for a positive service experience.

Creating Transparency and Trust with the Multipoint Inspection

Multimedia inspection tools bring the service experience up to modern consumer expectations, increasing the value of ROs and bolstering approval rates in a shorter amount of time. As a manager, keeping an eye on media usage and thoroughness of inspections is a great way to maximize profitability – in this section, we cover the easiest ways to do so.

Increasing Customer Retention Through Effective Service Marketing

Beyond sharing service specials, marketing has the potential to fill gaps in your daily capacity and convert past service recommendations into approved ROs. Managers can use Xtime tools to create a closed loop, where service staff assign marketing tactics to ROs and you can evaluate how these efforts contribute to your bottom line.

Creating an Action Plan

Learn how to identify lead measurements – benchmarks that provide timely feedback to influence tomorrow’s performance, not next months. Plus, develop an accountability scoreboard so employees can gauge performance both against each other and as a team.

You’ll learn to:

XTM23-0171_Misc-2023_Back-to-Basics-Landing-Page_Photo-Tile-1_768x512_v1

Apply Sales Experience to Service

GMs can draw a lot of similarities between the processes used by sales representatives and the business office, and success in the service lane. However, service marketing needs to be promoted differently than sales marketing – Brenda compares the similarities and differences to help you draw on experience.
XTM23-0171_Misc-2023_Back-to-Basics-Landing-Page_Photo-Tile-2_768x512_v1

Leverage the Tools You Have

Xtime has a powerful suite of tools geared toward each stage of the service cycle. Whether you have Schedule or the complete Spectrum suite, you’ll want to make sure you’re maximizing your ROI by utilizing these tools to their fullest extent – Brenda and our Performance Management team is here to help you do it.

Take Action with Your Learnings

We lean on expertise from across our organization to provide the best guidance for our dealers. Our Performance Management team is here to help you implement strategies to meet your dealership goals.

Meet the Presenter

XTM23-0171_Misc-2023_Back-to-Basics-Landing-Page_Brenda-Berg-Headshot_v1

Brenda Berg

Cox Automotive

Brenda Berg, Fixed Operations Strategist for Cox Automotive, works with the largest dealer groups across the country – helping them to achieve their goals by developing processes specifically based on their people and technology. Brenda has spent her entire career in the automotive industry and partners with dealers to evolve their service department to best equip them for the challenges they are facing today and in the future.

Want help implementing these strategies or getting a sense of where your service lane currently stands?

Fill out the form to alert your Performance Manager – they will contact you prepared to discuss the topics you choose.