Jason Harris, the host of "The Drive Podcast," and Randy Kobat, President of Repair OnDemand, discuss improving profitability, efficiency, and customer loyalty in automotive dealerships, particularly concerning used car operations and service departments

A significant challenge in buying used cars is accurately assessing their mechanical condition, often a "black hole," leading to potential losses if not properly identified before purchase. To address this, leveraging diagnostic tools that provide insights into past and current mechanical issues, along with estimated repair costs, can empower used car managers to make more informed decisions and foster transparency with consumers during trade-ins. Furthermore, dealerships often face inefficiencies in reconditioning processes due to "idle time between processes," which significantly impacts profitability by delaying a vehicle's retail readiness. Implementing software solutions that digitize these reconditioning workflows can enhance communication and transparency between service departments, used car departments, and even third-party vendors, providing real-time visibility for sales teams on a vehicle's status. Ultimately, these technological advancements, combined with optimized processes and skilled personnel, improve the customer experience by enabling proactive service conversations and ensuring consistent execution, which is crucial for building lasting customer loyalty, especially given the high rate of customers leaving dealerships post-warranty.