Imagine your company is delivering crucial equipment to a client that could make or break your company. Would you ever dream of sending it without your delivery driver having a clear destination? Of course not. So why would you permit your service manager to operate without Read More

Our industry is facing unprecedented supply chain disruption, which is having a significant impact on dealers’ ability to grow and achieve revenue and profitability targets. It’s also impacting their ability to maintain the equipment in the field. Let’s take a brief look at these Read More

Nirvana in Indian culture is described as a state of perfect quietude, freedom, and highest happiness. We are not going to talk about it in the religious sense, but we will look at it in the business sense. If I were a betting man, I would bet that you would not describe your Read More

When I would go fishing with my dad and grandfather, very often they’d make me throw my catch back in the water. “It’s not the right size,” they’d say. Or “It’s not the right kind of fish.” Basically, they’d let me know that it wasn’t a keeper. Most of us would like to throw the Read More

When most dealers host lunch-and-learn events, they bring in customers and provide a meal while sharing information about new products or services. These events can be valuable for maintaining relationships with clients, while offering greater opportunities to grow your business. Read More

Last month, we discussed the current environment of our industry and the challenges facing it. In this issue, our next step is to examine the opportunities that exist within the service department and how you can leverage them to remain relevant going forward. Learn From Those Read More

I want you to think back in time, let’s say 35 years or so. You’re working for a typewriter company. The future looks rosy—typewriters are everywhere, and every company has a number of them, so demand for your service is steady. The future seems bright. An announcement is made by Read More

At the BTA National Meeting in March of this year, there were two topics I thought were hugely important for the service department. Let’s dive in and see why they matter so much and what effects they could have on service. Strategic Shock, Surviving the Inevitable Crisis The Read More

Over my 30-plus years in various roles within our industry, one common issue I’ve seen is the need for service managers to share knowledge. In my travels, working with two different manufacturers, I saw dealers constantly struggling to re-invent the wheel. I became convinced that Read More

One of the things I’ve written a lot about is how dealerships will have to change in the future. We’ve covered some of the things service departments need to do to adapt, but the one issue we haven’t tackled so far is how measuring metrics in the service department will need to Read More

One thing I’ve noticed while teaching a BTA service management course is that many service managers are not active on social media, either professionally or for their companies. Many don’t have a profile on LinkedIn, and any other social media they have is strictly personal. Read More

Over the last couple of years, I’ve spent time with some of the best-known consultants and analysts in our industry, both in person and through attending the training and webinars they produce. In off-the-record comments, the most-common fear about the industry and financial Read More

I had the opportunity to attend two great events in October. The first was the Seat Based Billing Roadshow held Oct. 17 in Asheville, NC. The second event was the BTA Fall Colors meeting, also held in Asheville, NC on Oct. 18-19. One idea discussed at both meetings was the need Read More

In our industry, the most-important area for the profitability and survival of the company stems from the recurring revenue in the service department. When considering the trends in our industry for the future, this topic deserves serious attention.—dealers that fail to secure Read More

As the traditional copier business continues to evolve and competitive challenges reduce the revenue and profit, dealers are starting to move toward non-traditional sources of revenue. This process started with the expansion of networking and managed-network services, and now Read More