In automotive retail, the old mindset of “that’s the way it’s always been” is starting to crack.
We’ve stuck with old-school practices for decades—but emerging tech has forced us to change the way we do business.
Millennials and Gen Z are also prompting us to rethink every facet of the industry, both for the customer and the employee. And as this new generation of employees and leaders is poised to take over the industry, it’s in our best interest to hear out their ideas.
Improving the Employee Experience
In business, the customer is usually the number one priority.
But no dealer can deliver a best-in-class customer experience until they deliver a best-in-class employee experience.
For previous generations, the goal was to find a steady job out of school that paid well— and that was basically it. They tended to be less hung up on the particulars of a job, or on their “experience” as an employee.
What we’re seeing with this younger generation, though, is that they care way less about the paycheck and have a more holistic view of their life and career:
They want to contribute to their community in a meaningful way and have a positive relationship with their organization. And what do they want more than anything? Work-life balance.
That’s why a lot of dealerships are implementing flexible hours.
Due to the nature of the job, working at a dealership will never be a fully-remote gig. But reps also don’t need to be tethered to the physical dealership all day long. Dealers are finding ways to strike that balance, whether it’s offering long midday breaks to service advisors or allowing sales reps to take some of their customer calls from home.
These options for greater flexibility can better attract young talent, prevent burnout, improve employee retention, and encourage those employees to offer better service to our customers.
Improving the Customer Experience
Millennials and Gen Z as Customers
If this group had one motto it would probably be: “Don’t waste my time.”
As a generation that grew up with advanced tech, Gen Z especially expects quick responses and efficient turnaround times. They have no patience for a drawn-out, hours-long ordeal when buying a new vehicle or getting their car serviced.
This mentality is a big departure from how automotive has handled business in the past. But clients aren’t the only ones wanting a quick sales process. Progressive dealers are embracing the change, too.
Why?
Because they’re realizing that their own time is precious. If dealerships can expedite the sales and service process, through efficient customer interactions and effective tech integration, they can improve productivity and sell just as many (or more) cars with less manpower or in less time.
Integrating Tech
Tech and AI aren’t going to replace jobs in the auto industry. They’re just going to change how we do our jobs moving forward. And those changes, if implemented well, will actually improve both the employee and customer experience.
Two notable integrations that can make a huge impact:
- Syncing your website and customer data with your CRM. Nowadays, most clients do their own research and start their car purchasing process online. So, if your online experience matches your in-dealership experience, clients will be able to jumpstart the process on their own through your website before they even walk into the dealership. This will save them (and your sales reps) a ton of time.
- Using AI to analyze phone calls and provide solutions in real-time. This tech is in development right now, but once we can implement it, it will not only save sellers time and effort but also ensure customers get the quick, straightforward answers they’re looking for when calling in to the dealership.
Leading with Transparency
Info is so readily available now that dealers have no choice but to be transparent with clients.
Customers expect honesty, clarity, and directness. For instance, if a customer gets quoted a high service cost they weren’t anticipating, they’re more likely to trust you if you break down the why behind it, rather than dodging their questions.
Even if you don’t have a response or an answer to a question, don’t try to come up with something that could be skewed or untrue. Instead, be honest with the customer that you’ll need to do some more research and get back to them.
Being transparent about the info you do have, as well as the info you don’t, will build trust with the customer. Rather than feeling antagonized, they’ll believe that you’re in their corner.
And if they can believe that you’re working in their best interest, they’ll feel better, they’ll let their guard down, and everyone will have a better experience.
Refocusing Your Customer-Centric Mindset
If you’ve implemented all of these processes but are in a rut and struggling to build a customer-first culture in your business, what can you do?
Look at your business through the eyes of the customer and look at other businesses through the eyes of your dealership.
When you’re in the thick of running a business, it can be easy to forget to step away and see how things may look from a different perspective. Try to view your business through the eyes of the customer. For example, call your dealership to see how the phones are being answered. Do the reps answer quickly? Do they seem happy on the other end?
When you’re not at work, take notice of your customer experience at other places—be it a restaurant, a hotel, or the golf course. Tune into the things that may frustrate you or the things that get you excited as a customer in those situations. How could that translate to your own business?
Consistently Measuring Success
Regardless of how you believe business is going, the key to continual improvement is constant measurement.
For Employees
When it comes to employee sentiment, you should have a finger on the pulse on a daily basis—but make sure to send out formal surveys every six months or so.
Continue to monitor their feedback and make sure to run correlation analyses. Measure the results to see how they tie back to turnover and employee retention data.
For Customers
What someone says about your business to your face or on a customer feedback survey can be a far cry from what they’re saying about you online. That’s why you should go beyond surveys and scour other spaces “in the wild”—like social media and Google reviews—to see if there are other ways your business can improve.
Listen to your clients. Listen to the people offering their feedback. This feedback can be analyzed and used to make small, tangible improvements in your business operations over time.
In short: Listen, measure, then act.
The Takeaway
In business, everything is interconnected.
Before you focus on your customers on the outside, take care of your employees on the inside. If your employees are happy at work, they’ll do better work.
That employee experience drives the customer experience, which then drives the dealership experience and the perception of your brand. These facets of your business should all overlap and support each other in order to run a truly successful business.
When you create a collaborative environment and trusting partnerships where everyone feels like they’re “rowing in the same direction,” you’ll improve employee retention, increase customer satisfaction, and drive business growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How does improving the employee experience affect customer satisfaction?
A dealership can’t deliver a top-tier customer experience without first creating a positive environment for employees. When staff feel valued, supported, and balanced in their work, they’re more engaged and motivated to provide great service—directly improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.
2. What are Gen Z and Millennial customers looking for in a dealership experience?
These generations expect speed, efficiency, and transparency. They don’t want to waste time on lengthy buying or service processes and appreciate honesty and clarity from sales and service teams. Streamlined communication and modern tech tools help meet these expectations.
3. How can technology improve the customer and employee experience in dealerships?
Technology—like syncing dealership websites with CRMs or using AI to assist with customer interactions—saves time, reduces errors, and creates smoother experiences for both customers and staff. Rather than replacing jobs, tech enhances how employees work and how customers engage with the dealership.
