As the coronavirus pandemic continues to hold the country captive, auto repair and service departments at franchised car dealers remain open for business, ensuring the safety and reliability of personal transportation for all Americans.

In Thursday’s webinar, Managing Service Operations: Making it through the COVID-19 Pandemic, NADA Academy instructors Bob Atwood and Larry Hourcle discussed how dealers can maintain a safe and efficient service and parts departments, and keep their customers’ vehicles running.

“Fortunately, we are seeing more of our service departments doing really great things during this disturbance,” said Hourcle. “We believe that the 2008 recession has left us better prepared for this current state.”

Atwood and Hourcle provided insights on ensuring customer safety, while providing superior customer service, including offering pick-up and delivery service so customers don’t have to leave their homes; extending service hours to accommodate more people; implementing extensive sanitization procedures; minimizing human contact and exposure throughout the repair and maintenance process; and closing all customer lounge areas as a precaution.

Additionally, the webinar shared best practices to keep parts and service employees safe including ensuring that personnel are washing hands and wiping down work surfaces throughout their shifts; spacing staff across additional shifts to allow more physical distance between employees; and requiring all employees to wear gloves when touching surfaces that customers are likely to touch.

“This is a great time for your service leaders to do amazing things in fixed operations and show your customers the true difference between yourselves and the competition,” Atwood added.

A recording of the webinar is now available to NADA members here.

Note: NADA’s webinar is offered for general informational purposes only. The presentation of this information is not intended to encourage concerted action among competitors or any other action on the part of dealers that would in any manner fix or stabilize the price or any element of the price of any good or service.