Dealers with express lanes have found they can spend less time trying to lure technicians from other stores if they grow their own talent.
“We don’t want the express team to just be the express team. We want it to be a launching point for their automotive career,” says Mike Lupoi, general manager at Button Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram in Kokomo, Ind. “We’ve had express team members go to being service advisers, technicians, parts department personnel and salespeople.”
Recruiting for the express lane can be difficult. Techs get dirty, and much of the work, such as rotating tires, is physical. Working in express is near the bottom rung on a long ladder of careers at a dealership.
Starting techs at more than minimum wage or promising quick raises for new hires who show promise are two ways to overcome some of the negative aspects of the job.
When Button’s fixed operations director, Joe Ealy, is interviewing potential express lane techs, he looks for candidates who want more than a job.
“It’s hard to describe the ‘it’ factor, but you can feel it in the room if they are looking for a job or if they are looking for a career,” he says.
Mike Bowe, director of aftersales programs for MSX International, says dealerships like Button are doing exactly the right thing by conveying to potential express techs that their time there should be temporary.
“Dealers can start their own farm team,” Bowe says. “Every time they need somebody, they just go down to AAA and pull someone up to the big leagues.”
Graduates from Button’s express lane have demonstrated they understand they are part of a larger team; they put customers first; and they rigidly follow the store’s processes, Lupoi says.
When you join the Button team, Lupoi says, “You are not just getting a job, you are getting a career in our organization.
“We are going to help you get to the next level,” he says. “I personally believe that it is things like that, plus managers spending time with all of the employees and staying actively engaged, that creates a natural desire to do a great job, perform and provide a great service to the customers, both internal and external.”