Overview
Catherine York Mace is rotating through frontline roles at Vann York Auto Group to tighten cross-department communication and improve customer engagement, especially around service videos and call handling. Her notebook-driven approach identifies quick fixes, tests assumptions, and clarifies which processes should change versus remain as-is.
Key Initiatives
- Raised technician video attachment rates, with two stores surpassing a 90% attachment rate (vs. a 70% group average).
- Shifted service check-in to prepare customers to receive and watch inspection videos.
- Overhauled service call routing to connect customers faster with the right people and track missed calls.
Service Lane Changes
- Advisors now verify the customer’s mobile number and set clear expectations: a video will arrive within 30–45 minutes.
- Messaging highlights value: “you’ll see your technician with your vehicle,” making the video feel essential, not optional.
- Start with rapport: a brief personal connection before vehicle details to build trust and ease follow-up.
- Goal: overcome obstacles such as customers not recognizing the sender, not knowing how to open the link, or not expecting a video.
Call Routing Overhaul
- Implemented OneCloud to route inbound calls: advisors → managers → BDC → service lane, minimizing transfers.
- Weekly abandoned-call reports reveal where calls drop; departments review together to adjust staffing and processes.
- Intent: keep customers in a single lane and shorten the path to answers.
Why the Rotation Matters
- Provides a ground-level view of workflow and communication gaps across service, parts, sales, and HR.
- Counters a common industry pattern where leaders advance from a single department and may not see cross-store impacts (as suggested in the interview).
- Approach: collect potential fixes, observe context, then decide what to change versus preserve.
Metrics and Next Steps
- Confirmed improvements in video attachment rates; no quantified “video watch” rates shared yet.
- Two stores serve as early examples for group-wide rollout.
- Near-term focus: customer education on videos, consistent intake scripting, and call connectivity to live advisors.
- Ongoing: use weekly call reports to target missed opportunities and standardize processes across stores.
