WEEKEND WARRIORS We’re in the thick of auto show season, and at the recent North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, one of the stars of the show was the all-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, which will redefine the minivan segment and de- liver unparalleled levels of functionality, versatil- ity, technology and bold styling. And, as you’ll read about elsewhere in this news- letter, Mopar once again will be ready at launch to deliver products to help you help your custom- ers personalize their new Pacifica. As with the all-new Fiat 124 Spider and 2016 Fiat 500X, Mopar remains committed to introducing parts and ac- cessories for all of the FCA US LLC vehicles you see in your service lane. Just as important is a commitment by your deal- ership to being “all in” when it comes to service. Hundreds of journalists thronged Detroit for the 2016 NAIAS, and among my many media Q&As, a query was posed concerning the status of the Mopar initiative, launched in 2010-2011, to en- courage dealers to adopt Saturday service hours. “Recall Thursday” Brings Business, Customer Satisfaction A Message from Pietro Gorlier (Continued on page 2) Service Manager Greg Palazzo of Bald Hill Dodge Chrysler Jeep ® RAM (DCJR) of Warwick, Rhode Island, recognized an opportunity to better serve his cus- tomers. His shop was consistently booked solid for up to three weeks following last year’s recall announcements. Palazzo came up with a solution to be able to service his recall customers while still satisfactorily servicing his usual customers by opening up appoint- ments for them to come in. Palazzo took a look at his schedule and quickly figured out a use for Sunday, a day that the shop is normally closed. He opened up the shop from 8-12, spe- cifically for the purpose of repairing recalls. He tried it once and got an okay response at best, but then had a light bulb moment. 2016 Mopar Field Meeting Recap It’s a wrap! Last week, nearly 300 Service & Parts Field personnel from across the country gathered for the 3rd annual Mopar National Field Meeting in Detroit near the home of FCA US LLC headquarters. Featuring topics includ- ing Customer Experience, Technical Service, and Retail/Wholesale strategies, the 3-day event served as a valuable forum to strengthen the service Mopar provides to both the Field and its dealerships. Collaborative workshops went beyond information sessions to foster the sharing of input that will directly shape strategies and tools in 2016 to address the needs of dealerships and the customers they serve. “The Mopar National Field Meeting was an overwhelming success, and we wish to thank those in attendance for their enthusiasm and ideas—along with a commitment to being ‘At Your Service’ for both our dealerships and our cus- tomers,“ said Ross McGinnis, Vice President, Parts, Sales and Field Operation. “And as always, we thank the dealers who went without Field support for a few days to make this event possible. We are truly excited for them to benefit from the ideas and solutions identified.” MOMENTUM Service, Parts & Customer Care | January 2016
Transcript
WEEKEND WARRIORS
We’re in the thick of auto show season, and at the recent North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, one of the stars of the show was the all-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, which will redefine the minivan segment and de-liver unparalleled levels of functionality, versatil-ity, technology and bold styling.
And, as you’ll read about elsewhere in this news-letter, Mopar once again will be ready at launch to deliver products to help you help your custom-ers personalize their new Pacifica. As with the all-new Fiat 124 Spider and 2016 Fiat 500X, Mopar remains committed to introducing parts and ac-cessories for all of the FCA US LLC vehicles you see in your service lane.
Just as important is a commitment by your deal-ership to being “all in” when it comes to service. Hundreds of journalists thronged Detroit for the 2016 NAIAS, and among my many media Q&As, a query was posed concerning the status of the Mopar initiative, launched in 2010-2011, to en-courage dealers to adopt Saturday service hours.
Service Manager Greg Palazzo of Bald Hill Dodge Chrysler Jeep® RAM (DCJR) of Warwick, Rhode Island, recognized an opportunity to better serve his cus-tomers. His shop was consistently booked solid for up to three weeks following last year’s recall announcements.
Palazzo came up with a solution to be able to service his recall customers while still satisfactorily servicing his usual customers by opening up appoint-ments for them to come in.
Palazzo took a look at his schedule and quickly figured out a use for Sunday, a day that the shop is normally closed. He opened up the shop from 8-12, spe-cifically for the purpose of repairing recalls. He tried it once and got an okay response at best, but then had a light bulb moment.
2016 Mopar Field Meeting Recap
It’s a wrap! Last week, nearly 300 Service & Parts Field personnel from across the country gathered for the 3rd annual Mopar National Field Meeting in Detroit near the home of FCA US LLC headquarters. Featuring topics includ-ing Customer Experience, Technical Service, and Retail/Wholesale strategies, the 3-day event served as a valuable forum to strengthen the service Mopar provides to both the Field and its dealerships. Collaborative workshops went beyond information sessions to foster the sharing of input that will directly shape strategies and tools in 2016 to address the needs of dealerships and the customers they serve.
“The Mopar National Field Meeting was an overwhelming success, and we wish to thank those in attendance for their enthusiasm and ideas—along with a commitment to being ‘At Your Service’ for both our dealerships and our cus-tomers,“ said Ross McGinnis, Vice President, Parts, Sales and Field Operation. “And as always, we thank the dealers who went without Field support for a few days to make this event possible. We are truly excited for them to benefit from the ideas and solutions identified.”
M O M E N T U MService, Parts & Customer Care | January 2016
A Message from Pietro
(Continued from page 1)
I was happy to share that 81.5% of dealerships now offer Saturday hours. That’s in comparison to just 63.5% of dealerships in 2010. For those of you open on Saturday —and perhaps even Sun-day — you no doubt can attest to the fact that there is no shortage of vehicles in your service lane on the weekend.
In truth, considering their busy schedules, customers demand Saturday hours. It definitely boosts customer satisfaction levels, and it’s es-pecially helpful for Mopar Express Lane dealers who offer quick, convenient Saturday service. The Mopar Service Capacity Analyzer is also available as an informative tool to assist your dealership in examining alternative scheduling, technician staffing and stall counts. For most dealerships, Saturday business is now business as usual — I hope that’s the case for your dealer-ship.
And remember, you are not alone in this dedi-cation to service. We are committed to taking actions that enable your ability to serve—includ-ing increasing dealer self-authorization for loaner goodwill assistance, implementing AutoPay for warranty flashes via wiADVISOR, and launch-ing Shop Competency and other programs to strengthen your operations. We are all in this together—and you have our full support.
Good selling and great customer service into the new year!
Pietro GorlierPresident and CEO, Mopar Brand Service, Parts and Customer Care
“We’re fortunate to have a good amount of business customers,” said Palazzo. “But none of the businesses are open on Sundays when my shop was open, so they couldn’t bring their trucks in to be serviced.”
Palazzo then shifted his recall times to Thursday after the shop usually closes, from 5 until 10 p.m. This ended up being the sweet spot, with business custom-ers dropping off a portion of their fleet on Thursday night and coming to pick them up Friday morning. It took some convincing — namely, shipping in pizza — for the techs to stay late that first night, but once they did, they loved it.
“The techs love it because it’s just us in the shop on Recall Thursday,” said Palazzo. “They don’t have a day full of booked appointments to worry about, or drop-in customers, or even me barking at them to make sure they get another job done first.”
And as for the customers? “One of our business accounts called back two days later asking when we were doing our next one,” Palazzo said.
Palazzo also found that they made some additional sales from inspections while performing the recall work, all during a time when the shop would normally be closed.
After doing Recall Thursday a few times, Palazzo found that his shop had been getting through an average of about 20 jobs, opening up that many more ap-pointments during regular business hours.
Palazzo did mention that having this service on Thursday night specifically is uniquely to the way his shop works. On Fridays, he only takes walk-in jobs, and does not take any appointments ahead of time for the day. This allows him to have some overflow from Recall Thursday to be worked on first thing Friday morning, if necessary.
However, the experiment has been so successful, Palazzo hopes to do it Mon-day through Thursday and to fill that capacity, he has another creative solution.
“I have parts department going to our business partners all the time,” Palazzo said. “I made up a flyer about the program to have them hand out to those cus-tomers. I’ve had to schedule a couple more days because of the interest.”
M O M E N T U MService, Parts & Customer Care | January 2016
NHRA in the Staging Lanes for 2016
FCA US LLC made a huge splash at this year’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) by unveiling the all-new Pacifica, the company’s evolution of the minivan, a segment that the Chrysler brand created in 1989. And, as it always is, Mopar® was a big player in the show, announcing a multitude of accessories ready to be affixed, or placed in or on the all-new Pacifica.
Mopar released a number of different accessories for the new crossover, geared toward expanding the Pacifica’s capabilities rather than the typical Mopar under hood parts, allowing the Pentastar V-6 or the segment’s first hybrid powertrain to handle those duties.
Handling cargo duties are the new Mopar Stow ‘n Go cargo bin, pet kennel, foldable soft-sided cooler, cargo liner, cargo tote, receiver hitch, roof rack and carrier. For the interior, there’s carpet and all-weather mats, a flip-down overhead DVD player and built-in wireless cell phone charger. There are some pieces to add to the already alluring exterior with body-side molding, a front air deflector, running boards, door sills, and front and rear splash guards. Most importantly, a number of safety pieces are available for the new crossover: a first-aid kit, roadside safety kit, spare tire kit, and a state-of-the-art Electronic Vehicle Tracking System, helping to protect the vehicle and the passengers that rely on it.
But the Pacifica wasn’t the only thing that Mopar highlighted at NAIAS. With the 75th anniversary of Jeep® being celebrated this year, Mopar brought the Red Rock Concept, previously seen at SEMA, to the party. Ram brought the Rebel X, showcasing the pickup’s off-road ability. Dodge brought the Charger Deep Stage 3, taking the Scat Pack 3 Kit up to yet another level. And lastly, Chrysler brought the 200 S Mopar concept, providing the midsized sedan with a completely new attitude.
With all of the big announcements, it’s easy to see how the 2016 edition of NAIAS was one of the biggest Mopar has had in a while. It sets the brand up for a great 2016 and one we hope your shop gets to enjoy as well.
A pair of champions will team up and carry the Mopar banner in 2016, as back-to-back NHRA Pro Stock champ Erica Enders and five-time overall Pro Stock title winner Jeg Coughlin Jr. will lead the charge for the brand in the popular factory hot rod class. The combination of Elite Motorsports teammates Enders and Coughlin steering fuel injected, HEMI® powered Dodge Dart cars puts winners of the past three NHRA Pro Stock World Championships under the Mopar banner.
(Continued on page 4)
Reimagining the Original: Mopar® Accessories for the Pacifica
M O M E N T U MService, Parts & Customer Care | January 2016
Don’t forget, you can submit your Service & Parts success story by emailing me directly at: [email protected]
(Continued from page 3)
In the NHRA Funny Car class, Mopar and Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) will extend one of the most successful and longest running partnerships in the sport. Two-time NHRA Funny Car champion Matt Hagan will once again pilot the flagship Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car.
Defending and two-time champ Enders, who competed in a Mopar powered car in 2006-2007, will chase a third consecutive title behind the wheel of her new Mopar Performance Dodge Dart GT NHRA Pro Stock car for Elite Motorsports.
Enders didn’t lose a step after breaking through for six wins and her first Pro Stock crown in 2014, stringing together one of the most impressive seasons in Pro Stock history with nine victories, 11 final round appearances and six No. 1 qualifier spots on her road to the 2015 overall title.
The nine wins by Enders, a 32-year-old from Houston, Texas, who now lives in New Orleans with her husband, fellow Pro Stock driver Richie Stevens, broke the single season mark of victories by a female racer, set by Angelle Sampey in 2001 with seven wins. Enders’ total of 21 career victories ranks 39th on the NHRA all-time win list and just second among women, trailing only Sampey’s 41 wins.
Coughlin clinched his most recent of five Pro Stock championships driving a Mopar powered Dodge in 2013.
Coughlin will man the “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Elite Motorsports Dodge Dart GT NHRA Pro Stock car in 2016, looking to add even more milestones to a Hall of Fame career that includes 76 victories, with 58 in Pro Stock, good enough for fourth all-time in the class.
Coughlin is the first and only driver to score wins in seven NHRA classes (Pro Stock, Comp, Top Dragster, Super Gas, Super Stock, Stock and Super Comp), the only driver in NHRA history to win in four different classes in the same season (1997, Pro Stock, Super Stock, Super Gas, and Comp) and the only driver in the pro ranks to win from every qualifying position, No. 1 to No. 16.
Mopar will also continue to fuel its winning partnership in the NHRA Funny Car class with DSR, one of the elite teams in all motors-ports, during the 2016 campaign. In 2016, Matt Hagan will once again helm the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T.
Working in conjunction with DSR, Mopar debuted a new Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car body in 2015, and the results on the track were nothing less than spectacular. DSR teammates Hagan, Jack Beckman, Ron Capps and Tommy Johnson Jr. combined to place the new body in the final round at all but one of 24 events during the season, amassing a total of 15 wins placing all four Mopar cars in the top five of the standings, with only the overall Funny Car crown eluding the team’s grasp. Beckman also doubled up with wins in the Traxxas Shootout bonus event and prestigious U.S. Nationals during Labor Day weekend.
M O M E N T U MService, Parts & Customer Care | January 2016
