an understanding of how the service writer engages with the customer. How do they write a ticket? How do they upgrade the services? How do they discuss other options available to the customer? keep customers tied to the dealership, which in turn can create a better customer experience. This naturally leads to customer retention. If you can keep the customer loyal to your dealership, you've struck a long-lasting gold mine. THE AFTER-SALE BUSINESS IS A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY - NOT SOMETHING TO BE IGNORED Initially, F&I staff should aim to spend one day per week shadowing their service colleagues. They need to gain THE KEY TO THIS IS FOR F&I TO BUILD AND RETAIN A STRONG WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT It's alarming that F&I managers don't even know the labor rates in their own stores, let alone the national average. How can they be expected to communicate the potential risk of not buying a vehicle service contract with the customer without that type of information? Using an evidence manual that includes maintenance charges, the average repairs, and their cost can be extremely helpful. Nowadays, this can be shared digitally, showing the customer what the most common repairs are and how much they cost. All of this can be ingrained in your F&I staff when you expose them to the service department. A highly compensated F&I professional leaves no stone unturned, and that includes working with other departments. 58