Maintaining Sales and Service With Staffing Shortages in 2022
By Ben Leighton
Aside from supply shortages, one of the biggest issues facing dealerships is staffing. While this may seem like a losing battle, there are some things you can do to keep employees working and happy.
A new U.S. Labor and Statistics report shows more than 40 million people quit their jobs in 2021. The reason for this is mainly stress. Statistics show that 57% of workers reported feeling stress on a daily basis over the past 12 months.
What is causing the stress?
There are several factors leading to employee burnout, but the main issue is staffing itself.
People are quitting, but on the backside of that, employers are not finding enough people to hire for those empty positions. Meanwhile, the current workers are having to do more work, with less help, creating burnout. This will lead to more people deciding to quit, or you may see several employees start to under-perform because they are too stressed out.
How to fix burnout…
While it may seem daunting, the fixes are simple.
Establish a plan to make you and your employees happy. Make sure you listen to their concerns and find out where they need the most help.
Ask yourself: “Is there an easier way to do things with the tools we have now?” Are there simple things you can add like a texting platform, or a payment system that can take some of the burden off your employees?
Once a basic plan is in place, then you need to make sure you have the tools to help your employees. One of the best solutions is to come up with a more automated system throughout your business.
Texting is one of the best ways to limit employee workload, while still communicating with your customers.
Texting is also not new for customers. Many prefer it. Surveys show that 89% of customers say they would prefer to interact with a business via text message rather than a phone call.
We are seeing a surge in texting among dealerships that use the Kenect texting platform. Our data shows a 55% increase in text volume year over year. Businesses also said they are completing entire transactions, from lead to purchase, via text.
This will also help your staff reduce the time they spend on the phone and take some of the pressure off of them when dealing with customers. Employees can set up automated responses, so they don’t have to be waiting by the phone all day.
Kenect numbers show service departments are saving an average of 45 minutes per person they interact with by using texting.
During the pandemic, the Kenect team also saw an increase in businesses using text-to-pay systems. This may have seemed unlikely even just a few years ago, but in 2022 customers are now expecting businesses to have this product.
Through the Kenect research, we found that dealerships are reporting a 400% revenue growth year over year by adding text-to-pay. This also takes another task away from your overworked staff. With customers filling out the payment information themselves, it reduces the amount of time they need to spend on accounts receivable.
This also allows customers to limit in-person interactions, and it allows your service bay to keep things moving faster and increase revenue.
The texting trend is not going away, but it can help you avoid burnout with your employees by creating a system that reduces stress in the workplace.
About the Author:
Ben Leighton is a Content Marketing Manager with Kenect. He previously worked in the journalism industry for over a decade, creating multimedia content on various platforms. You can find Ben on Linkedin and Twitter.
About Kenect:
Kenect helps businesses connect with their customers. We build simple texting tools that are elegant and easy-to-use. Thousands of companies across North America use our platform to text their customers, generate online reviews, gather leads from their websites, video chat, and collect payments.
Based in the Silicon Slopes of Utah, the Kenect team is committed helping businesses improve their customer experience and customer communication.
To learn more about Kenect, visit kenect.com or text the Kenect team at (888) 972-7422.
