As you prepare to reopen your dealership after the coronavirus shutdown, you might face a lot of uncertainty. There’s much more to do than you initially thought, and it quickly becomes overwhelming. That’s why we put together this 6-point checklist to run you through the steps you must take before reopening.
We will discuss inventory management, preparing the sales team and some HR considerations you might not have thought about. In the end, you’ll be ready to sell more cars and the process will run efficiently.
1. Inventory Management
Before you do anything, you must take a physical inventory of your vehicles. After all, your cars have been sitting for a couple of months. Look over your new, used and certified pre-owned inventory. With each vehicle, you want to make sure the battery isn’t dead. It’s also imperative that the vehicles are clean and ready to sell.
As you are looking through the inventory, you might find some that need a price adjustment. There’s also the possibility that you will want to get rid of some of the models. Now is the perfect time to do that. You will need to analyze the current inventory versus the demand and supply before moving forward.
2. Sales Team Readiness
The key to preparing your sales team is to communicate effectively. You should schedule a meeting with your team to discuss all operational changes. Once you share the changes with your group, be prepared for their questions. Listen to their concerns and strive to find solutions that bring peace.
Additionally, your team will need to be more empathetic with customers. To prepare for this, you might consider implementing new training.
You also want to take a look at the marketing that was paused. Before you simply relaunch where you left off, make sure the message is still relevant. Otherwise, you might consider implementing a new marketing plan with updated pricing.
3. Preparing the Service Department
Your service department might never have shut down, but it likely operated differently than normal. Before your relaunch, there are some new considerations you want to look at. First, ensure that your service department is set up to accommodate new guidelines.
To keep everyone safer, enhance your precautionary measures. You want to disinfect all vehicles regularly, use disposable floor mats, as well as steering wheel covers and seat covers. Do a complete audit of your inventory and order anything you are lacking. It’s also valuable to consider delivery and pickup of service vehicles to your customers if you aren’t already providing this perk.
Take some time to look over your service loaner vehicles. Check the batteries and clean the vehicles so that they are ready for appointments.
4. HR Considerations
Your HR department has a lot to consider before reopening. First, a plan needs to be created before hiring back furloughed staff. You will want enough of a workforce to run every department. It might make more sense to implement staggered shifts to deal with the demand.
Your HR department also needs to discuss paycheck concerns with employees. Likely, your team will have plenty of questions for you to answer. Furthermore, there might be vendors you need to touch base with before reopening.
5. Facility Management
As you move forward, there are many considerations to make with your facility. Start by discussing your reopening plan with all of your vendors. Then, begin holding regular meetings every week with each department. These meetings can occur in-person or virtually. Each department should understand their responsibilities and how to carry each job out effectively.
Next, you want to check the stock of your supplies. Look over the cleaning supplies, PPE and equipment needed for each department to be successful. If you need to order anything, do it now.
It’s also a great time to talk about new systems. Coronavirus changes the way dealerships need to operate, making it the perfect time to implement a key management system. Our Keycafe system allows you to manage your inventory remotely and provide contactless transactions. You can use it for test drives or for vehicle pickup from the service department.
Right before opening, there are a few more steps you need to take. Start by cleaning the bathrooms. You can also place disposable masks and gloves at the entrances for your customers. Next, pick some strategic locations for hand sanitizing stations around the showroom. Finally, get rid of any refreshments or snacks that aren’t individually packaged and restock.
6. Time for Reopening
Once you have your dealership key management system in place and the facilities are cleaned, it’s time to consider reopening. However, you have a few more steps to take. Start by planning out your “Reopening Event.” You can promote this on your dealership social media pages, website and send out a customer email.
Additionally, you want to make sure your customers understand the changes and what it means for them. Share an email with your audience, outlining the changes to your dealership and the new customer experience.
Finally, finish off the dealership with some eye-catching decorations. Balloons and signage are imperative to let local traffic know that you are open. You want to create an attractive, inviting environment to draw car buyers in.
Reopen Your Dealership Seamlessly
There’s no question that you have a lot to think about right now. That’s why it’s essential for you to find ways to simplify the process. One way to make life easier for your employees and customers is with a key control system. With a completely automated Keycafe system, you don’t have to worry about tracking inventory anymore. Our system ensures that keys are where they are supposed to be at all times.
Plus, you can provide contactless test drives and delivery of the vehicles for your customers. This added touch doesn’t just free up your sales team but also brings peace of mind to your clients.
With some careful planning, the appropriate solutions and some diligence, you can relaunch with complete success. Set yourself apart from the competition with your state-of-the-art dealership that knows how to roll with the changes.
