With more than 100 dealerships spread coast to coast, Hendrick Automotive Group wanted to deliver the same experience for all customers contacting one of its stores.
To provide the training, Hendrick Automotive Group worked with RockED to develop an Inbound Sales Call Certification that has improved appointment and show rates at a majority of its stores.
Driving the news: Hendrick and RockED developed a 90-minute annual certification for team members to build conversation skills for working with customers.
It is for new and veteran employees.
The training is specifically designed to allow employees to fit training into the busy dealership environment, with employees developing skills in small increments on their mobile devices.
Employees are encouraged to complete 10 minutes of training per day.
“In today's extremely busy dealership environment, we find that, on average, just learners, across all spaces, have about 24 minutes a week of formal training and development,” David Thompson, Hendrick Automotive Group, senior manager of learning innovation and performance, told CDG News. “I think our teammates are no exception to that. So we find that if we can communicate with them, give them training and development in that two- to five-minute time span, it fits in whether they’re on the service drive or if they’re in between client ups or even if they’re technicians between ROs. It’s a space that works for them and meets them in their busy schedules.”
How it works: The certification program is in addition to Hendrick’s extensive training program, including its Hendrick University and F&I academy.
The RockED program, Thompson said, filled a gap by reinforcing skills across the entire organization.
Lessons are crafted for every teammate based on their industry experience and role and adapt in real time to market changes, including role plays.
The lessons include video guides, multiple-choice knowledge checks, and an AI conversation practice center.
The car business moves fast. Stay ahead.
The most important insights from automotive retail, delivered to your inbox daily.
Join 74,000 others now, it's free:
“One of the really powerful things that RockED has done for us is we've tied it into our CRM. So for our service advisors, and this is something we're just rolling out on a small scale, but we can actually see the performance of a teammate through our CRM, and it will recommend training based on those areas of opportunity and reinforce those areas of expertise so that it's not just a kind of blanket prescription of training,” Thompson said.
Deeper dive: Thompson said the tailored training to individual roles has helped with consistent communication and service experience for customers.
“If we can coach and develop them, they can then take care of our customers,” he said. “Nothing happens till we service or sell a car, and the way to do that is first and foremost by taking care of our customers.”
Lessons paying off: The initial results showed meaningful improvement across participating dealerships, with more than 60% of stores measured seeing an increase in appointment set and show rates.
Thompson noted that the top-performing teammates who have completed the certification have doubled their appointments and maintained a high show rate.
“We've set an appointment in a manner that they're showing up because they've seen the value in how we're going to take care of them as a Hendrick customer,” Thompson said.
Bottom line: Adapting and developing education that fits around their employees, Hendrick Automotive Group has found increased performance in helping customers and improving the business.
“If we can engage with them in a manner that's repetitious and micro, we can learn and retain more in less time overall,” Thompson said. “So it's a win-win for everybody.”
A quick word from our partner
Don't Let Fraud Drive Away Your Profits.
Fake IDs. Inflated income. Fraudulent deals. Your dealership's gross is on the line. Experian Automotive's Fraud Protect™ helps you spot red flags early with one simple mobile workflow that verifies customer identity and income—without slowing down the sale. Plus, trade-in ownership and insurance verification are coming soon. Catch fraud early. Protect your gross. Keep deals moving.
