Nearly 49% of your dealership’s gross profit comes from service.
Yet most stores still spend the bulk of their time, attention, and budget chasing front-end volume.
In a market squeezed by tariffs and high interest rates, that imbalance gets risky fast.
The truth? The most dependable, controllable profit is already inside your four walls—in fixed ops. But every time a follow-up is missed or a milestone slips through the cracks, that profit quietly walks out the door.
We're not talking small change. Just one missed RO a day can add up to $20,000-80,000 per rooftop, every year.
If no one’s reaching out when it’s time for a 30K service, a brake check at 40K, or a battery replacement at 50K, you’re not just missing repair orders, you’re losing loyal customers to shops that made it easier to say yes.
Those milestone moments are more than maintenance, they're built-in opportunities to win the next visit. But they only convert when someone’s paying attention, reaching out with the right message, and making the return to your service lane effortless.
“A strong Service BDC isn’t an expense—it’s a revenue engine.”
— Jen Suzuki, Automotive Trainer & Industry Expert
Your Service Lane Is Working, But Is It Working Smart?
Most service departments are already doing everything they can to keep up. But keeping up isn’t the same as capitalizing.
According to industry expert Jen Suzuki in this CBT News video, that’s exactly why the Service BDC is “the heartbeat of the dealership.” It keeps the fixed ops engine running by making sure customers don’t just get serviced once, they keep coming back.
The problem? Too many stores still treat BDCs like a nice-to-have, until missed ROs and silent databases start showing up on the financial statement.
It happens in three ways:
- You don’t have a service BDC at all, so outreach is “whenever someone has time”
- You do have a team, but they’re covering too much ground and can’t follow up consistently
- You rely on advisors to do outbound calls, and they simply don’t have the bandwidth
And each one of those scenarios leads to the same result: you lose service revenue to silence.
The Service Drive Is No Longer Just Support—It’s a Profit Pillar
When nearly half your profitability is tied to service, the service lane becomes one of the biggest opportunities you have.
Missing just one oil change a day can cost you $1,700/month in gross profit per rooftop. And the strongest operators are realizing that retention is all about timing, tone, and consistency.
That’s what Ikon’s Smart Marketing Service BDC was built for. Not to compete with your team, but to enhance their abilities.
It works like this:
- We track service milestones tied to actual mileage, not just time
- We send messages and make calls that feel like they’re coming from your team
- We fill in when your team’s short or slammed
- We make calls, book appointments, and get customers back in your lane
No new platform. No re-training. No “vendor feel.” Just quiet efficiency in the background, keeping your bays full and your staff sane.
Why It Works for Stores Like Yours
You don’t need to blow up your process. You just need to make sure someone’s calling the right people at the right time.
Let’s talk about how Ikon’s Smart Marketing team can quietly plug into your ops, cover your blind spots, and give you back control of your service revenue—without adding stress or overhead.
Because the next best customer isn’t someone new. It’s someone you already served.
