In the closing session of the 2023 BHPH Dealer Forum, dealers started sharing the best ideas and tips from the roundtables.
When the microphone came to Billie Northern of Auto Express of Hamilton in Ohio, the controller spoke on how a transformation started in the dealership when they added Coach Carol to the roster.
Coach Carol Williams, a professional counselor, has helped the dealership with communication along with providing an outlet for employees to talk to about what’s going on in their lives. The opportunity has helped the dealership not only pick up communication skills to make it more efficient but it has helped retain employees.
“We’ve had less turnover because someone doesn’t want to work here,” Northern said. “When it comes to morale. When someone is coming in and getting overwhelmed because they don’t know everyone, it makes everyone more comfortable to ask for help when they need it.”
The tip was one of several offered by dealers during the roundtables at last year’s Dealer Forum to help dealerships retain and attract employees during a tight labor market from adjusting hours of operation to pay. With unemployment around 4 percent and hundreds of thousands of jobs being added each month over the past year, dealerships have joined many small businesses in trying to find unique ways to keep employees.
Northern said they originally brought in Coach Carol once per month and then once per quarter to be available to meet with anyone at the office.
“She would be in an office and at everyone’s disposal,” Northern explained. “Whoever wanted to speak to her about things they had going on in their life, they would be able to go and talk to her…She’s really great at making you more comfortable because she’s legitimately a real person. She goes through things in her life, her marriage and her job. She uses those things as tools that teach people better ways to handle situations.”
See full story in the November issue of UCD.
