Reduced employee loyalty, no job security and increased competition for good employees are all reasons why it is a challenge for dealers to keep quality employees in the detail departments.

As detail employees enhance their skills, they will relocate from one dealership to another for better pay and treatment.

This situation is costing dealers’ money. It costs money to hire, train and retrain detail employees. The situation is sure not like it was a few years ago when there were more employees than jobs.

As a dealer principal or general manager, have you ever taken the time to ask your detail manager how things are going only to get a grunt and shrug of the shoulders? Do you ever feel that your detail employees would rather be left alone than have you or anyone checking on them? Do they do things “their way” instead of your way? Do you even have a way? If this might describe your situation, then you may be looking at an exodus of detail employees. To prevent this, you need to do something to motivate and retain your existing detail employees.

You don’t care. This doesn’t matter, you’ll replace them in a week! But if you care, read on.

Employee turnover in your detail department affects your dealership more than you realize. The costs associated with recruiting and training new employees and the impact turnover has on quality can be felt.

For example, if your sales people know there is high turnover in the detail shop, their confidence in the detail work will diminish, and so will their sales. Even though your detail employees are not usually responsible for car sales, they do play a direct role in sales.

When working with detail employees, you have to realize that this type of worker often thinks and acts differently than other dealership employees. As a result, most dealers aren’t certain how to deal with them. They soon discover that the incentives that motivate employees in other departments don’t necessarily work with detail employees. So a dealer must learn the techniques that motivate a detail employee. The following are some incentives that will help you motivate your current detail staff and encourage them to stay with your dealership.

Provide Adequate Equipment

Detail employees would like to have the latest innovations in equipment, not just a 10-pound electric buffer, shop vacuum and soil extractor. While the dealer will think of detail technology simply as the tools to get the job done, the detailer looks at new technology as a way to be more productive. And if they are working on a flat rate or by the car, productivity is critical.

The best way  to keep detailers content and eager to work for your dealership is to provide them with the best and latest tools and technology. It also shows you care.

A good detail employee will be highly motivated by having the most advanced detail equipment available. If they aren’t, they shouldn’t be working for you. For the good detailer, the more advanced the equipment is, the more willing they’ll be to do the work that’s necessary.

Provide Rewards

Rewarding detail employees goes a long way in keeping them motivated. In addition to the common rewards, such as comp time and bonuses, consider giving more unusual rewards, such as the use of a loaner car for a weekend or a dinner out with the wife or girlfriend, etc. Also, recognition within the dealership is an unbelievable motivation for detailers, such as a photo and plaque that says “Employee of the Month.”

In most cases, the cost for any of these rewards is an extremely low price to pay for a motivated employee. And since most workers talk, the public recognition you will get as being a progressive, leading-edge employer will be priceless. When other skilled detailers learn of the perks you provide, they will be doing all they can to become part of your dealership.

Give Them an Opportunity to Learn New Skills

Too many dealerships are fearful of spending any money on training for their detail employees. They mistakenly believe that if they send their detailers to training seminars to learn new skills, the employees will master the new skill at the dealership’s expense and then leave to work for themselves or another dealership. While this could happen, if your employees are motivated to work for you in the first place, they will be eager to put these new skills to use in your dealership.

What is more important is if you neglect to keep your detail employees abreast of the latest technology, you run the risk of turning out bad work. As the automobile businesses become more competitive, successful dealerships will have employees with the most up-to-date skills and knowledge. That’s why continually training and educating your detail employees is a must.

On the same note, if you send your detail employees for training, be sure the new skills they learn will be of value to your dealership. Having them learn new detailing skills using equipment you don’t have only makes them anxious to find a shop that has it, which means they might leave your dealership.

If your detailers approach you about training, acknowledge that training is a good idea and then find training that will be beneficial to you and the employee. By doing so, you’ll be keeping your employees happy while guiding them to the most essential training opportunities.

Challenge Your Detail Employees

If you don’t give your detail employees enough work to keep them stimulated, they’re going to lose interest in your dealership and leave. Likewise, if you give them too much work and stretch their capabilities too far, they’ll become frustrated and quit. The key is to create a balance that pushes them to do more yet doesn’t overburden them.

As today’s economic climate continues to fluctuate, dealerships will continue to need the most skilled detail employees to stay competitive. So, in order to keep your employees motivated and turnover low, equipment, rewards, education and challenges are the concepts that you have to master. When you take the time to provide these little extras for your detail staff, they’ll reciprocate by remaining valuable members of your team.