Leveraging Parts and Service Alignment for Peak Fixed Ops Performance
Exploring how SparkServ’s all-in-one platform is empowering fixed ops departments to align service capacity with demand, optimize parts inventory usage and deliver proactive customer outreach that keeps service bays full and technicians engaged.
Fixed operations have become the lifeblood of dealership profitability, especially as vehicle margins shrink and service demand continues to rise. In 2025, consumer spending on service operations is projected to exceed $400 billion, representing a 50 percent increase from 2021 to 2023, according to Cox Automotive.
In today’s competitive market, the Service BDC team is responsible for more than scheduling appointments. They usher in workflow and shape the performance of the entire fixed ops department. However, most Fixed Operations leaders report 3 primary challenges: parts availability, service technician retention and low appointment volumes.
For many, the widening gap between service demand and certified technicians ready to meet these jobs makes retaining talent another major issue. Often, without consistently full service bays, these technicians are likely to attrit to other dealerships promising them more labor hours and higher earnings.
To combat these challenges, Fixed Ops leaders are increasingly looking to their Service BDC to ensure that their service bays are full and their technicians well-fed. By weaponizing the Service BDC and scheduling new appointments to optimize near-term shop capacity, dealerships can not only improve their bottom line, but also ensure that technicians are satisfied with a steady stream of work.
Similarly, Parts efficiency also has an enormous impact on the bottom line, yet the connection between Service BDC and Parts is almost nonexistent for most retail auto dealers. However, innovative dealers have found that when the Service BDC reaches out based on available parts inventory matched with relevant customer needs, they stop functioning as a basic scheduling hub and become a true engine for revenue. With the right systems in place, they can prevent inefficiencies, reduce obsolescence and ensure that special order parts are never left on the shelves.
SparkServ has prioritized this active approach to customer scheduling as the primary revenue driver for fixed ops departments in utilizing our all-in-one approach to lead generation. By providing a seamless connection between service needs, parts inventory and technician availability, SparkServ equips dealerships with the tools to make the most out of every opportunity.
Through using SparkServ, Service BDC teams can track real-time parts availability, anticipate future service needs and schedule appointments with precision. The integration of customer history allows for personalized outreach, targeting clients with relevant offers based on their vehicle’s maintenance needs and existing parts inventory. This level of foresight minimizes inefficiencies, reduces the risk of stockpiled parts and creates an optimized workflow that keeps service bays busy and technicians engaged.
“This approach is critical to maintaining profitability in today’s market,” said SparkServ CEO & Co-Founder McKenna Valley. “Dealerships can no longer afford to operate in vacuums. The ability to align inventory, appointments and technician schedules not only reduces costs but ensures that every piece of inventory is leveraged effectively, turning potential losses into opportunities for new work.”
Additionally, SparkServ’s predictive technology provides valuable insights into service demand trends, allowing Service BDC teams to anticipate peak periods and adjust resources accordingly. This level of insight leads to a more balanced and efficient operation, where service bays are consistently full, parts are efficiently used and technicians are always in high demand. The result is an environment where the risk of service slowdowns or technician turnover is minimized, customer satisfaction is elevated and dealership profitability sees sustainable growth.
Ultimately, SparkServ’s platform empowers dealerships to optimize their fixed ops departments, creating a seamless flow between service scheduling, parts management and customer engagement. This holistic approach not only drives revenue but also cultivates long-term relationships with customers, positioning dealerships as leaders in both service excellence and operational efficiency.
How SparkServ Transforms BDC Training
Examining how fixed operations have become a key revenue source for dealerships and how SparkServ’s integrated tech platform is helping streamline operations, reduce training time and improve appointment scheduling and lead generation to drive profitability.
Over the past five years, high vehicle prices—inflated by global inventory shortages—have been a major source of dealership profitability. However, as supply chains stabilize, dealerships have been feeling the impact on their bottom lines. According to the 2024 Presidio-NCM Average Dealership Performance Benchmark Report, industry profits declined 30.4 percent in the first nine months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
The bright spot, however, has been fixed operations. While new and used vehicle sales have declined over the past year, fixed operations have actually grown, increasing 5.4 percent in 2024 according to findings in the same report.
“When variable [cost] goes down, fixed sticks around,” said George Karolis, president of The Presidio Group, in an interview with WardsAuto. According to Karolis, fixed operations have provided dealerships with a “stable floor” for doing business, as consumers today are keeping their vehicles for longer and servicing them more regularly.
These transactions, which include service appointments and parts sales, comprise the majority of dealership gross-profits, 49.6 percent according to NADA. As a major revenue source, owners today must empower their fixed operations staff to be as effective as possible at turning inbound inquiries into booked appointments.
However, industry data shows that fixed ops staff face high rates of burnout and attrition, with 40 percent of BDC reps actually leaving the role before completing six months. As the six-month mark is typically when these employees start to maximize productivity, losing them before this critical juncture leaves dealerships with a lost investment in training and, more importantly, unrealized revenue.
SparkServ has been able to provide a solution for getting reps onboarded faster, booking appointments earlier on and lowering attrition rates. SparkServ streamlines operations with a fully integrated tech stack that connects manufacturer data, lead generation and outbound appointment scheduling—bridging a previously disjointed process.
“We are seeing dealerships using our software speed up their onboarding process by 30 percent,” said SparkServ CEO & Co-Founder McKenna Valley. “This gets these service BDC reps scheduling real appointments quicker, and lowers rep turnover while generating hundreds of additional service appointments during the onboarding period.”
By consolidating operations onto one platform, SparkServ has simplified the training process while eliminating the need for additional costly software like BDC Central and CDK. Dealerships that have transferred over to SparkServ have been able to realize an average of $58,000 in annual software savings while increasing productivity.
“Dealerships using our platform have seen huge improvements in savings and productivity,” said Valley. “SparkServ makes it easier to onboard, boosts appointment volume and streamlines operations to make reps more productive than ever before. We’ve seen 53 percent improvements in the performance of previously bottom-ranking reps, just on account of using our software.”
Through reducing training time, increasing retention and maximizing efficiency, SparkServ empowers service BDC teams to drive higher revenue and long-term profitability. To learn how SparkServ can help your dealership streamline operations and improve performance, click here to schedule a demo today.