Allie Peters, Fixed Ops Director, Cavender Auto Group

Kyle Mountsier: 0:00This is in the dirt with ASOTU. All right, I'mPaul Daly: 0:05

here with probably more of a friend than actually our LinkedIn profiles would reflect because we're not connected. But we're about to be this is Allie Peters with the Cavender. Auto Group. And I believe you are our first fixed ops director on this podcast.

Allie Peters: 0:19

Well, thank you, this is an honor. Appreciate it.

Paul Daly: 0:21

She also wants to make it very clear. She's the fixed ops director of one Cavender store, not all the cabinet, which stores that.

Allie Peters: 0:28

And with the Jaguar Land Rover store, and CNN bougie. I mean, just a little, said just a little.

Paul Daly: 0:35

So let us know. So you're in fixed ops, there's a lot of talk in fixed operations about you know, like making that very substantive part, what is the substantive part? But there's a lot more focus on it in recent years, because of what happened with sales in inventory. How has that affected your perspective on the department?

Allie Peters: 0:53

So honestly, I don't necessarily know that it changed my perspective. But it has made me more proud to be a fixed ops director, because I finally feel like we have the support of everyone that's outside of fix ops.

Paul Daly: 1:06

So now everyone else is like, oh, that's what you've been saying. Yeah. Oh,

Allie Peters: 1:10

fix ops. It's important. Oh, yes. Great.

Paul Daly: 1:13

Not as fun.

Allie Peters: 1:14

Right. Right. It depends on who's doing it. Right. But yeah, no, absolutely. So now, I mean, even just the value in what we do, you know, we learned about six absorption when we're growing up as a manager in this role. And now finally, other people realize, Oh, hey, it is important. And you do bring value. And what you do back there to maintain and retain these customers and provide the experience actually helps us on the front and helps us in the long term. So it's been fun, I think, for everyone else to have a perspective shift on how important fixed Ops is.

Paul Daly: 1:46

Okay, what is what is the way you lead your department when it comes to how people feel when they have an experience? And your service department? Yeah, so

Allie Peters: 1:55

people is my favorite thing, my favorite topic. I mean, y'all shared last night, it was my favorite of. So for me, it's all about taking care of our associates, and sincerely making them want to be at work. So understanding who they are as people and how they fit into the puzzle piece of our department. Because I sincerely believe if you take care of people, they're going to take care of people. And so that ultimately is an extension of me and my desire for that exceptional customer experience through our associates and our team. Okay, so

Paul Daly: 2:25

with that, with that kind of like premise being set. What other industries do you look to to do? Or if you don't want to put words in your mouth? Do you look to other industries to inform the way you treat people or the way you treat customers coming in? Or even your own team? Yes,

Allie Peters: 2:41

it's a really great question. I think for me, I will say that sometimes it's very small. So like Chick fil A, we love that we love that process. We love it that structure that consistency. How people care, or at least I as a consumer feel that they care about me even if they really don't

Paul Daly: 2:56

I always go in there and I feel like hey, you really are happy. My order, clear my greasy waffle for our tray away from me, right? Actually,

Allie Peters: 3:05

I want people who care about people. I like the idea and I guess maybe that's it the consistency piece I like when I go into other places. Whether that's an Apple store or heb in Texas shout out there is just that experience that you get were the people that work there feel like they want to be there. Oh,

Paul Daly: 3:23

is that it? Because I've never I never knew whether you pronounce it heb Oh, yeah, he is he has initials. Okay. And so when you walk in there, you're saying there's a there's like Chick fil A vibes.

Allie Peters: 3:33

Yeah, absolutely. So when you talk to people who work there, they're very nice. They're very caring. They're sincere. When you talk to people about working there. They can't say enough about how wonderful they feel treated and how they feel valued. So I think

Paul Daly: 3:45

try to do try to hire people

Allie Peters: 3:46

from there. So I do. Have I actually met someone that was high up. I was like, I'm so sorry, but I really liked taking your time. I do because I do I just like I said, I think that if you find people who care about people, we can put them in the process and they can be successful in the car business. I think that's

Paul Daly: 4:05

okay, so here we are. We're a digital dealer. In Tampa, my first time you Oh, really? Riverside digital dearly. Yes. And you get the interview

Allie Peters: 4:12

and all the whole experience. Oh, fun.

Paul Daly: 4:14

Yesterday, you went to the mastermind, which was a new thing for them. And they had how many people? Do you feel like in the room about 80? Yeah, didn't dealers in the room, and they had two people to kind of like emceeing the event they did. What were your big takeaways from that time?

Allie Peters: 4:27

So I think for me, it was reassurance and what we're currently doing at my store, and in my group, which is great, which is talking about taking care of people in that in that employee retention piece, because if you make a great place to work, people want to work there and the people want to bring their friends you know, I feel very, very grateful. I'm actually not in the majority right now. We're talking about recruiting technicians, actually more technicians and I have work.

Paul Daly: 4:50

She just said she has more technicians than you have worked. I haven't heard that said from anyone in the auto industry in at least two years. I

Allie Peters: 4:58

know and I feel like I need to knock on wood. Literally cross the fingers that doing something right so well in the last six editions our team were referrals from people who work on our team, they go so I felt really good about that. And I think for me, I learned a lot about the marketing space. I'm not as familiar or comfortable in that. And so I even learned like CTA means call to action. I love it. I knew what a call to action. I just never have heard it in an acronym form. I love it. Yeah, so I think for me, it was a like marketing one on one I got some really good information that I'm gonna go talk to Kobe about and say, I know you know this, but now I know

Paul Daly: 5:33

how much I know. Well, thank you so much for giving us a few minutes today. I love your energy and your enthusiasm for fixed up.

Allie Peters: 5:38

I appreciate it. Thank you.

Kyle Mountsier: 5:41

Thank you for listening to in the dirt with a soda. We love the automotive industry and the people who make it run day in and day out. We would love to connect with you more through our daily dose of fun, a free email that you can sign up for at a sowden.com That's a s o t u.com. We put our heart and soul into it every day. Thanks again for listening. Join us next time for more Conversations in the dirt with a soda

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