Strategic Plan for Successful BDC Staffing

By Karen Rust, Accounts Director Traver Connect

Staffing your BDC requires a strategic plan to be successful.  When you begin to recruit, you should know how many staff are required, potential call volume and the hours that will need to be covered.  This is essential information to get started.  However, there are daily challenges you must consider.  A few of them are addressed below:

• Training – Ensure your training curriculum and trainer is prepared before you begin the hiring process. This is the first step in a successful BDC setup.  Ongoing training and development will be a must to keep your staff up to date on manufacturers’ products, services and recalls.
• Day to Day Managing – When managing the day to day activities, you will need to make yourself available throughout the day to address concerns and answer questions. This may affect other duties that have been assigned to you.  Consider having a backup for when you are not in the building such as bad weather, vacation, illness, power outages, etc.
• Quality Monitoring – This is one of the most important items you will address on a regular basis. You must have a plan in place to monitor the staffs calls and overall performance as your customers are the heartbeat of the business.  Performing quality checks can be time consuming and mundane but it is a critical part of your BDC’s success.
• Quantity of Calls – Ensuring your staff handles calls in a timely fashion to best serve your customer and the dealership is essential. You will need to monitor the time your staff is available to handle calls to ensure their daily productivity.
• Staff Turnover – Being prepared for staff turnover is vital to running a smooth BDC environment. Your customers will be expecting prompt service and calls handled. Your staffing issues should not be their problem.  Consider having a funnel of qualified applicants that you can interview, hire and train quickly to be prepared as your call volume warrants.

As your business grows, running a successful BDC is crucial in continuing to provide the excellent service that your customer has come to expect from your dealership.