Imagine walking into your service department and feeling confident that every operational aspect is optimized for peak profitability. Yet, for many dealerships, this vision feels out of reach as they grapple with increasing costs, competitive pressures, and the constant challenge of retaining both customers and technicians. The stakes are high; with U.S. dealerships having lost 12% of the service visit market share to independents since 2018, there's a pressing need to recalibrate and innovate. The good news is that with strategic enhancements and a focus on key performance metrics, dealerships can transform their service departments into robust profit centers. This blog post will unveil a comprehensive playbook designed to supercharge your service department's profitability. From leveraging the latest in AI call handling to refining your service menu to cater to price-sensitive clients, we'll explore practical steps to increase customer-pay dollars per RO by 10–20%—all without expanding your technician roster. You'll gain insights into crafting a seamless service journey that maximizes customer satisfaction while simultaneously cutting cycle times. Moreover, we'll delve into the industry KPIs that correlate most strongly with achieving 100%+ fixed absorption, ensuring your department not only meets but exceeds financial targets. By the end of this read, you'll have a clear roadmap for action, ready to implement strategies that will redefine your dealership's service profitability.