A. “Our dealership’s biggest improvement to our service department this year was updating our business management software system. It has taken some of the workload off my shoulders.

“Customers now can stroll up to our parts department and whichever person is working can create the work ticket in the system and it’s ready for the mechanic to print and use. No more losing a valuable paper or confusion as to what machine belongs to which customer.

“It’s the best move we’ve made in a while and customer satisfaction has been the result.”

— Dusty Fussnecker, Fussnecker & Sons Tractor Sales, Ripley, Ohio

A. “We just completed a new 60-foot x 80-foot shop, which almost doubles the amount of shop space we have. We will now have space for more techs and area to service today’s larger equipment.”

— Brice Terry, Terry Implement, Gallatin, Mo.

A. “We started using ‘menu pricing’ for OPE repairs and for routine tractor maintenance in our service department. Customers love it and it has streamlined check-in procedures. It also tends to be more profitable.”

— Mike McCrate, Tulsa New Holland, Tulsa, Okla.

A. “One of the greatest assets to any dealership are the employees, so you want to keep them in the best conditions you can. Your customers help keep the doors open, so why not brighten up the place with good lighting so your customers can see what you are selling easier and your employees are not hurting their eyes struggling to see the equipment they are working on.

“Chances are your local utility company has incentive programs to update to more economical lights. You save on the install and every day you turn them on.”

— Arthur White, White’s Farm Supply, Central New York

A. “In today’s ‘right-now’ society, with the ability to order parts via phone or computer (especially with manufactures selling parts for less), having the parts in stock has become extremely important. We can’t have them all, but we have increased our stock which has increased sales.”

— Michael Grollmus, Al-Joe’s Pet and Garden Centers, Hamilton, Ohio

A. “We have built quick-reference look-ups for maintenance parts and oil capacities. It searches by model number and it cuts our transaction time by as much as 75%. That means we can get customers what they want much more quickly. We can also print them out for the customer. We have seen customers bring their part numbers in with them or order online with us. It also helps with newer parts staff. They don’t have to look up these parts in the typical software. They can get to the info quickly and look more professional without a great deal of experience. This works especially well with homeowners and rural farmers.”

— Aaron Boggs, Finch Services, Westminster, Md.

A. “We just got a new system that lets us put price tags on every part.”

— Scott Sage, Hobby Tractors, Pleasant Grove, Utah

A. “This year, we insulated the shop, expanded it 30%, added a waste oil heater, quadrupled parts warehousing, and added A/C and heat. We also more than quadrupled our parts counter space and added computers and additional points of sale to allow these areas to grow. We also invested in a Heftee lift and a compact shop forklift and added more computers for technicians. We will also be providing uniforms for the parts and service staff.”

— Tim Berman, Big Red’s Equipment, Granbury, Texas