Building a successful Business Development Center (BDC) is crucial for managing leads, improving customer engagement, and increasing revenue. Yet, many dealerships see their BDCs struggle or fail entirely due to one critical mistake: hiring the wrong BDC manager.
A poor BDC manager weakens processes, lowers employee morale, and causes inefficiencies that lead to unanswered calls, long wait times, lost business, and high employee turnover.
The good news? With the right hiring strategy and operational support, you can ensure your BDC thrives. Here’s how:
Don’t restrict your search to candidates with automotive experience. The right leadership qualities matter more than industry knowledge. Skills like integrity, adaptability, tenacity, and self-motivation are key indicators of a great BDC leader.
Before hiring, create a list of must-have leadership traits and structure interview questions around these qualities. You need a leader who motivates and inspires, not just someone to delegate tasks.
Even the best BDC manager will struggle without proper support. Ensure your sales and service managers understand the BDC’s role and collaborate in setting up seamless inbound and outbound call processes.
A modern BDC needs software that integrates with your DMS, centralizes data, and automates campaigns. The system should track key metrics like:
These analytics help structure commission and bonus plans accurately, keeping employees motivated and improving retention.
Many contact management systems include training during implementation—make sure you choose a vendor that supports your dealership’s processes rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all approach.
Ongoing coaching is just as important. Schedule weekly check-ins with agents to ensure they’re confident in their roles. Gradually, these sessions can become less frequent, but they’re vital for the first few months to build momentum and morale.
Many dealerships believe that outsourcing is the only way to handle overflow calls and long-term lead follow-ups. However, with the right BDC software, your team can efficiently manage these tasks in-house—eliminating the need for third-party call centers.
With Volie, your BDC agents have the tools to handle every call effectively, improving customer engagement and increasing revenue—all without outsourcing.
Your BDC manager directly impacts customer experience, sales, and profitability. Don’t make the costly mistake of hiring the wrong person. Instead:
A well-led BDC with the right technology can be one of your dealership’s greatest assets. Make sure yours is set up for success.