Car dealerships sometimes face unpredictable circumstances. Most urgent among them are employee no-shows or spontaneous resignations that can leave the managing staff in a sticky situation.
During these times, fill-in F&I specialists can ensure that the workday continues without a hitch. Keep reading to find out more about fill-in F&I specialists and why you should keep them on call.
What is a fill-in F&I specialist?
An F&I specialist brokers financing and insurance deals between dealerships and their customers. Their primary objective is to protect the interests of the business, but they're also tasked with making sure customers walk away feeling thoroughly satisfied and informed by their insurance options. A fill-in F&I specialist is an independent contractor that provides as-needed service to a company when the resident specialist is out or otherwise occupied.
Benefits of an F&I Specialist
Employee no-shows are a part of every dealership, but the void that F&I specialists leave is far-reaching. Often, they are the last person that the customer sees before completing their purchase.
If a specialist takes off (or can't come in) for just one day, it compromises every sale made in their absence. By having an F&I specialist on call, you can ensure that the business will continue to operate as usual.
Every business has areas where talent can be borrowed to account for sudden absences, but when it comes to financing and insurance, failure to provide accurate, legal, and compliant information to the customer could cost the dealership a lot of money. Therefore, it's best to leave that to the experts who've been trained specifically in those areas.
Dealerships have many moving parts. From sales to part technicians to HR consultants, each employee serves a vital role in the well-being of the business. However, that doesn't mean that all positions carry the same weight.
F&I specialists are experts who hold special, unique, and complicated knowledge crucial to the operation of the business. By keeping them on hand, upper management can rest easy knowing that such an important department will be covered when unexpected circumstances arise.
Contact us to learn more tips about keeping your dealership running at optimal performance - - no matter what may come up.