The Communication Breakdown
If your service department feels chaotic, unorganized, and full of finger-pointing, there’s a good chance your service manager is FAILING, and it all starts with communication.
As a service manager, communication isn’t just part of the job… it is the job. And the foundation of that communication comes down to one non-negotiable habit: the daily huddle.
This is a hill I will live and die on.
Daily huddles are the single greatest way to turn your business around.
A Real Story: From Dead Last to Number One
About a year ago, I took over our collision center after making a management change. I’ll be honest, I didn’t know much about the body shop world. But I did know this: when the workflow stretches across multiple days and departments, you better be communicating daily.
So, we started holding huddles every single morning at 9AM. Just a short 5–7 minute meeting. Fast-forward one year, and that same shop went from dead last in the State Farm program to NUMBER ONE.
We didn’t add more people. We didn’t build a new building. We just started talking.
Now, we’ve brought that same concept to our mechanical shops—and you can tell immediately which managers run huddles and which don’t. The ones that do? Their shops are cleaner, their teams are tighter, and their numbers are better.
This is REAL DATA …. Started at the bottom now we here
What Happens in a Daily Huddle?
It’s simple.
A daily huddle is a 5–7 minute team sync where everyone gets on the same page.
Here’s what it accomplishes:
Accountability: Everyone needs to be on time. (I used to make my team do 10 pushups for every minute late … it worked!)
Artist rendering of real events.
Team Connection: If someone’s 16 minutes late, guess what? The team does 160 pushups together. It becomes a moment, not a punishment.
Cross-Department Alignment: Have a rep from parts and at least one advisor present so the entire operation is connected.
Feedback Forum: Employees rarely give feedback unless they’re given a space to do it. The huddle is that space.
Use it to surface small issues before they become big problems—like when a tech notices the brake flush machine wasn’t put back properly or a stall light is out. Discuss it, decide who’s handling it, and move on.
Then, the next day, your service manager should follow up with results. This builds trust, ownership, and momentum.
Tips to Improve Communication with Daily Huddles
✅ Same Time, Every Day: Consistency builds culture. Make it non-negotiable.
✅ Keep It Short: No more than 7 minutes. Respect your team’s time.
✅ Rotate Speakers: Let advisors or techs occasionally lead—ownership grows engagement.
✅ End with Action Items: Write down tasks, assign ownership, and follow up the next day.
✅ Celebrate Wins: End on a high note—acknowledge yesterday’s success or a great CSI comment.
The Bottom Line
If your service manager isn’t holding daily huddles, he’s not managing—he’s reacting.
Daily huddles are a non-negotiable.
They’re the fastest way to fix communication, boost accountability, and create momentum in your store.
So why is your service manager FAILING?
Because he doesn’t do daily huddles.
Part 2 tomorrow… 😁
Thanks for reading the DealerPlateGuy Newsletter.
Found it useful? Pass it on. Let’s change the industry together.
— DealerPlateGuy
Fixed Ops Director | Creator | “Making fun of an industry I’m trying to change.”