Fixed Ops Journal - August 2022 - F17

FEEDBACK IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Female or male service
adviser? Either one is fi ne
D
E
o women prefer dealing with
other women in the service
drive?
An overwhelming majority
say it doesn't matter, according to a
DealerRater survey conducted for Fixed
Ops Journal in late June.
W hen asked whether they would prefer
a female service adviser when bringing
their vehicle to a dealership for service,
Seven out of 10 women responded that
they had no preference . Th at same ratio
applied for female mass-market and luxury
customers.
Overall, 14 percent of female customers
said they would not prefer a female
service adviser. Th e same percentage of
mass-market customers responded no,
while that number was bumped slightly
higher, to 15 percent, for female luxury
consumers.
Seven percent of overall and mass-market
female customers responded they
would prefer a female service adviser. Six
percent of female luxury customers said
yes. 
NEWSMAKER IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Ford's Toney: Legacy of service
d Roberts remembers the last
thing Ford's head of customer
service Frederiek Toney would
say before ending every talk.
" No matter the audience or venue, he always
ended a presentation with, 'Don't
hesitate to reach out to me if you need
something,' " and then would give out his
work email address, says Roberts,
COO at Bozard Ford-Lincoln in
St. Augustine, Fla.
" We took him up on that off er a
few times at the dealer level, and
he responded almost instantly
with options and solutions each
time. He is certainly a man of his
word. "
Th e last time Toney and Roberts
spoke was early July, when the
Ford executive told him he was
" I've had a great run and it's been an
honor to help develop FCSD into a fi rstclass
organization that is poised for even
greater success, " Toney said in a statement.
" I'm most proud of how we've taken
care of our valued customers and contributed
to the success of Ford by modernizing
and growing key businesses,
like customer services, parts and
accessories. "
Toney will be replaced by Dave
Bozeman, who most recently
was vice president of Amazon
Transportation Services.
Roberts recalled that Toney
Toney: " A man
of his word "
going to retire. A couple of weeks later, the
automaker made it offi cial by announcing
Toney, vice president of the Ford Customer
Service Division, will retire Dec. 1 after
22 years with the company.
Toney, 66, joined Ford in 2000 and has
helped its customer service division become
one of the most diverse units in the
company. He was named one of Automotive
News' inaugural Champions of
Diversity last year.
has spoken at the annual Orlando
Region Parts & Service Club
meeting for the past two years.
He made substantial promises
last year, and came back this
year to " highlight the progress of those
promises, " Roberts says.
Roberts says he'll miss Toney's signature
sayings, including " keeping it real
with ya. " Audiences knew that Toney
would drop educational nuggets into
most conversations, whether addressing
a crowd or having a private conversation.
" You just had to pay attention and listen, "
Roberts says.
- Dan Shine
1939
Dealership service departments today advertise that
they work on all makes and models as a way to
increase revenue and gain new customers who might
eventually buy a new or used vehicle. But this Ford
dealership in Dearborn, Mich., in pre-World War II days
seems to be ahead of the times. In addition to touting
its authorized Ford lubrication, the dealership lets
everyone know all brands are welcome in the service
department.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE COLLECTIONS OF THE HENRY FORD
 We encourage you to submit photos for Fixed
in Time. Send images to foj@autonews.com.
AUGUST 2022 PAGE 17
Gender neutral
Q: Do you prefer interacting with a female service
adviser when servicing your vehicle?
OVERALL
No preference 71%
14%
No
Yes
7%
Not applicable 8%
MASS-MARKET
71%
14%
7%
8%
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% because of rounding.
Source: DealerRater survey conducted June 20-29 of 6,311 female
consumers who visited new-vehicle dealerships.
LUXURY
71%
15%
6%
9%
FIXED IN TIME
Fixed Ops Journal - August 2022

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