What if the biggest competitive advantage in Fixed Ops isn’t technology… but hospitality?

That’s the question at the heart of this episode of the Fixed Ops Roundtable, and once you hear this conversation, you won’t look at porters, greeters, car wash, or pickup & delivery the same way again.

In this episode, I’m joined by Brandon Hall, Vice President of Alliance Dealer Solutions, alongside my co-host Sarah Vantine, for a wide-ranging, high-energy conversation about why hospitality has become the new currency in today’s dealership experience. Brandon pulls back the curtain on how Alliance partners with dealerships across the country to help them focus on what they do best, selling and fixing cars, while his team elevates everything that surrounds that moment.

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What we discuss in this episode:

• Why hospitality isn’t just for front-of-house roles, and how it impacts CSI more than most dealers realize
• The real difference between a staffing partner and a temp agency (this one’s big)
• How seamless integration makes Alliance team members feel like dealership employees, not outsiders
• Why greeting, cleanliness, and the handoff experience can make or break a customer relationship
• How pickup & delivery unlocks technician capacity, scheduling flexibility, and customer loyalty
• The behind-the-scenes systems Alliance uses to train, measure, and coach for quality, without a “gotcha” culture
• How dealerships can adapt to seasonal labor challenges without sacrificing consistency

This episode is packed with practical insight, real-world examples, and a refreshing perspective on people, process, and culture. If you’ve ever felt the tension between wanting an elevated guest experience and struggling to staff, train, or manage those roles effectively, this conversation is for you.

Hit play to hear why hospitality is no longer a “nice to have,” how it’s reshaping Fixed Ops, and what forward-thinking dealers are doing right now to stand out.

Listen to the episode featuring Brandon Hall for even more insights!

Enjoying The Fixed Ops Roundtable Podcast? Please leave a rating and review 👇

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fixed-ops-roundtable/id1608656237

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/15HHYoyvCo1PSFwYn02UXY

Thanks, Brandon Hall

Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable:

• Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable Event
• Ted Ings on LinkedIn
• Center for Performance Improvement

What if the “fixed costs” you’ve accepted for years… aren’t actually fixed at all?

That’s the question that kicks off this episode, and trust me, once we pulled on that thread, the whole sweater started to unravel.

In this Fixed Ops Roundtable conversation, I’m joined by Steve Thompson of Integrity Cost Consulting, Shon Kingrey from Kayser Automotive Group, along with Sarah Vantine, and we go straight at one of the most dangerous assumptions in dealership operations: that overhead is just the cost of doing business and not worth revisiting.

Spoiler alert: that assumption is costing dealers a lot more than they realize.

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What we discuss in this episode:

• Why “fixed costs” are often anything but fixed, and how contract drift quietly eats away at profitability
• Real-world stories of uniforms, laundry, telecom, waste, and utilities ballooning without anyone noticing
• Shon’s no-BS take on contracts, guarantees, and why “handshakes” sometimes outperform legal fine print
• How small, unchecked line items turn into six-figure losses across multi-rooftop groups
• The power of benchmarking beyond your own stores, and why most dealers are benchmarking the wrong way
• How Steve’s team finds refunds, negotiates better rates, and monitors vendors so dealers don’t have to
• Why saving money isn’t just about dollars, it’s about what those dollars can fund: people, growth, and peace of mind

There’s a moment in this conversation where it really hits you:

A few percentage points here and there can equal an entire employee, or more, every single year.

If you’re building budgets, planning for 2026, or just trying to protect profitability in a tighter market, this episode will absolutely challenge how you think about expenses you’ve probably ignored for far too long.

Listen to the episode featuring Steve Thompson & Shon Kingrey for even more insights!

Enjoying The Fixed Ops Roundtable Podcast? Please leave a rating and review 👇

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fixed-ops-roundtable/id1608656237

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/15HHYoyvCo1PSFwYn02UXY

Thanks, Steve Thompson & Shon Kingrey

Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable:

• Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable Event
• Ted Ings on LinkedIn
• Center for Performance Improvement

What if the last thing your customer experiences, 'the payment' became one of your biggest competitive advantages?

In this episode of the Fixed Ops Roundtable, we sit down with Randy Modos, Co-Founder and President of PayJunction, for a conversation that goes way beyond credit card terminals and transaction fees. This is about friction, freedom of choice, and the future of fixed ops profitability, all without sacrificing CSI.

Joined by Sarah Vantine, Randy and I unpack what a truly frictionless payment experience looks like today, for customers, advisors, controllers, and ownership alike. From text-to-pay and cards on file to no-code integrations and smart surcharging, this conversation hits at the heart of a problem every dealership feels… even if they haven’t fully named it yet.

👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event

What we discuss in this episode:

• What “frictionless” really means, for customers and employees
• Why re-keying data is silently killing efficiency (and morale)
• How no-code payment integrations are giving dealerships back control and choice
• The truth about smart surcharging, and why it doesn’t hurt CSI when done right
• How customer-facing terminals eliminate confusion, compliance risk, and training fatigue
• Why controllers care so deeply about payments (and why you should too)
• Real numbers: how dealers are saving six figures per rooftop annually

This isn’t theory. It’s practical, real-world insight from someone living at the intersection of technology, fixed ops, and dealership economics.

Listen to the episode featuring Randy Modos for even more insights!

Enjoying The Fixed Ops Roundtable Podcast? Please leave a rating and review 👇

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fixed-ops-roundtable/id1608656237

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/15HHYoyvCo1PSFwYn02UXY

Thanks, Randy Modos

Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable:

• Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable Event
• Ted Ings on LinkedIn
• Center for Performance Improvement