At Bozard Ford, our commitment to community has always been paramount. However, a few years ago, we faced a significant challenge in our service department: wait times for appointments stretched for days, an unacceptable situation for our valued customers. We quickly realized that simply adding quick lanes wasn't enough; we needed a more transformative solution.

Our answer was a substantial investment in our Ford Mobile Service fleet, which has now grown to over 40 dedicated vehicles, making it the largest in the country. This initiative has truly been a game-changer for us, kind of like an urgent care network for your vehicle.

Mobile Service: Rapid Triage for Your Time

For us, mobile service is more than just an added offering; it's about fundamentally transforming the customer experience by prioritizing their time. Imagine the anxiety when your Ford's check engine light illuminates, and the dealership tells you a two-week wait for an appointment.

This scenario, and the associated worry about potential major issues, is exactly what our mobile service eliminates. We operate on a "triage" philosophy: if you call today, we aim to be there tomorrow.

This rapid response allows us to quickly assess your vehicle's condition. We can determine if it's safe to drive, if alternative transportation is necessary, or if we can resolve the issue on the spot. If a part is needed but the vehicle is safe, you can continue driving. Once the part arrives, we often return to your home or office for installation. This approach means you stay in your car and get immediate answers. The overwhelmingly positive customer feedback confirms that this level of convenience is truly revolutionary.

A Smarter Business Model: Maximizing Vehicle Health Capacity

Our strategy mirrors a hospital system's model, that utilizes urgent care centers to manage less severe cases. Similarly, our mobile vans, equipped with Wi-Fi, handle minor issues like computer downloads or quick fixes directly at the customer's location. This prevents these simpler tasks from occupying valuable bay space in our main service center.

This strategic division allows our primary service center to focus on its core strengths: major repairs like transmissions and engines, and supporting our used car and accessories departments. It's an efficient approach that maximizes profitability. While our Quick Lane provides fast maintenance, mobile service extends this efficiency by taking an even broader range of services out of the shop, significantly boosting our overall capacity.

The enthusiastic customer response — with 95% of mobile service users calling it "the coolest thing I've ever seen" — underscores the success of this "urgent care" model for vehicles.

Scaling and Future Vision

Managing an operation of this size, with over 40 vehicles, requires a dedicated structure.

We established a separate remote operations director who works alongside our fixed operations director, who keeps the mobile service functioning as its own distinct department, much like a specialized urgent care network.

Our primary measure of success isn't just having the largest fleet but achieving next-day appointments and resolving customer service challenges.

Mobile service offers a scalable, customer-centric alternative to simply building more physical bays, effectively expanding our "healthcare" capacity for vehicles. Our typical service radius is 50 miles, but we've undertaken projects, such as with Walmart, that required sending vans statewide, reaching locations like Tampa and Miami when needed.

We are incredibly optimistic about the future of mobile service because Ford has made it a priority nationwide, and I’m one of nearly 1,900 dealers offering it across the country.

Ford's mobile service network now includes over 4,250 mobile service units performing over 3.8 million remote experience repairs, which leads the industry by quite a margin.

The ultimate goal is to enable customers to order an oil change as easily as ordering an Uber, with the service truck arriving, completing the work, and allowing them to go on with their day seamlessly. The long-term value is clear. The most rewarding feedback is when customers, after experiencing mobile service for the first time, are surprised it costs nothing extra and declare they'll never service their car any other way.

This loyalty confirms we are on the right track, delivering essential "vehicle care" where and when it's needed most.

Jeff King is general manager at Bozard Ford in St. Augustine, FL. The Bozard family has worked to serve their community for three generations and more than 75 years.