In the ever-evolving automotive industry, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for manufacturers and dealerships alike. That’s why General Motors (GM) introduced the Parts and Service Excellence (PASE) program. More than 90% of GM dealerships participate in the program, which offers incentives to elevate the standard of service they provide. Let’s take a deeper dive into the PASE program and explore why using PASE-approved vendors is a win-win for everyone.

What is the GM PASE Program?

The PASE program is a certification initiative and dealer incentive program by General Motors. It aims to improve the efficiency of GM parts and service operations and ensure that dealerships provide consistent, high-quality after-sales experiences. It does this by focusing on service metrics and conformance objectives, like improving first service, retention, call fail rates, and close rates. Dealerships that meet their PASE goals receive monetary incentives, while those that miss their goals can be penalized.

PASE is one of five GM Dealer Quality programs, which also include the Standards for Excellence (SFE) program, which measures sales performance, and the Essential Brand Elements (EBE) program, which sets brand standards for dealerships. The PASE program launched in April 2018, and 3,780 dealerships now participate out of a total of 4,048 U.S. dealerships.

What is a PASE-Approved Vendor?

PASE-approved vendors are providers of various software and hardware solutions that have been selected by GM to help dealerships reach their PASE goals. PASE program approval means a vendor offers an innovative and useful solution that has been vetted and selected by GM. Dealerships can also rest assured that PASE-approved solutions will integrate easily with their existing tools, like Autosoft Service Schedule and Online Service Scheduling (OSS).

What is the GM OSS?

Online Service Scheduling (OSS) is a platform GM dealerships use to schedule and complete service appointments. They can find a time, assign a service advisor, list the required services, and modify appointments. From there, the appointment is automatically pushed to the Autosoft Dealer Management System (DMS) and GM Service Workbench.

In order to enroll in the PASE program, dealerships must be using the OSS and Autosoft systems. Doing so simplifies the appointment process and creates a more streamlined experience for customers. It also allows dealerships to easily record and report their points, which they need to do in order to claim their GM PASE bonus.

Goals of the PASE Program

Like all of the GM Dealer Quality initiatives, the PASE program was created to make sure that dealerships are providing an excellent customer experience. With thousands of dealerships across the country, GM knows that consistency is key to earning customer trust and keeping them coming back for the parts and service needs. The PASE program does this by asking “What is service excellence? What does an amazing service experience look like?” It then sets up specific goals for a dealership, like:

• Driving more repair orders (ROs)
• Decreasing no-shows
• Improving customer retention
• Improving customer satisfaction

All of these smaller goals ultimately ladder up to the overall goal of the PASE program: Improving customer loyalty, earning more referrals, and growing GM’s brand approval and revenue throughout the country.

What Sets GM PASE Program Vendors Apart from the Competition?

Being approved by the PASE Program is a mark of distinction for vendors in the automotive service industry, showing that their product aligns with GM's commitment to excellence. These vendors have undergone thorough testing and evaluation to meet GM's strict criteria for quality, performance, and innovation. PASE-approved vendors are recognized as trusted partners in providing top-notch service solutions for GM dealerships.

Benefits of the PASE Program

While the PASE program ultimately benefits GM at the highest levels, it also has important benefits for both vendors and dealerships.

Benefits for Vendors

• Credibility: PASE approval enhances a vendor's reputation, instilling confidence in potential customers and fostering trust in their products.
• Expanded Reach: Approved vendors gain access to the extensive network of GM dealerships, opening up new business opportunities and expanding their market reach.
• Support: Vendors enjoy the benefits of support from GM, ensuring that their products stay aligned with evolving automotive technologies.

Benefits for Dealerships

• Quality Assurance: The PASE program ensures that GM dealerships have access to reliable and high-quality products, contributing to the overall quality of service provided to customers.
• Efficiency: PASE-approved products are designed to enhance efficiency, reducing downtime and improving the speed and accuracy of GM parts and service operations.
• Compliance: Dealerships can be confident that PASE-approved vendors comply with industry standards and align with GM's commitment to innovation and performance.

Achieve Your PASE Goals with an Outsourced BDC

Thanks to these essential benefits, most GM dealerships are already enrolled in the PASE program. The question for these service managers then becomes: Which PASE-approved vendors can help my team achieve its goals? Which vendors have the highest return on investment and will integrate easily with my existing processes?

Many dealerships are leveraging outsourced automotive BDCs (business development centers) as an easy way to improve their PASE program metrics. Better Car People is one option that can help your service department reach its goals by:

• Automatically following up on dealer maintenance notifications (DMN)
• Reaching out to schedule service appointments and sending reminders
• Mining your service manifest lists for hidden opportunities

Even if you already have an in-house BDC, our live, on-shore BDC service representatives can help take the pressure off your team. With Better Car People as your “back office,” your team can focus on wow-ing customers with service excellence that goes above and beyond – and earning the GM PASE bonuses they deserve. Contact us today for a quick demo of the Better Car People platform.