Welcome to the 13th episode of the Miracle Ford Podcast! This week, host John Haggard is joined by Jessica Raymond, the Service Manager at Miracle Ford. Jessica has been with the company for more than 11 years! In this episode, Jessica talks about how she started in Miracle Ford and her love for cars. She also shares how to keep your car at its top value for a long time – you don’t want to miss that! Enjoy the podcast!
Transcript John Haggard 0:02
Welcome to the Miracle Ford Podcast where, throughout the month, you’ll be able to learn the best ways to purchase, lease, service and maintain, also accessorize, and sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready to do it. You’ll also find out about new technology on new vehicles. I’m your host, John Haggard, and throughout each month right here we do have different team members join us from Miracle Ford to bring you tips you can use and you’ll also see a transcript as you know of each podcast right here you can easily refer to it, get the information you need quickly. Today’s topic is the Miracle Ford Service Department and how to get the best service and longest life out of your vehicle. Very important there. And on this podcast, we have with us, Jessica Raymond. She’s the service manager at Miracle Ford in Gallatin. Hey Jessica, welcome to the podcast!
Jessica Raymond 0:54
Thank you. How are you doing today, John?
John Haggard 0:56
I am doing great! You know when I think of service in the car business I know you all put up with a lot of abuse sometimes. And you got things coming at you – top, bottom, and sideways. So a lot of respect and hats off to folks who work in the service department. So, there you go. Hey, before we dive in, by the way for people who are either new to this area may not know you or even Miracle Ford about you. Did you grow up in the Gallatin area?
Jessica Raymond 1:23
I grew up in the Hendersonville area, so really close. I moved here from Florida and lived in Hendersonville for most of my life. So…
John Haggard 1:32
What part of Florida were you in?
Jessica Raymond 1:35
The Sarasota area?
John Haggard 1:36
Okay, so what got you to Nashville? A lot of people say, “Hey, I’m in Florida, you couldn’t get me to move anywhere.”
Jessica Raymond 1:41
The business actually got me to Nashville because of my father. He actually came up here with a local family and worked with them for 30 plus years. So we’ve lived here and worked with them a lot of my life. So…
John Haggard 1:55
All right, and you were how old when you moved here?
Jessica Raymond 1:58
About five.
John Haggard 2:00
Okay, about five. So where did you go to high school? Was at Hendersonville high school?
Jessica Raymond 2:04
It was. Yes, sir.
John Haggard 2:05
All right. All right. So you have family obviously here in the area as well as you.
Jessica Raymond 2:09
Yes, sir.
John Haggard 2:10
Gotcha, gotcha. Now in your career, did you elect to go to college? Or did you graduate high school and go to work early? What was your plan?
Jessica Raymond 2:19
I was starting the car business with my father as a file clerk and went to college for Business Management decided that wasn’t my field. So I went back to what I knew best in the car business and has been here ever since.
John Haggard 2:33
So before we talk about service and getting into everything that’s behind the curtain, behind the scenes, what do you like to do on your time off?
Jessica Raymond 2:41
My time off is spent with my family. In this business, as you know, we work hard and try to make everyone what they need as far as their car and we’re a big family at Miracle Ford. And when I get time off, I like to spend it with my kids and my husband.
John Haggard 2:56
That sounds good. And do you have any favorite hobbies, things you all like to do together?
Jessica Raymond 3:00
My kids are in baseball. So we do a lot of baseball games and go to their sports and try to see some when we can. And my husband’s also in the car business, and we do a lot of his car shows and stuff when we get the time and just spend time together while we’re able to.
John Haggard 3:17
You know, one of the trends that we know now is that more and more ladies are joining service departments, either as service writers or managers and even mechanics. What’s it like, when some man is looking at you and you can tell by looking at his face as he tells you his problems of the day? And you sort of feel like he’s saying through body language, “I’m not really sure she knows what she’s talking about.” I’m sure you must deal with that.
Jessica Raymond 3:45
Oh, yes. You know, as you grow up in this business, at first it kind of gets to you. But as you learn through the years, you just kind of laugh it off and kind of just show them that you do have knowledge of the business and what’s going on. And I’ve got my guys back me anytime I need help and but the great team we have it’s just it all seems to work out and then they actually get a different respect for what people can do. So…
John Haggard 4:10
Yeah, and you know, you look at the business, we’ve always thought of the car business as almost 100% male. And now you see ladies who are salespeople on the floor and in the service department and do you have any female mechanics as well?
Jessica Raymond 4:25
We do not, I’m sure we will see them in the future but as of right now we do not.
John Haggard 4:30
Do you see that in terms of mechanics, more women getting into that field? Is that a growth area for them?
Jessica Raymond 4:37
I do see some that really enjoy the business and like working on cars and want to get into that field. You do see it more and more and you see more women like come up and learn exactly what’s going on and be able to work on their own vehicle.
John Haggard 4:53
Is there any favorite thing, if someone said, “Okay, Jessica, here’s my car. Do anything to it you want to.” Is there anything that you say, “Yeah, I kind of like to tinker with this just a little bit.” Is there something fun about cars and service that you would like to do?
Jessica Raymond 5:07
I more enjoy the diesel area. I like diesel vehicles and like in the way technology is bringing them up nowadays. I do enjoy a lot of the gas vehicles the way computerized as far as the tinkering and everything else. It’s just neat to see what technology and what new things they have out there, what they’re coming out with.
John Haggard 5:29
Is there anything that’s like really exciting or groundbreaking or something that’s getting ready to either become more of or something you’ve seen, that we have to look forward to?
Jessica Raymond 5:40
I would just say the technology in the car, the cars are becoming smarter and can access anything that you need to do anymore as you’re driving. We live in a fast-paced society and people need everything on the go and they’re making the cars to where you can actually just access something while you’re driving and be able to Take care of everything you need right there.
John Haggard 6:02
So before I ask you about service, what would you say, Jessica, is the one thing about you that most people would not know but they would really be surprised to know, “Gosh, I didn’t know Jessica did this or was that or had done this.” or whatever.
Jessica Raymond 6:18
I’ve always been in my work and people know that I work and been in the car business. As far as that I go home to my family and a lot of people think I’m really reserved and I like to you know, I don’t talk as much I stay in my work. But once we get through it, a lot of people wouldn’t think that I would be a service manager as I am now and just being in the field and everything a lot of people are learning that you know, with women, everything else that you can learn more to get up there.
John Haggard 6:45
What brought you to Miracle Ford, there are a lot of places you could have gone?
Jessica Raymond 6:50
What brought me in to Miracle Ford, I was with another local dealer, a family-owned dealer. And I had a job offer with the Galvin’s. And I went over and met with the service manager there and Tam and enjoyed their family atmosphere and everything about them and decided to start on at miracle Chrysler actually, as a service rider. And from there I just moved on up.
John Haggard 7:17
So now you may have said this earlier, but how long have you been at Miracle Ford?
Jessica Raymond 7:21
I have been with the Galvins for 11 years and Miracle Ford for 8.
John Haggard 7:26
What would you say that just really gets you up each morning about the car business that really makes you want to come to work rather than, “Oh, no, not another day!”
Jessica Raymond 7:38
I’ve always been part of the car business. I enjoy numbers, I enjoy what I do. It comes naturally. So just getting up every morning and knowing that I’m going into a place that I know everybody and it’s a family atmosphere and getting to see customers every day. And doing what I know I can do is always inspiring to get up every day and do more job. So…
John Haggard 8:00
Yeah. So any advice, Jessica, that you would give people. You know, people come in sometimes like going to a restaurant. When people are hungry, that seems to be when they’re the angriest about things that don’t go right at the dinner table with the server. Maybe the food was lukewarm or whatever the situation is. But if you were going to give someone advice and you were going to say, “Hey, I know you got a problem. You probably have bought your vehicle in here and there’s an issue but here’s… If you really want to get the quickest service, fastest service, the best resolution, get you back on the road.” Any advice that you would give people who are coming in upset.
Jessica Raymond 8:37
We always try to address each issue individually. And with these issues, it’s always different. But most of the time, when able, we recommend appointments. We try to get you in and out, try to prioritize people as they come in and out to get them in and out faster with what they have going on in life. Because with this fast-paced society, it’s hard. Most people because that be their only car or, you know, different situations. So…
John Haggard 9:04
Is there anything really cool, Jessica, at Miracle Ford? Either in the service department or the way that companies run, something that’s just like really cool that people may not even know about?
Jessica Raymond 9:16
I would just say that what’s cool about Miracle Ford is that we’re all family. We do luncheons, we do different little contests, and this and that to try to, keep people going.
John Haggard 9:28
Right! What would you say is the number one service function that you perform most often for customers?
Jessica Raymond 9:36
Definitely have to be an oil change.
John Haggard 9:38
Okay. Lots of oil changes, yes?
Jessica Raymond 9:41
Yes.
John Haggard 9:42
Yeah. Yeah. If someone wants an oil change, can they just show up? Is that different than, say a regular maintenance that needs to be done?
Jessica Raymond 9:51
Yes, we do oil changes. First, come first serve. With the amount of oil changes we get every day, it’s hard for us to set up appointments. Each day we get so many that we’re trying to accommodate with our Express Line, to be able to get people in and out quicker. Usually, if you can get here earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon, it’s a little bit of a less wait time. But we try to keep everyone go and let them know before they wait or leave their vehicle there that we’re going to be a certain time and try to be at that point.
John Haggard 10:23
Jessica Raymond, everybody, the service manager at Miracle Ford in Gallatin. And Jessica, if somebody does want to get in touch with you, what’s the best way for folks to do that?
Jessica Raymond 10:34
If they will just call the main line at (615) 452-5267 and ask for myself. They’ll send you directly to my extension.
John Haggard 10:45
All right. Once again, Jessica Raymond, she’s the service manager at Miracle Ford in Gallatin. We invite you to join us throughout the month right here where you’ll be able to learn the best ways to purchase, lease, service and maintain, accessorize and sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready. And Jessica, if I could just ask you one more question speaking about service. So, in a way, to enhance the value of a car, when someone is getting ready to trade that vehicle in. Are there any one or two tips that you would give folks?
Jessica Raymond 11:19
To enhance the value, just keep up on your maintenance and you know, your vehicles will last longer and run longer and, more than often, you don’t have your vehicle break down when you keep up on that maintenance. And once it’s ready for trade-in, they look, you know, st how you kept up your vehicle on the appearance and usually you can get more of a trade value when you’ve kept up on everything.
John Haggard 11:45
In other words, the service records are online you’re saying that someone could go in there and just see when did the person come?
Jessica Raymond 11:52
Anytime you do have your vehicle worked on at a dealer. We get on Carfax and it is reported there. And then we also have our records where we can get online and email them to you and get them to you fast. And what this app we have now, you can look up more and we can send you more. We have a text and ability now to send you stuff. And there’s just a lot of new technology that you can figure out, you’re going to be able to find out more and more about a vehicle on what’s been done to it.
John Haggard 12:23
Let’s talk about the trust factor in service and repair. Some people think, “You know, I’m not really sure if I needed that part or that work done but I don’t know myself. I mean, the service advisor said you do I have to trust on it.” You know how could you help people trust the service and repair business more?
Jessica Raymond 12:47
We strive on the trust aspect where we’re at. You don’t always have everyone trusting you. But anytime we have an issue or someone doesn’t trust us or have a question or anything else, we like to take people on the hands-on and show them. Our number one aspect there is to make sure that we do it right and that you can trust us. And anything that you need we will go through and explain. I’ll help out, take you back there, show you we strive on the trust and to make sure people know. Nowadays, it’s scary to not know for sure if you need something or if someone’s just trying to sell you something. So we do strive on the trust factor, and we will find a way to show you and be accountable for what we do.
John Haggard 13:31
All right! Well, one more time Jessica Raymond, the service manager and Miracle Ford in Gallatin. Don’t forget, folks, the transcript of each podcast is right here on the website so that you can easily refer to it for information at your fingertips. Jessica, thanks for being with us today.
Jessica Raymond 13:47
Thank you very much, John.
John Haggard 13:48
You bet. I’m your host, John Haggard, and we will see you next time.