After launching mobile service in October 2025, Covert Buick GMC turned smaller service work into a new path for capacity, customer convenience, and retention.
In a few months, the team grew from 15 mobile appointments to more than 120 appointments by May. Today, mobile service is averaging 90 to 100+ appointments per month, generating $10K–$13K in monthly net profit, and helping Covert reconnect with customers who had not been back to the dealership in years.
“We wanted more business, more volume, and to create an extra stall,” said Tony Hinojosa, Service Shop Foreman at Covert Buick GMC. “Recalls and smaller problems take a lot of time in the shop when we could have technicians doing heavier, bigger jobs.”
Like many dealerships, Covert’s service department had work coming through the lane that did not always need to be done inside the shop.
Recalls. Tire rotations. Oil changes. Cabin air filters. Brake jobs.
Each one took time, attention, and space. And every smaller job in the shop meant one less opportunity for technicians to stay focused on heavier, higher-complexity work.
Mobile service gave the team another option.
Instead of trying to create more physical capacity, Covert created capacity in the field.
Mobile service started as a way to move the right work out of the service lane.
But once the program started growing, it became something bigger.
It became a way to reach customers who had fallen out of Covert’s service cycle.
“We’re seeing a lot of customers that we haven’t touched before and a lot of customers that haven’t been to our dealership in a long time,” Hinojosa said. “We saw them at 40,000 miles in the shop, and now we’re seeing them out in the field at 100,000 miles.”
That is the bigger story.
Mobile service is not just creating more appointments. It is creating another reason for customers to come back.
Since launching mobile service, Covert Buick GMC has built a program with measurable impact:
The team is also beginning to see repeat mobile customers as the program passes the six-month mark.
“Now we’re starting to see a lot of people coming back and wanting to use it,” Hinojosa said.
Covert is averaging $10K–$13K in monthly net profit from mobile service.
That profit is coming from work the dealership can now complete more efficiently, while also opening up space inside the shop for heavier repair jobs.
The program is not only shifting work around. It is helping Covert reengage customers who may not have otherwise returned.
In one example, the team completed an airbag recall for a 2015 Buick Enclave with 115,000 miles that had never been back in the shop since the point of purchase.
For Covert, that is the point. A mobile recall can become the first new touchpoint in years and a customer that they can continue to retain through convenience.
Customer response has been one of the strongest parts of the program.
“The mobile service has been pretty on point with customer satisfaction,” Hinojosa said. “We’re getting a lot of reviews and good CSI scores coming in.”
One customer left a five-star Google review after using the service:
“Mobile service was an amazing addition to their service. Very convenient!”
Covert is also using mobile service as a way to recover the customer experience when something does not go perfectly in the shop.
If an in-store oil change takes too long or a customer leaves frustrated, the team can offer a no-charge mobile service visit next time. That gives the customer a more convenient experience and gives Covert another chance to rebuild trust.
“It’s like our bread and butter for CSI,” Hinojosa said.
Covert’s strongest marketing channel has been simple: reaching out to customers in their database with an open recall.
The team pulls reports from its DMS to identify customers with open recalls, then reaches out to offer mobile service as an easier way to complete the work.
That approach has helped the dealership reconnect with customers who may not have visited in years.
From there, the team can keep building the relationship through future service visits, follow-up communication, and repeat mobile appointments.
Covert uses mobile service for work that can be completed efficiently in the field, including:
Recalls
Tire rotations
Oil changes
Cabin air filters
Brake jobs
Tires
Program updates and smaller service needs
The goal is to move the right jobs mobile, so the shop can stay focused on the work that needs a bay.
As Covert’s program grew, scheduling and routing became critical.
Before Curbee, the team had to manually think through where customers were located, how long each appointment would take, and how to build an efficient route.
Curbee made that easier.
“It was easier to schedule a lot of people in one route,” Hinojosa said. “It calculates distance, travel time, appointment duration versus us manually checking how far this customer is from this one.”
Covert launched with Curbee, tested another vendor, and ultimately came back.
“There’s a reason why we switched back,” Hinojosa said. “The support that we need is fast. The system, the software is fast.”
Curbee also helped during launch with on-site support, provided scripts the team could customize, and gave visibility into the customer communications being sent.
When asked how he would describe the partnership to another dealer, Hinojosa kept it simple.
“Curbee makes it easier,” Hinojosa said.
For dealers just getting started with mobile service, Hinojosa’s advice is to be intentional early.
“Take it slow,” he said.
He recommends starting with two to three appointments in the first couple of days, learning how the process works, and then adding more volume as the team gets comfortable.
Planning matters too.
The team has learned to prepare for wrong parts, canceled appointments, weather, holidays, slower workflow days, and technician reminders.
As the program grows, Covert is continuing to invest in it. The dealership added another vehicle and is working toward a more dedicated mobile service team in the future.
The reason is simple.
Mobile service is helping Covert create more capacity, serve customers more conveniently, and bring people back into the dealership relationship.