Fixed Ops Roundtable

Ted Ings
  • 4.1 (15)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

The Fixed Ops Roundtable, hosted by Ted Ings, is your source for cutting edge information, technology, and best practices from leaders and innovators in the retail automobile industry. Enjoy weekly episodes featuring expert interviews that originally aired during Ted Ings popular Fixed Ops Roundtable live and virtual events.

  1. 6d ago

    Matt Leone: The CRM Lie That's Costing Dealers Millions

    Matt Leone is the CEO of DriveCentric, the automotive engagement platform that has been redefining how dealerships connect with customers across every department, from sales and F&I to fixed operations. Under his leadership, DriveCentric has evolved far beyond traditional CRM, building the infrastructure for a unified customer experience that the automotive industry has never seen at this scale. Matt is one of the most forward-thinking voices in retail automotive technology today. 👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event What we discuss in this episode: In this episode of the Fix Ops Roundtable, Matt Leone joins Sarah Vantine and Ted Ings to talk about the single biggest operational blind spot costing dealerships gross profit right now, and the technology that closes it. If your sales team and your service department are running on different systems, different data, and different conversations, your customers already know it. And in 2026, with margin pressure real and consumer expectations higher than ever, that gap is no longer sustainable. Matt breaks down why the CRM category got it wrong for decades, what a true engagement platform looks like when it actually works, and why the dealers who move first on this are about to have a significant competitive advantage over everyone who waits. This is the conversation fixed ops has needed for a long time. Listen to the episode featuring Matt Leone 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, Matt Leone Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable: Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable EventTed Ings on LinkedInCenter for Performance Improvement

    20 min

  2. Jun 1

    Ari Polakov: How Flai Turned 30,000 Missed Dealership Calls Into Booked Appointments

    Ari Polakov is the co-founder of Flai, an AI communications platform built specifically for automotive dealerships. Before founding Flai, Ari spent years studying the operational gaps inside service departments, particularly the hidden revenue being lost at the phone level. That obsession led him to build a product now trusted by some of the largest dealer groups in the United States, including top-15 operations running tens of thousands of AI-handled calls every single month.  👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event What we discuss in this episode: Ari is one of a rare breed of founders who leads with data before pitching a product. His team conducted a large-scale national study, tens of thousands of calls across dealerships at every hour of the day, to prove what most in the industry refused to believe: that the phone problem was bigger, and more universal, than anyone wanted to admit. Today, Flai operates at the intersection of AI, telephony, and dealership operations, turning missed calls into booked appointments and giving service managers the visibility they never knew they were missing. Listen to the episode featuring Ari Polakov 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, Ari Polakov Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable: Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable EventTed Ings on LinkedInCenter for Performance Improvement

    17 min

  3. May 25

    The AI Built Exclusively for Parts Departments Is Here with Kyle Johnson, Redline Connect

    Kyle Johnson is the co-founder and CMO of Redline Connect. With over 15 years embedded exclusively in the automotive parts industry, Kyle has built and acquired multiple service businesses spanning parts delivery, outside marketing, and in-store staffing solutions, all purpose-built for the OE parts world. He and his team are now behind the industry's first AI platform designed specifically for parts departments. 👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event What we discuss in this episode: The parts department has been the most overlooked profit center in the dealership. Understaffed, overwhelmed, and hemorrhaging revenue on every unanswered call and every customer put on hold, and nobody built a solution for it. Until Kyle Johnson did. In this episode, Kyle breaks down what's actually happening inside parts departments across the country, why 60% of customers cite being put on hold as their #1 complaint, and how the industry's first AI platform built specifically for parts is quietly giving early adopters an edge their competitors don't even know exists yet. If you run fixed ops, manage a parts department, or own a dealership, what Kyle shares here will make you rethink how much revenue has been walking out the door — and what it looks like when you finally stop it. Listen to the episode featuring Kyle Johnson 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, Kyle Johnson Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable: Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable EventTed Ings on LinkedInCenter for Performance Improvement

    18 min

  4. May 18

    Fixed Ops at Full Speed with Bill Demaree

    Bill Demaree is the Corporate Director of Fixed Operations for Tom Wood Automotive Group, one of Indiana's most respected dealer groups spanning 13 rooftops. With decades of experience in the automotive industry, Bill has built a reputation not just for running high-performing service departments, but for reimagining what fixed ops leadership actually looks like at scale. 👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event What we discuss in this episode: In this episode, Bill pulls back the curtain on exactly how Tom Wood Automotive Group rebuilt fixed ops from the ground up, the AI tools actually moving the needle (not just the buzzwords), a technician development program built in partnership with the state of Indiana that's producing talent other dealerships can't find, and a transparency system that turned customer accusations into a brand-new revenue stream. This is the blueprint most fixed ops leaders wish existed. We're talking documented processes, video MPI done right, service advisor handbooks built for replication, and a 2026 roadmap that treats every touchpoint — parts, service, marketing  as a system worth mastering. Listen to the episode featuring Bill Demaree 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, Bill Demaree Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable: Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable EventTed Ings on LinkedInCenter for Performance Improvement

    9 min

  5. May 11

    How This PR Agency Builds Brands That Dominate Across Automotive with Laurie Halter

    Every company you've seen dominate the automotive industry had help getting there. Laurie Halter is that help. Laurie Halter is the founder of Charisma Communications, a PR agency with over 20 years of experience helping automotive technology companies build brands that break through. From early stage startups to established names, Laurie knows exactly how to get vendors in front of the right people, and keep them there. 👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event What we discuss in this episode: In this episode, Laurie breaks down the hidden architecture of a brand that wins, how the right message, repeated with discipline, is worth more than any marketing budget. She shares what early-stage companies get catastrophically wrong, what the best-positioned brands are quietly doing differently, and why fixed ops has become the most important battleground in automotive right now. If you're a dealer, a vendor, or anyone trying to cut through a crowded market, this conversation will change how you think about your brand. The insights Laurie shares here aren't in any playbook. They come from two decades of being in the room. Listen to the episode featuring Laurie Halter 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, Laurie Halter Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable: Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable EventTed Ings on LinkedInCenter for Performance Improvement

    8 min

  6. May 4

    Why Fixed Ops Is About to Carry the Entire Dealership with Dan Shine

    New vehicle sales are projected to drop. ASARs are softening. And yet, the dealers who understand what's quietly happening right now are already positioning themselves to have their most profitable year yet. Dan Shine of Automotive News joins Ted Ings and Sarah Vantine on the Fixed Ops Roundtable to break down exactly why 2026 is a defining moment for fixed operations, and why the service lane is no longer just a revenue stream. It's a lifeline. With the average vehicle age hitting record highs, 70% of customers defecting after three years, and an affordability crisis keeping buyers out of showrooms, the opportunity sitting inside your service department has never been larger, or more at risk of being left on the table. Dan pulls back the curtain on what the industry's top dealerships are doing differently, how AI is beginning to reshape service workflows, and the one retention mistake that's quietly sending your customers straight to the independents. 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, Dan Shine Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable: Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable EventTed Ings on LinkedInCenter for Performance Improvement

    5 min

  7. Apr 27

    The University That's Quietly Reshaping the Auto Industry with Kent MacDonald

    The automotive industry is facing a generational shift that most operators aren't prepared for, and the window to act is closing faster than anyone wants to admit. Kent McDonald, President of Northwood University, sits down with Ted Ings and Sarah VanTine to talk about what's really happening to talent in this industry, why the companies moving right now will dominate the next decade, and what Northwood is building that has some of the largest names in automotive quietly paying very close attention. 👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event What we discuss in this episode: Why the automotive talent crisis is more urgent than most dealers realizeThe qualities top employers are desperately searching for, and why they're harder to find than everWhat Northwood's Automotive MBA is doing that no other program in the country is attemptingThe bold moves major automotive groups are making right now to secure their next generation of talentWhy Motorsports is Northwood's exciting new frontier, and who's already taking noticeThe mindset shift that separates the operators who will thrive next decade from those who won'tThere's a reason Northwood alumni keep showing up at the highest levels of this business. This conversation explains why. Listen to the episode featuring Kent MacDonald 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, Kent MacDonald Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable: Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable EventTed Ings on LinkedInCenter for Performance Improvement

    8 min

  8. Apr 20

    The Phone Call That's Worth $1,500 to Your Dealership with Anthony Giagnacovo

    Every time a car breaks down, a dealership either wins a customer for life or loses one forever. Most don't even know it's happening. Anthony Giagnacovo has run 150,000 of those moments, every single month. And in this episode he breaks down exactly what's at stake: the average repair order sitting inside every roadside rescue, why the difference between 45 minutes and 62 minutes can define your entire brand reputation, and the F&I products that quietly guarantee customers have no choice but to come back to your service drive. This is the conversation about customer retention that nobody in fixed ops is framing correctly. The breakdown isn't the problem. It's the opportunity. And after 62 years of rescues, Anthony knows precisely how to turn the worst moment in a driver's day into the most valuable relationship a dealership can build. 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, Anthony Giagnacovo Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable: Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable EventTed Ings on LinkedInCenter for Performance Improvement

    7 min
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About

The Fixed Ops Roundtable, hosted by Ted Ings, is your source for cutting edge information, technology, and best practices from leaders and innovators in the retail automobile industry. Enjoy weekly episodes featuring expert interviews that originally aired during Ted Ings popular Fixed Ops Roundtable live and virtual events.

Information

  • Creator
    Ted Ings
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    283
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Fixed Ops Roundtable
  • Show Website
    Fixed Ops Roundtable

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