Charting an F&I evolution through the blueprint

Brian DePouli's insight into how disruption can reshape F&I is gleaned from dealership blueprints.

With 16 years leading construction at two of the largest dealership groups in the U.S., DePouli has completed nearly 100 dealership projects — ranging from $100,000 service department upgrades to $20 million dealerships.

As head of construction and facilities for Hendrick Automotive Group, and now Asbury Automotive Group, DePouli has firsthand experience in how technology is shaping the future of the F&I office. He was named one of Automotive News' 40 Under 40 honorees this week.

Although the dimensions of the F&I office remain the same, what's inside has undergone substantial change, DePouli said.

As more of the F&I process becomes digital, F&I offices among Asbury's renovated facilities are designed to accommodate a secure software connection rather than physical storage containers.

"It's more than a box with a desk," DePouli said. "I think we're in the middle of a transition in F&I. And I'm not just saying Asbury. I'm saying the industry as a whole — and that will affect the building."

Traditionally, the office was outfitted with the most efficient filing space possible, so that an F&I manager could locate F&I product forms without wasting customers' time sifting through filing cabinets, DePouli said.

While Asbury's F&I offices aren't entirely paperless, fewer forms require inked signatures, DePouli said. As the 83-dealership group updates its facilities nationwide, F&I offices will be built to support more technology.

"In terms of just blank forms that we can fill out for every single deal — that's gone away," DePouli said.

Still, the F&I office remains one of the most secure rooms in a dealership. DePouli designs F&I offices with the expectation that customer information stored and discussed inside must be safeguarded. F&I offices require more insulation than traditional sales offices to ensure conversations are private, he said, and they generally have higher walls than other offices in a dealership.

Asbury, of Duluth, Ga., ranks No. 7 on Automotive News' list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., with retail sales of 105,275 new vehicles in 2018.