Automotive Service Advisor

What Is a Automotive Service Advisor?

Automotive service advisors are professionals who act as the liaison between customers and theauto technicianswho work on their vehicle. They identify the need for, sell and schedule service work. When taking your car in for a repair, this is often the first person you will come in contact with.

Most service advisors will tell you that no two days on the job are the same. They complete a wide variety of tasks, from welcoming and assisting customers to managing quotes to working with technicians throughout the repair process.

Automotive Service Advisor Job Description:

• Greet and develop an ongoing relationship with customers
  
• Help customers care for and maintain their vehicles
  
• Set up service appointments that align with the customer and technicians schedules
  
• Serve as liaison between the facility manager, shop foreman, and technicians and warranty companies
  
• Support shop goals for service by generating high sales of services and parts
  
• Inspect vehicles and apply proper resources to accurately identify and verify vehicle mileage and service needs
  
• Provide customers with information on part warranties and potential savings
  
• Identify repeat repairs in customer s best interest
  
• Work with technicians to determine necessary repairs and possible alternatives to cut costs for the customer
  
• Write and verify accurate repair orders and include supporting documentation
  
• Contact customers to keep them informed throughout the repair process and communicate when the vehicle is ready for pickup
  
• Meet requirements of state and federal law for auto repair and consumer protection
  

Requirements

Skills You ll Need

As with any career, there is a particular set of skills automotive service advisors need to be successful in their work. This job is about so much more than learning the mechanics becoming a service advisor requires a mixture of skills.

Automotive Knowledge

First things first, it s important for service advisors to have automotive knowledge. Whether they re ordering parts, looking over documentation or communicating with technicians, service advisors use their automotive knowledge everyday. Throughout their career, service advisors must continuously refresh their knowledge to stay relevant with the technological changes impacting their industry.

Additionally, having automotive knowledge plays a big role in the credibility service advisors have with their customers. If a service advisor is confident in their automotive knowledge, this will put the customer at ease knowing their vehicle is in good hands. However, if the service advisor seems unsure and lacks knowledge, this will lead the customer to question whether the repair will be completed correctly.

Strong Communication Skills

A significant part of a service advisor s time is spent communicating with people both verbally and through writing. Being able to communicate effectively and in a professional manner is essential to getting the job done right and on time.

Service advisors don t spend all of their time behind the scenes. Instead, they are constantly interacting with different types of people.

They must be able to explain repairs in simple terms to their customers, while also being able to understand technical jargon to communicate with technicians effectively. If you have a passion for the automotive industry and want to spend your days around people rather than under the hood, this may be the job for you.

Listening Skills

Good listening skills are essential to being a good service advisor. In addition to listening to customer concerns when first bringing in their car, they must be available and willing to listen throughout the repair process as well as after the repair is complete.

Service advisors who are good at what they do always make their customers feel valued and heard. If customers have questions at any point in the process, they are there to help. Service advisors understand the importance of the customer relationship, which is why they go above and beyond to ensure their needs are met.

Time Management

The environment service advisors work in is often very fast-paced, which requires them to have great time management skills. Between setting up service appointments, meeting with customers, writing repair orders and working with technicians, among other responsibilities, the schedule of a service advisor fills up quickly.

To keep up and do their job well, service advisors must be organized and use their time wisely. They oversee many different repairs at one time, which requires them to be able to prioritize tasks and delegate when necessary.

Ability to Think on Your Feet

Successful service advisors never back down to a challenge. Whether a repair is running behind schedule, the wrong parts arrive or a customer is unhappy, they re the first ones to jump in and problem solve.

When things don t go according to plan, service advisors must be able to think on their feet and come to a decision that best serves the customer and the company as a whole.

Self-Motivated

As a service advisor, you won t always have someone there telling you what to do. This means you must find the passion and motivation within yourself to do your job well. Besides managing your own work, you ll also likely be overseeing the schedules and workload of others.

For those around you to respect you and see you as a leader, it s important to be self-motivated.

Versatility

One of the advantages of being a service advisor is the variety that comes with this career path. On any given day, you ll be communicating with different customers, technicians and managing different repairs. Therefore, it s important to be versatile and be able to adapt to different situations and work with different personalities.

Benefits

• Health Insurance (100% Employee Paid Coverage)
  
• Health Saving Account with Employer match
  
• Holiday, Sick, Vacation, Jury Duty, Bereavement Pay
  
• Paid Training Opportunities
  
• Expense Reimbursement program
  
• Paid employee owned vehicle routine maintenance