What Is the Role of the Service Advisor?
Every auto repair shop has at least one customer service advisor, and no one questions the importance of this job because, without this person, customers would be left without guidance about their vehicles and the work that the shop does would be focused on either emergency repairs or routine maintenance for particularly disciplined and aware car owners. The work of the service advisor absolutely drives business, so it’s critical to the well-being of the shop. Let’s examine the role of the service advisor. What responsibilities does the service advisor have?
The service advisor has to communicate what needs to be done to the car to the customer.
Because vehicles are getting more and more complicated every year, even people who once were able to fix their cars are now trusting them to professionals. The average person on the road has no idea what that rattle or hum beneath the hood actually means, and Google can only be so helpful. The service technician diagnoses what is wrong with the car, but it’s the service advisor who has to persuade the customer that the shop has diagnosed it correctly and that fixing it is the right thing to do, regardless of price. Since most customers are torn between the needs of their car and their bank accounts, this can be a challenge.
The service advisor has to sell the auto repair shop’s services to the customer.
It’s not as challenging to persuade an owner to fix an obvious problem. An annoying noise or strange shaking makes people nervous, let alone an engine failure. But many types of routine maintenance must be done in order for a car to continue to be drivable. Those repairs are not only the bread and butter of an auto shop, they actually prevent accidents and breakdowns.
The service advisor has to make sure the vehicles customers are driving are safe and reliable.
Convincing a customer to pay money to prevent a problem that hasn’t yet occurred is a tricky proposition, but this is exactly what a good service advisor has to do. When they are successful, their work keeps their customers cars – and the customers and their families themselves – safer and happier. When they do their jobs right, cars keep working and keep working reliably so that accidents don’t happen and things like battery or ignition failure don’t occur and the customer is able to make it to work safely and on time.
The service advisor has to build trust between the auto repair shop and its customers.
The difficulty is communicating this to the customer: the services the auto shop is selling are valuable and will make you happier, even if you never realize how exactly. An auto repair shop business absolutely depends on the trust that is built between the shop and the customer. Without it, the business will fail. An auto repair shop service advisor is the face of the company. When customers believe what the service advisor tells them, they spend more money and their cars remain in good condition.
It takes a special set of skills to telegraph both trustworthiness and genuine concern to a clientele who already has trust issues when it comes to auto repair. It’s important, then, that your service advisors understand what they have to do and why. Take the time today to make sure your service advisors understand the critical role they play in your business and how exactly they should perform it.
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I love all the points you’ve made.