Service Advisor Training

Should we consider training?

There is a lot of talk in the industry about the importance of service advisors, but sometimes I don’t think they are getting the same progression opportunities at technicians. I often hear of service advisors who are criticised for not having enough technical knowledge or not being capable of producing complex estimates for the customer, but do we consider why this is?

It can be referred to as the hardest job in the garage so why do we not give them the same opportunities to train and further their knowledge as we do with technicians?

So what training is there?

In years gone by service advisor training was readily available in the dealer network but not so much for the independent. Now we have some great training courses specifically for independents. Here are two providers to give you an idea what is out there.

At Technical Topics there are currently two bespoke service advisor courses. Set in the training centre which includes class and workshop-based learning.

Road to technical is aimed at demystifying the technical aspects of the role and covering the terminology needed to enable better communication with the customer and technicians. It also focuses on constructing better estimates.

Highly effective service advisor is aimed at improving the service advisor skills covering subjects such as process, job and diary planning, time management, parts and labour profit awareness, customer selection, dealing with complaints and personality types.

Andy Savva “The Garage Inspector” offers a range of courses equally all aimed at the independent market, including his Customer excellence Training course which is a great course for all members of staff, not just FOH.

What about the cost?

Your training budget might be taken up with technical training but think about this scenario if you have a new service advisor.

Would you expect a person employed as a technician, with little experience, to carry out a full service or even a timing belt without any training? In some cases, this is exactly what we are expecting of new advisors.

Likewise, more experienced service advisors can make the whole business more efficient and profitable when their organisational skills, finance awareness and customer skills are more honed.

A lack of training, which leads to lack of confidence, is the main reason I see a disconnect between the workshop and front of house, and why some service advisors find the role too hard and move to other industries. We are not giving them the tools they need to work in the job confidently.

I believe the cost of the training will be repaid time and time again in knowledge, efficiency and productivity.

How to go about it?

The first task will be to look at what you need and require?

If you have a new service advisor it should start with a good in house mentoring plan, just sitting them at a desk to learn from other people won’t cut it. They need a structured plan to learn your systems and regular check-ins to monitor progress. Having an external mentor can be useful and can bring some great advice for the new service advisor in their role, but there needs to be someone within the business who is responsible for the training plan and the success of the new team member.

You will find new, less experienced service advisors make a lot of progress quickly and then plateau. This is the make-or-break time, and you need to expect it. It nearly always happens as the service advisor initially gets lots of help and comes to rely on it. As time goes on the team assumes the advisor “must know what they are doing by now”, and the help is lessened or sometimes withdrawn. This is when the wheels start to fall off the wagon so to speak. The service advisor has not been given the tools to deal with those awkward questions, technical explanations, or the technical knowledge to build those tricky estimates. They may have heard it said a hundred times, but that does not mean they understand why something is described in a certain way, how that part works or why it is needed. It’s a lot about confidence. Even knowing how to say no to a customer in a way that tells them you are helping their situation, is an art in itself.

You may have a more experienced service advisor, but a plan is equally as important. Monitoring them and filling the gap in their knowledge will benefit the advisor and the business. Training often gives them a better ability to understand their team and customers better. To be more efficient with their own time and learning to deal with difficult customers. Of course, the business does need to make money and ensuring that the service advisor has a better knowledge of margins, labour hours and efficient diary bookings will improve this and is often an area of training that service advisors really enjoy.

If you have a technical person in the role they may lack the required customer service skills. If you have employed someone with good customer skills then then they might need technical training. A more proficient service advisor will lessen the burden on the technicians and of course the garage owner. The whole business benefits from better efficiency and an improved bottom line due to better constructed estimates and customer relationships.

My own personal view is to think twice about sales related courses. Is the hard sell really what you need? I don’t believe service advisors are salespeople.

Think about it, what do you require them to do? Be the face of the business and an efficient link between the customer and the workshop. Deliver excellent customer service. Produce good estimates and not miss those required items such as the correct labour time, adaptions, gaskets and consumables. Allowing the right time for work in the diary, delivering reports to the customers in a positive way and spotting potential difficult jobs, customers or situations before they happen. How much sales is in that list? Yes, they might gain customer authority and take money, but what they are doing is giving best advice and enabling efficient, profitable jobs. This in turn leads to sales.

We know first-hand how dealers target their service advisors on sales to the detriment of customer service. After all it is how we in the independent sector benefit from their failings. We don’t operate the same way.

A final thought

With the advancement of technology, we will always need technical training to provide a better more efficient service. The same can be said for front of house training. So why not give all of the staff the same opportunities to improve and progress. You will reap the rewards and they will know they are a valued member of the team.

If you would like any further help on implementing a progression plan for you front of house, then please get in touch.