The King’s Ruling

Oftentimes, your kings will make inconvenient, random request rulings on your Service Advisor. You can either watch him blunder as he stubbornly refuses to consider their request or you can provide Service Advisor Training that teaches him how to tactfully compromise and reach a happy medium with your majestic clients. They won’t stage a revolt if they are left with the impression that you have given into their demands. You’ve both met their needs and created a positive, lasting image.

Absolutely Essential: The Walk-Around

Optimize the opportunity to elevate your customer’s experience: Whenever possible, the Service Client should accompany the Service Advisor on the walk-around to allow the Advisor to advise them on their vehicle, answer questions, educate and enhance the consumer’s confidence, as well as point out any future, potential problems. It’s an excellent time to point out visual needs, recalls and safety issues; moreover, it provides a tremendous opportunity for upselling. Remember, the “S” in Service actually stands for “S” in Sales.

The Service Advisor should have an electronic or hard copy clipboard with a vehicle diagram so they can check wipers, tires or annotate obvious damages. Be vigilant about documenting minor dents or scratches. Upon pickup, this alleviates allegations that any existing damage occurred while their royal chariot was in your service department. Allow for additional space for customer ideas and comments. If you do not have this rather detailed form, you are doing your profit margin ands your clients a huge disservice.

Service Advisor Training teaches a myriad of ways to inspire loyalty from each customer encounter; this is just the tip of the iceberg:

• Whether it’s in person, by DMS software, online check-in or iPhone, greet them by name
• Keep all service areas clean
• Keep them informed of their vehicle’s status throughout the day through emails and text messaging
• Provide updates of additional, unexpected issues found
• Point out mechanics credentials and mention all awards and honors
• Offer transportation, if necessary

Andrea moved to Chandler Arizona in 1996 where she continued her retail automotive experience in Mesa, Arizona for a leading RV dealership. With Andrea’s extensive experience combining customer satisfaction, sales and finance, servicing clients nationwide, Dealer Service Academy has named Andrea Lupo Business Development Specialist. As a seasoned veteran with a wide variety of industry experience, Andrea is sure to be an excellent addition to the Dealer Service Academy team.

Let’s be blunt. Some auto service environments are poison. Talented front line mechanics have no trust in their managers and eventually jump ship to your competitors. Productivity is at risk for an all-time low. However, it’s a relatively easy fix. Service Managers and Advisors need to walk that shop, coaching every step of the way. Remember, if he’s not feeling, touching, smelling or talking it, he’s not doing it! Top Service Managers insist they get more paperwork done between the early morning hours of 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. anyway, before moving on to more urgent, productive duties and concerns.

Consistent walk-arounds and observing while coaching can’t help but result in increased repair sales, TAROs and AROs. They greatly impact both client interaction and satisfaction, thereby influencing that infamous bottom line. Service Manager Coaching teaches how to chart the staff’s progress and set up or establish daily goals for selling certain items, such as alignments. It teaches him how to talk to Bob, the tune-up guy and get a quick review on Bob’s agenda. He will know to dig for issues within the team, review numbers from yesterday and how to monitor the team’s professional development, communicating, if necessary, one-on-one. They will be able to help them seek out opportunities for self-improvement and encourage them throughout the process.

An incredible transformation comes with Service Manager Coaching. Fresh insight culminates into listening well. They will begin to see your business straight from the eyes of his crew, which gains him immeasurable, worthy respect from them. Previously insulated layers will break down. Together, them and the team will begin to realize the answers to the future direction your business needs to travel and grow, which is better trained, happy employees and of course, your total success.

Walk Around on the Service Drive – Service Manager Coaching the process. Watch how the customer checks the tire with the advisor by getting down and observing the tread wear! Real world process.

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges your Service Advisor now faces is how to combat the common misconception customers have that independent garages are always cheaper than dealerships, especially when it comes to repairing engines, transmissions, the AC, etc. You may retain their business for dash electronics and the like, but unless their vehicle is still under warranty, private shops are gaining the upper hand on most other repair issues.

You probably already realize that these private shops exploit and foster the belief that all dealership repair shops are a rip off. Aside from their established clientele, a private mechanic’s gravy comes from the random customer who happens in looking for a fair price. They take their time educating and bonding with this potential new customer, flavoring that gravy with how dealership service departments shuffle customers in and out and promote unnecessary repairs. They are courteous and diligent about follow through, knowing these actions will result in deep-rooted loyalty, client referrals and long-term profit. Moreover, today’s independent shops are privy to some of the same technical repair software programs the dealer has.

Now, more than ever, it is crucial to throw your Service Advisor Training into high gear. He must be equipped with the necessary tools to overcome these misconceptions in order to convince customers to stick with your dealership. This invaluable service training enables him to set the bar and consistently exceed it, month after month. For example, does your Service Advisor know how to counteract the damage these independent garages inflict? Does he press the advantages of taking their vehicles to the dealer, or how they’ll have a dealer’s tie-in to auto manufacturers? A beef with a repair can be taken up with the manufacturer.

It’s futile to expect things to return to the way they once were; it’s an entirely new economy. It presents difficult challenges that require different strategies. Service Advisor Training teaches how to embrace the new markets’ complexities. The faster you react, the faster you will conquer this dismal market, while the underprepared fall by the wayside.

According to the latest industry studies, eight out of ten of your customers’ personal vehicles need at least two repairs. Some of these affect operating costs; others are dangerous safety concerns. As a part of your marketing plan to boost profits and circumvent costly breakdowns and expensive repairs for your clients, make sure you’ve implemented beneficial fuel saving tips to ensure a superior, all-inclusive service for them.

If your Service Advisor Training does not include a marketing plan that communicates how to save money, chances are he is costing you unfathomable amounts of money. Do your customers understand that their vehicles will use less fuel if it is well maintained? Are they even aware of the importance of having regular service, air filter replacements, oil changes and tune ups? Can you honestly say he stresses everything on that list each time?

Does your Service Advisor ask your customers if they enjoy that romantic, glowing check engine light? They may think it makes for a beautiful, soothing ambiance, but do your customers know that many conditions that cause it to come on can drastically affect fuel economy? Does your Service Advisor tell customers to tighten gas caps in order to avoid fuel evaporation?

Older engines experience a higher degree of stress, so a more rigorous maintenance check is appropriate. Leaks from gaskets and seals dry out; they don’t hold fluids as they once did. Your customers need to know this.

With the right Service Advisor training, your customers will understand how vital it is to catch up on those repairs and services they have been putting off due to high fuel prices. They’ll appreciate it even more at the gas station. Do you know who they’ll come back to? You’ve got it.

Communicate, Correspond and Connect

Your service advisory team must understand how crucial it is to keep customers informed and updated regarding the status of their repair throughout every stage of the process. Keeping customers in the loop lets them know you have things under control. Reassuring them is especially important if they are a new customer. Call or email them to let them know you are still running on schedule. This inspires confidence.

The Art of an Apology

Customer service status updates prove invaluable should you run into issues. When additional issues reveal themselves after the repair is underway, or you discover your original diagnosis was incorrect, call, explain and apologize. Saying you are sorry is easy to do; your customers will appreciate an honest explanation, so own it. Your customer knows you are not a computer. Immediately addressing unforeseen concerns gives the customer a “heads up,” which allows them to plan for any potential delay or downtime while you fix these issues or wait for parts to arrive.

Exceptional Service advisor training teaches how to keep the customer abreast of what you are doing to remedy the issue. Even if it was not your fault, value their opinion and complaints. Let him vent. He may be 100 percent wrong, but he must still win. We may dislike it, but it will give your service advisor the opportunity to learn and improve. It will also teach the Service advisor how to circumvent the issue should it dare to rear its ugly head again.

Your customers are the lifeblood of your business. Slashed prices and promotional offers may bring them in the doors, but if their first experience was negative, your business will suffer greatly. Customers place tremendous value on consistent feedback, possibly more than they do for product or service. They expect concise communication and ethical solutions. The better Service advisor training your management receives, the better he can understand and can anticipate your client’s every automotive requirement.

It’s hard to detach yourself from the “old-school” traditional thinking. You’ve probably still have some of these sales guru’s tapes and books. Their message is, “Always be closing,” or “If you think positive, you will conquer the cold call.” However, here’s the problem: Today’s automotive customer is infinitely more perceptive, well informed and more savvy than your granddaddy’s customer was. They know a heavy-handed sales pitch when they hear one. They are consistently bombarded with these types of fast-talking techniques; it does not inspire confidence. Stop pitching so hard and simply start a conversation. Learn the art of refraining from trying to “get the sale.” You’ll find that customers will place a higher value on his advice and typically bring your service advisor into their buying process. It’s all about trust, folks.

Conventional Mindset

Typically, when a potential customer challenges or undermines the value of your service, his service advisor training demands defending themselves, the company and the value. Never try to justify yourself or over-zealously defend value. This only creates pressure on both. Conversely, when the prospect offers what he thinks is a legitimate objection, the service advisor should try to uncover what the truth actually is, i.e. time, money, etc.

Outdated sales techniques do not address the crux of contention. Until we begin to value our customers and change how we approach selling, we’ll continue to grapple with the same counterproductive behaviors and experience frustration. Proper service advisor training is the breakthrough you may be looking for. New thinking will ensure new results. New results will bring them back for their every automotive need, catapulting your automotive business into the next level of planning.

Today’s auto repair customer is a far more sophisticated animal. They are educated and take absolute advantage of the wealth of online information. They know they have countless choices when choosing their service provider. Your business’s profitability hinges on a great many variables, but none is more crucial than relying on your service advisor to turn every phone lead into a sale, generate repeat sales and sustain happy customers.

Every lost phone lead costs you far more than what you paid to make it ring. You’ve lost the time your service advisor spent talking with the caller as well as the estimated value of the repair order. That potential repair went to your competitor, possibly bringing with that customer a host of other folks he could have happily referred to you. Every wasted call and squandered sales opportunity cost you. When you think of it in terms of how much revenue you are currently losing, a course in service advisor training is virtually free.

The program was designed from the ground-up by the most innovative, brightest minds in the automotive industry. The best on-site trainers provide one-on-one instruction to your service manager on how to improve the service advisor’s performance and how to sustain these practices, as well as telephone customer cultivation, how to overcome objections and how to emphasize the importance of regular vehicle maintenance visits. Additional techniques, such as in-depth follow-up and customized post-class performance goals dramatically increase his diagnostic sales and services.

Service advisor training fosters pride and gives him self-discipline with quotas and deadlines. Ultimately, boosting and retaining his sales numbers will be the expected norm. If your customer retention is lower than it should be, invest in the one-time cost of service advisor training and schedule your performance review.

Ask yourself this: Have you provided your main player with the keys to unlock the big payoffs? Do the numbers show that this Service Advisor Training has “stuck?” Do they regularly go over procedural guidelines with staff before each shift? Conversely, are they complacent with managerial duties, confident that you are satisfied with the work ethic? Common sense tells you that the training must extend far past the orientation period. Reinforced training ensures ongoing development, which guarantees multiple returns on your investment.

Your front-line Service Advisor is a powerful influence over customer retention. They have to know how to motivate the automotive service staff to stay the course. To sustain your business, especially during the lean months, the Service Advisor Training must be reestablished and ingrained on a recurring basis.

Sustainment: Your Sustenance; Your Bread and Butter

In this economy, competent customer service may leave a customer merely satisfied. This is simply not good enough anymore; everyone has had to step it up a notch or two. Surprisingly, in most cases, pricing is not even an issue for sustainment. People want to be “emotionally connected” to your place of business. According to the latest Gallop Poll, clients typically spend almost 50 percent more on service when they believe in the organization’s methodology. Superior Service Advisor Training sensationalizes your customer’s service experience; it bonds them to you for life.

Does Your Service Advisor Have the Seven Cs?

• Commitment
• Capability
• Competitiveness
• Confidence
• Communication
• Cognitive Reasoning
• Coachable

Smart business owners understand the monetary justification for onsite training. They strongly encourage it and provide varying training opportunities to develop similar work mentalities, such as mentoring, internal education and onsite seminars geared towards their business. A successfully trained Service Advisor creates an enthusiastic learning environment for their team. They communicate expectations daily and facilitates continued training. Your business model is not only solidified, it is part of their DNA.