Dealerships are moving in the right direction and have been focusing on Customer Satisfaction for the last decade.

Retail facilities have big budgets to bring in the clients through advertising,  CRM’s and SEO’s and many other company’s with acronyms attached to them. The initial form of contact is the computer with over 60% of your clients using this as a first point of contact. However once that initial contact is made the phone is picked up and used to schedule appointments or get more information before they come in.
When clients are picking up the phone and call your company, are they your customer? No. This is the biggest misconception we have as retail employees, service advisers and sales people. These are future customers. They will hang up and call 5  of your competitors,  for pricing, appointments and service.
So what do you do to make that first contact a memorable one for your future client? Listen to the way your team members talk on the phone, Are they answering it properly? Is the call coming in direct or through a switchboard?  Are you asking for a name and phone number? Is your team member asking questions or just giving information? Are they engaging and listening?
When your team members pick up a phone the conversation should be 75% listening and 25% talking. Your team should be gathering the information and giving value to your future customer.
So how do you do that? Think about when you are talking to a favorite family member or friend that you truly care about. Who is doing the talking? This should be your approach on every call. Walk around and listen to your team. Who is the best and who needs coaching.  What a difference this makes in appointments and profits. The future clients that are calling your dealership right now are raising their hands.  They have a need and you have the product or service they need.  These are the people that see your advertising hear your radio adds get your emails. This is where your team should shine!

Dealer Service Academy is the leading Automotive Service Manager, Automotive Service Advisor Training & Coaching Company.

We are nationwide and work with retail facilities to implement processes that engage the customer. Dealer Service Academy focuses on Upfront communication skills, maintaining and increasing CSI and profits.
It is our mission to coach Care, Service and Sales on your service drive where is happens. Call today for 2013 Automotive Service Team training package prices.
We offer a savings on 6 or 12 month packages.

Anyone who owns a vehicle already realizes that they typically take it in for some type of service at least two or three times per year, the issue is that dealerships also seem to be leading themselves in the wrong direction because they spend far more time training their sales staff than they spend training their Service Advisors. It could be argued that the Service Advisor see sees five to ten times as many customers as sales and produces three times the profit, but Dealerships are concerned about investing the time in training because of the fear of losing profit or not seeing the over all ROI. However, it can be done efficiently through the real-time courses that are available today.

Automotive Service Advisor Training

It is pretty obvious that service advisors need to know quite a bit about how automobiles work, so they can appear to know what they are talking about when informing customers what kind of work needs to be performed. The thing is that most people who know a lot about mechanical issues are not as polished when it comes to dealing with people. This program puts a lot of focus on how to properly assist customers and make them feel comfortable with what the service advisor is telling them through an “interactive walk-around”. Many customers are weary of service department personnel because the customers believe that the employees are trying to use their expert knowledge to take advantage of the customer. This program essentially serves as an agenda of things that the service advisor needs to inform the customer about, and this will develop a solid relationship between the advisor and customer. Dealerships will definitely see an increase in profits by using this training program, so it is well worth the minimal investment. The best news is that the service advisor will never have to be away from customers, so it is essentially like paid training for the employee and the dealership.

Real-time auto service advisor training is the perfect answer for any dealership. Dealerships will find that this type of training is ideal because the advisor will never have to leave the dealership, which would cut the dealership’s profits temporarily. This program will turn average service advisors into true professionals, and the dealership will make even more money through the service department.

Although hiring a quality control person adds to the costs of running your dealership business, the bottom line is that it will be a profitable decision. There are several reasons why you need service advisor automotive service training set in place. Some of the benefits may not be immediately visible but will be evident in due time.

First, you service advisor automotive service training leads to more business. If a customer comes to your location and receives excellent service, you can bet that they are going to come back to you the next time. In addition, they will be very happy to spread the word about your services, leading to more business and a solid reputation.

Second, a trained service advisor can maximize the value of each lead. Trained advisors can get prospects to commit to coming into your location. Once there, they can offer additional services and increase the profits made from each customer. They also know how to convert people who are just calling to shop based on price by adding value.

Third, you will build relationships with your customers. Service advisor automotive service training is about more than the actual job. Service advisors will be able to understand the concerns of customers and what they are looking for. They can educate them and communicate clearly on what they need to know. It’s proven that people buy based on relationships so it’s important for long term profits.

So those are the benefits of investing in service advisor training. Having a strong service advisor is an asset and not an unnecessary expense. If you feel that you are lacking a powerful service department, try to find help from professionals that can give your staff the training to perform well.

It is undeniable that the job of a Service Advisor goes through the mastery of the phone. It is often said that people call dealers for the sole purpose of eliminating you, so next time you pick up the handset, make sure to have your best smile attached to your voice. In addition, you’ll never get better if the phone use is sporadic. If you do not have 5 phone calls per day, you are not doing your job perfectly. (Note, you must perform an action 15,000 times to become an expert). Before taking the phone you need to prepare, be prepared, do not improvise and write notes that you would like the person you are calling.

It is very easy to fall on “automatic” when for the 500th time you have done your presentation selling to one of your prospective clients. There are signs that your client may perceive that your presentation is automatic and not personalized. Here are some important points to consider in the non-verbal language:

The customer believes what he/she sees during a meeting between two individuals, the only way being observation. Your approach to them (approach), gestures (shy), posture (hands in pockets), your sincerity (your handshake) are signs that your prospect and client picks immediately. And from that time, he/she will be able to decide whether or not they will buy. You can bet on the importance of the look of your shirt (ironed, Smart, polished shoes, etc.).

As a good Service Advisor, always observe the reactions of your client. Is he interested in what you say? You can have an excellent point, but if it does not affect your client, you will remain without results (even if your point is good). Watch your posture: folded arms, eyes distant, no questions. Stop immediately! Try a different approach.

The eyes do not forgive; they are the direct path to the heart, look at them properly, look at them right in the eye when they speak. If you avoid the gaze of the customer, they may think you are not convinced of what you are selling or you are hiding something. Do not avoid the eyes of your customers (they say you can see the soul of the people through their eyes).

The sale will always be a show; so let your groove for Service Advisors come out at exposure of cars. You are in some way, the lead performer. Be enthusiastic, play with your tone of voice, and be persuasive and informative.

If you believe that you are receiving some messages from the customer, stop and confirm them immediately. When your client is constantly looking at his watch, ask them, if they had a little more time or ask if it would be more appropriate to take an appointment later in the day. I tell you a good Service Advisor will see the signs that will lead to closing a sale.

Good sales!