Today’s service advisors are required to take a more consultative approach to client needs.

They represent the front line when it comes to fixed operations, but are you getting the most out of your service advisors? Furthermore, are they getting the training and resources they need to do the job effectively?

In today’s environment where customers expect more and we’ve increasingly seen quality service experiences drive sales at the dealership, it’s important that one, a service advisor’s role is clearly understood and that two, they are able to build effective relationships with your customers and create long-term retention and loyalty among those clients.

Different skill sets

At OpenRoad Auto Group in British Columbia, Brian Voth, Group Director, Fixed Operations, notes that it’s important to understand that today, different skill sets are required for service advisors than were perhaps acknowledged in the past.

There was a time when many dealerships would hire former technicians for service advisor roles, because of their extensive knowledge and skills related to servicing and repairing vehicles. Today however, the emphasis is on attitude and interpersonal skills.

“If we hire someone from outside the industry, we can teach them the hard skills far more quickly than we can soft skills,” says Voth. “It really is about focusing on the bigger picture—the relationship we have with our guests (customers) and building long term trust and retention with them.”

At LGM Financial Services, Jake Stacey, Executive Vice President, Sales & Training agrees. “Back in the day, service advisors tended to function as intermediaries, liaising between customers and technicians. They were primarily focused on basic maintenance needs and processing orders.” Today, she says, service advisors are expected to build long term relationships. “The role has shifted to a more customer-centric and consultative position,” Stacey explains.

As a result, today’s service advisors are there to provide guidance, education and personal recommendations for vehicle care, creating trust with a dealership’s customers.

The right support

But ensuring they’re able to perform the role effectively requires several considerations, including the right training and support.

Brian Voth acknowledges that training for service advisors has improved over the years, including that provided by the OEMs, but says that when it comes to the leadership team at the dealership, or dealer group, there needs to be a focus on continual service advisor training. “And that just doesn’t mean understanding the maintenance manual or knowing how to write a work order, but the skills that we utilize in the role.”

These include role playing scenarios that help service advisors or trainee candidates in developing effective conflict management skills and de-escalation techniques, since often, service advisors will find themselves in situations where they are trying to resolve conflict or reduce friction, often as much as 15 to 20 times each day.

At LGM Financial Services, Jake Stacey notes that most friction between service advisors and customers tend to result from inadequate training. “The major friction points—poor communication, misdiagnosis, pressure-filled upselling, unmet expectations, and inadequate customer service—stem from gaps in training,” she explains.

Different environment

Gad Campell, Executive Vice President, Customer Experience at LGM Financial Services, notes that other factors are also play in and can lead to friction points, especially in the post COVID pandemic operating environment. “When we look at the repair and maintenance landscape today, we are slowly coming out a cycle where new car inventory supply is picking back up, but where parts delays are still frequent,” he explains. “In an environment where consumers are currently owning vehicles for a longer timeline and in an economy of high interest/inflation on repairs costs, Advisors today are faced with consumers that have more “angst” and dependency on their vehicle ownership experience than ever before.”

Many dealers have also had to contend with significant staff turnover over during the last 3-4 years, which can make some Fixed Ops departments feel like a bit of a revolving door.

This coupled with the fact that the need to ensure customers’ vehicles are properly serviced and repaired in an efficient manner and, that advisors need to manage and guide repairs while considering tighter consumer household budgets, while simultaneously trying to support dealer profitability goals often creates a challenging environment.

An added complexity is the pressure to learn new systems and technologies designed to drive profitability goals. This can impact training and staff turnover, putting added pressure on the service department and creating more opportunities for friction between advisors and customers.

Flexibility is key

So how can dealers address this? At OpenRoad Auto Group, having a training policy that’s focused on adaptability and flexibility is seen as essential. Jon Chang explains that problem solving, and negotiation skills are becoming invaluable. “Throughout our organization, we’ve identified these skills consistently as a key component for long-term success,” Chen explains.

He notes that by doing so, organizations can have what’s called talent portability, where soft skills such as these can effectively complement hard skills such as subject matter expertise, including product knowledge and vehicle mechanics.

Both Chen and Voth note that this represents an effective training approach, not only for existing employees within the organization but also when attracting new hires from outside the industry.

“Even if somebody does not have supervisory experience and wants to work in automotive retail, we have the ability to equip them with 50-60% of the fundamentals required for the role and they can learn the rest through the dealership,” says Chen.

Jake Stacey says that an effective way for new hires to learn is by shadowing successful employees, including service advisors, gaining an understanding in how they perform in the role and interact with customers, something that Brian Voth also acknowledges. “When we have new trainees coming in and shadowing an advisor it really opens their eyes. It really is about the bigger picture relationship,” states Voth.

“It’s not so much about saying you need an oil change, tire rotation or brake service, but more about working as a concierge,” he says. Customers come into the service department, and they often don’t want to be there. “They tend to be upset about an issue with their vehicle, but if you’re able to provide proper, transparent and consistent treatment, you can turn that customer into an advocate for your business. That’s essentially the most important thing we try to teach.”