3 ways to go from good to great as a service advisor.
You might be a good service advisor. You've heard it from your supervisor, your customers, and your team. But how do you go from being a good service advisor to being a great one?
In this episode, Corey interviews Erick Jauregui, a service manager for two Chicago dealerships. Erick started as a porter and worked his way up to his current management position, where he's now teaching other advisors how to go from good to great. Here, he shares his key tips for service advisors who want to take their profession to the next level.
Three Ways to Go From Good to Great as a Service Advisor
Make the Process Work For You
Every service advisor has a process. You may be taught that process as part of your training. Or you may need to come up with your own. Either way, having a process that you go through with a customer is important. It starts with that first point of contact, continues through the walk around, and goes on through the post-visit follow-up phone calls.
Whether you learn the process or develop it on your own, you need to know it inside and out. Then you need to tailor it to your own style. Every service advisor will have their own style of communicating with and working with customers. Know what your personal style is along with your strengths and weaknesses. When you can tailor the process to your strengths, you can start to see the shift towards customer service excellence.
Practice Your Preparation
The real work of being a?service advisor happens in the prep work. The service community has so many opportunities to gain valuable knowledge now, including everything from sales courses to finding answers on Google. You need to take advantage of these resources, and put in the work before the customer ever walks through the door. Because if you work hard in the prep stage, you'll work less in front of the customer. That makes your interactions more confident and puts the customer at ease. After all, customers today expect instantaneous answers, and when you can provide them with that, you'll see your CSI numbers go up.
You can compare being a service advisor to playing a sport. You don't just show up, put on a jersey, and win the game. You have to practice and do the prep work. You study the plays, practice scenarios, and you do it again and again. Bringing that same attitude of preparation and practice to your service role can lead you to greater success in your position.
Become a Master of Communication
Communication is key with your customers. That communication goes both ways, too. It's never a bad thing to ask them what their expectations are for their visit today. That gives you a clear understanding not only about what they need from you but how you can exceed those expectations.
You should also act as a coach to your customers by walking them through the process every step of the way. This will reduce their anxiety and give you an opportunity to let them know about all the added value they are getting during their visit. For example, instead of telling them they are getting an oil change, tell them about the oil and filter change that includes a multi-point inspection including their brakes for only $99. Now the value of the service outweighs the cost, and they are feeling good about everything you are doing for them.
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You can't really over-communicate, either. Communication is now a 24/7 occurrence, especially with immediate forms of communication like email, texting, and even Facetime. Instead of just providing updates, now you need to think about providing an update about the update. If you tell a customer that you'll call them at 2 p.m. with an update about their vehicle, give them an update about the update at 11 a.m. Even if there is no new information,?you can let them know that their car is going in soon, and you still plan on contacting them at 2 p.m. This deflates their stress level, assures them you are taking care of them, and that you are on top of their needs. That can be a top-tier customer service experience for someone.
The Key Takeaways
One thing to keep in mind is that you can't please everyone all the time. You are going to get bad survey results; it happens to everyone. What's important, though, is that you don't focus on those bad surveys. Focus on delivering authentic, genuine service through your process and the surveys will take care of themselves.
Erick says the three most important takeaways for a service advisor are:
1. Have the process work for you.
2. Invest in yourself. You're worth it.
3. Know your potential.
As a service advisor, do you want to show up and punch in and out, or do you want to make this a profession? If you behave like a professional, you'll get paid like a professional. Be willing to do the work and make the sacrifice, and it'll pay off.
Want to hear more about what Erick has to say about becoming a great service advisor? Hit play now and listen to his full interview with Corey.
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fixed-ops-5/id1565027324?i=1000532556768
VSS provides both direct & reinsured products that integrate with external and existing agent partners to drive sales and revenue growth.
3 年Great 1:1 with Erick. Good job.
Business Insurance Total Solution Provider | Income & Leadership Development | Insurance Agent | Asset Protection | Risk Management
3 年You’re a rockstar and a pioneer. Our industry is so lucky to have you.
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3 年Great article - i like the point about practise. I travel to China a lot (pre-COVID) and always stay in the same hotel (Mandarin Oriental, Pudong). I got to know many of the staff well, there service is amazing. In chatting with the concierge staff they advised that at the start of each shift they do some role plays on customer service to constantly improve their skills and it is very evident. How many dealerships with customer facing staff do regular role plays to hone the skills, or do most only do it when sent off for the mandatory OEM training sessions.