If you had questions about customer service and how to be a great service advisor, then Bruce has given you many of the steps required through this series of articles.

You may have done the most amazing repair at the most reasonable price, but if the customer perceives that they were overcharged or there’s some other misunderstanding, then their perception is not going to be a positive one.

The Preventative Maintenance Inspection (PMI) provides another opportunity for increased sales and lets your customers know that you have inspected their vehicle and provided them with the information they need to keep their vehicles safe and dependable. The hardest part of initiating a PMI is getting everyone on board.

How you answer the phone is extremely important especially to a customer that has just experienced a vehicle failure. Bruce provides some great guidelines on how to answer the phone.

Lessons learned: follow your own rules; they are there for a reason.

What is the purpose of a service advisor? One previous trainer said that the purpose of a service advisor is “Get car in shop!” While that may be part of it, there is much, much more involved.

Most shops today pay their advisors based on total sales. While I agree that everyone should be paid according to what they produce, this type of pay structure pressures the advisor to “sell” in order to get a decent paycheck.

Welcome to the first article of our Service Advisor’s Desk series! The goal of this series is to assist you in the daily operations of your position from a guy that has been in the trenches as well.