3 Steps to a Successful Repair Order: A Guide for Students in Service Advisor Courses

When a client brings a car that needs work into a shop for repairs, the first person they will likely encounter is a trained automotive service advisor. An automotive service advisor plays many roles within an automotive shop, but one of the most important is greeting customers and walking them through their order details. Communicating with customers about their auto repair needs is the first step towards a successful car repair and is important in determining if the customer will go through with the proposed work and return for their next repair.

Students in service advisor courses should continue reading for three steps that will make their repair order a great success.

Step 1: Auto Service Advisors Know that Order Taking is the Customer’s First Impression

Whether in social situations or business relationships, first impressions are incredibly important. As an automotive service advisor, you will be in charge of taking phone calls or welcoming customers and setting up appointments in order to get their repairs done. Often, customers that are experiencing problems with their car may be agitated and stressed, so maintaining a very calm and comforting attitude is vital to ensure that the customer has a reassuring experience.

The customer may arrive with their car or may call or come in to set an appointment time. During these encounters make sure to record the customer’s name and number, their car brand, model and year, the date and time that they will be arriving, the car’s problems and the date of first contact. This information will sometimes be recorded with a simple pen and pad, or more often in computerized auto shop management systems. A loose price quote for the work can sometimes be given as this initial information is taken, but other times the car must be run through diagnosis first.

Step 2: Auto Service Writer Pros Make Accurate Estimates and Explain them to Customers

Once an initial appointment is made and the customer brings their car into your shop, a series of tests and diagnoses must happen in order to accurately pinpoint what exactly is wrong with the automobile. Once the shop mechanic diagnoses the automobile’s issues, he or she will record the proposed repairs which are then either handed or sent digitally to the auto service writer. Once you complete your service advisor courses, you can become an auto service writer and will then be in charge of seamlessly coordinating the transaction and explaining the proposed repair plan to customers.

Pricing is also often done by the auto service writer, who prices the labour and parts that are involved in the repair plan and explains it all to the customer in a way that is easy to understand. This step is crucial as it determines if the customer decides to go through with the repairs or find another quote at another shop, so it’s important to be enthusiastic about the positive outcomes of the work during explanation and to break down all the pricing in as detailed a way as possible.

Step 3: Service Advisor Courses Teach Customer Relations to get a Customer’s Approval

Once a customer has come in, their automotive problems have been diagnosed, and they’ve been given a quote in the form of a repair order, the customer may not approve of the work right away. In this case, it is the duty of the service advisor to maintain the relationship in order to hopefully get the customer to sign off and complete the repair order. This can be aided by keeping customer records that include all their relevant contact information and detailed information about the proposed repair. Once you begin your career as an automotive service advisor, you’ll want to have this information on hand and ready when contacting a client for a follow up.

By following these three steps, you can stay on top of service orders throughout your career, and build lasting relationships with customers.

Ready to discover more about auto service writer positions?

Contact an advisor today to find out how you can begin your career soon.