5 Traits that Count When Hiring an Auto Repair Service Advisor

Your shop deserves a superstar auto repair service advisor. After all, they are the smiling face that greets your customers and your technicians’ right hand.

Their positive attitude makes them shine, along with their unique balance of communication skills and technical aptitude.

When searching for the perfect candidate, you’ll seek out someone with industry experience and knowledge of shop management software. However, you can always teach those skills.

If you narrow your focus too much, you might end up with another shop’s underachiever or a poor performer.

Your auto repair service advisor is a critical component to your shop’s operations and their success is your success.

Screen capture of steps to repair a car's fan with Show Off How Great You Are written below

5 key traits in the perfect auto repair service advisor:

1. Positive Vibes

Your auto repair service advisor sets the tone for your entire shop, at least on the customer side. They must have the ability to multitask, handle pressure with a smile, and deal with technical issues and problems that arise.

It’s almost like hunting for a unicorn, only this person really does exist. Something as simple as a good attitude can raise your ticket costs and increase your customer count.

2. Passion

Obviously, you can train someone on the elements of service writing. However, if they already have some knowledge or interest in cars, no matter how basic, they’ll be a step ahead. And if they’re mechanically inclined, even better.

Say you’re stuck between one or the other, well, then it comes down to the personal needs of your shop. Just remember that you can’t really ‘teach’ people skills or a positive attitude. But, if your candidate has a great personality and a passion for learning, you can mold them into your service writer superstar.

3. Loves helping people as an auto repair service advisor

The auto repair service advisor’s job fixes people’s problems, not just their vehicles. Therefore, you need to hire someone for the role who can handle people in all situations.

Choose someone who excels at keeping things calm and dispels tension when customers are dissatisfied. Even better, find someone who can prevent that from happening in the first place.

The auto repair service advisor serves as the face of your shop and their positive attitude will set the bar for your customer’s journey.

4. Technical skills

You don’t need to be tech-savvy to the point of building their own computers, but your candidates should possess some technical aptitude. They should be able to quickly learn and adapt to a cloud-based SMS platform, like the one that your shop uses.

If you are thinking about upgrading to the cloud or integrating a new platform, hire someone with relevant experience for this transition.

5. Mr. or Mrs. Meticulous

Like people skills, structure and attention to detail cannot be taught. Your service advisor’s organization, or lack of, can make a big impact. If a work order is misplaced or not documented correctly, the entire shop is off-track. This could cause some friction on the customer’s end as well.

This inherent trait is hard to gauge during an interview. Prepare a series of questions, including requests for examples, that will give you a sense of how they manage their time and workload.

Excellent communication, the ability to learn quickly and retain information, as well as an overall positive outlook are five-star traits to look for in any new hire. Gauge which qualities best serve your shop’s needs and really drill in on the questions that will help you select the best candidate.

Sometimes, having passion and a drive to deliver their best will speak volumes over work experience.

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