Automotive Careers - Anyone a Dealership Service Advisor?

just wondering how stressful/rewarding a job as a service advisor is? i see these jobs going locally quite often and think it would suit me well. i hear the first year(much like car sales) you are getting a customer/clientel goin, after the second year you get more repeat business.

i used to be i really enjoyed it alot, dont get me wrong you have your fair share of assholes but for the most part the people are very friendly. some place there can be a good bit of money to be made. im in the parts department now. what car company are you going to try?

Used to be. I found it to be a tough go. Some of the hardest parts were selling service to people that I didn't really believe in myself. I also found it very competitive between me and the other advisors. I was more into customer service but my boss and the dealer principal were into me making money for them. Probably the worst part was the job security issue. They will get rid of you when ever they are ready.
Sorry for being so negative, I am sure others have a more positive outlook on this job.
Good Luck

im a service advisor...it can be very rewarding.

honest truth though, if you are not a people person, do not have patience, cant give fake smiles all day, tell white lies all the time, deal with rude customers, management always bitching at you, and most importantly not able to sell....its not for you.


you really have to be able to sell sand to a camel though to be a good advisor

Well said SPRACK. I'm an advisor for Dodge,Chrysler, and Jeep. Its in a great location with a reputable name, but busy season is stressful. I read to my colleagues what you wrote and they all busted a gut.

decent money can get very stressful you need to be easy going and cant have short temper

thanks for the replies guys, i think i might give it a try, i feel im a fairly good people person and i usually dont let stuff get me stressed......the only prob would be dealin with the small minoirty of absolute assholes, but im in canada so everyone is nice :punch: .....lol, I had a job lined up at Nissan, but never went thru because another better paying job came up

What type of pay are you guys making as an advisor ?

i used to be i really enjoyed it alot, dont get me wrong you have your fair share of assholes but for the most part the people are very friendly. some place there can be a good bit of money to be made. im in the parts department now. what car company are you going to try?

I did the same thing.

I was a advisor for 2 years and then moved over to parts. I like it much better here and am a Parts manager now so things are a bit easier as I deal with the public a little less.

What type of pay are you guys making as an advisor ?


I made $40k at a slow dealership.

I am also not a overly aggressive advisor. There are more that will push a bit harder and make more.

A our busy stores $60k was the norm and pretty easy to attain as long as you know what yourr doing.

I made $40k at a slow dealership.

I am also not a overly aggressive advisor. There are more that will push a bit harder and make more.

A our busy stores $60k was the norm and pretty easy to attain as long as you know what yourr doing.

I was just curious. I am curently in the buisness and my pay scale now is 45k guaranteed with an aditional bonus check of 3600 a year from the manufacture if we meet our csi for the quarters which we have for like 10 quarters in a row. I also get spiffs from Valvoline and other company's . I should be able to clear 55 to 60.

I was just curious. I am curently in the buisness and my pay scale now is 45k guaranteed with an aditional bonus check of 3600 a year from the manufacture if we meet our csi for the quarters which we have for like 10 quarters in a row. I also get spiffs from Valvoline and other company's . I should be able to clear 55 to 60.


Sounds like you should be well over 50 with out pushing sales. So your in good shape.

CSI is easy, smile, wave, and kiss their ass even when you dont like them.

you'll enjoy it, its something different every day.

Sounds like you should be well over 50 with out pushing sales. So your in good shape.

CSI is easy, smile, wave, and kiss their ass even when you dont like them.

Yeah, I have been in the business now for 7 years. I went to college and graduated with an asociates degree in buisness. I have certificates from GM, Mazda , and now Hyundai. I love the challenge. I have managed a facility in Tn with Mazda, but now I am just a lead advisor. The sad part is that I make more here, but its just the area. I want to become a Manager again somewhere.

I am an Advisor for a Subaru dealer. I love the job(I worked for Toyota before this and other shops), and Subaru customers are a breed of their own and expect a lot. I deal with my fair share of assholes. At the same time I have a lot of great customers. So you have to expect it and balance it out. The pay is nice but i am also at a good dealer who pays well. I get paid commission on my labor sales only, no salary and so far have cleared around 56k and should hit 60k in my first year here. Toyota I was salary and commission on labor sales.

its all about building up your clientele and being able to sell jobs to customers with 100 percent confidence. the minute you start studdering your words or show uncertainty about any questions the customers may have, 80 percent chance you just lost that sale.


my question to you other service advisors on here, is how are you paid?


my personal pay plan is a salary plus commission.

i get 1200 a month salary, then 3% commission on the customer pay and warranty labor profit. i dont get paid for any internal work, sublet work, or parts profit though because we arent on a team system here quite yet. but with labor profits sitting around 100,000 a month im seeing roughly $50,500 a year plus my bonuses for BG and flush sales.


:cheers:

my adviser cleared 130k last year, thats just the legal money not including tips
average is probaly about 70k here

damn i'm getting boned lol

What qualifications do you need to be a service advisor? I'm currently going to school to get at least my associates in business then i'm going to decide if i want to get my bachelors or try out a tech position.

i am a lead tech at a ford dealership. my advisor makes 100k a year with a groupf techs under him that he can trust to get the job done whenn he needs it done. also it is done right. how much you will make is going to depend on how much support you have and how aggressive you are.

since there is a bunch of dealership guys in here thought id' ask a quick question - whats the best way to get the most $ out of my trade in?

since there is a bunch of dealership guys in here thought id' ask a quick question - whats the best way to get the most $ out of my trade in?
Sell it privately.

Im a advisor here @ a Ford dealership.Fleet service Asst. manager/Fleet advisor. I love my job. Hell im 22 and making 50-60k a year with no degree yet.

i really enjoyed it (at benz) until i left because of some disagreements with management

Why is there such a huge turnover wherever I go? I've visited several dealerships here at Houston and have yet had the chance to see the same people after a years time.

I was a BMW Service Advisor for years. Will never do it again. Think about it.

Customers are already upset when the come into the service department. The sales department usually messes up the sale anyways by over promissing everything, such as the service department. You only have so many techs to fix so many cars. If your new BMW M5 guy comes in because he has a problem, goes to find out he can't get into get looked at until the next day (sometimes a week out) when the sales department promissed same day service, you're screwed. Techs get in bad moods sometimes or just get caught, maybe the can't get a vehicle done in time, you have to call that already pissed off customer to explain why there 120k vehicle is still broken and you have to ask for more time (and sometimes more money).

Managers are always on your ass to improve customer service satisfaction, but don't help achieve it...

Screw that job. I'm done with it.. never again.

So whats the best way to get started as a Service Advisor. I was a mechanic for 3 years till I hurt by back and want to try something different.

I was a tech for twelve years and now I've been an service advisor for seven, I make less money as an advisor and obviously the work is less physical but its a whole lot more mental.
If my back was still good I would tech again...hands down its better, no stress, no long hours and more money.
Dealing with customers with a broken car day in day out gets old.
I'm nearing the end of my career, five more years and I'm doing something else, or maybe nothing..

Im in the same boat at a much younger age. Blew my back out and its just never going to be the same so I was looking into service advisor postions

I get paid commission. I get 9% of my labor dollar including customer pay, warranty and internal.

Well I guess the responses here says it all... Some love it some hate it..
It depends on what kind of individual you are..
High turnover stores are usually due to management or "the wrong person for the job"
A good advisor will make between 60-100k. Strong mechanical knowledge isn't a required requirement. I have found mechanical background advisors can go either way. I have hired women with no mechanical background that have done VERY well. I have hired techs that made both good and bad advisors.
If you want to be an advisor you will need to be:
Willing to work long hours.
Posses the ability to get along well with others.
Be goal oriented.
Be a good sales person.
Must be a multi tasker.
Have a good demeanor.

If you are moody, its not a job for you.
If you can't handle upset customers, its not a job for you.
If you can't handle stress, its not a job for you.
If you can't multi-task, its not a job for you.
If you can't handle long hours, its not a job for you.

Technicians for the most part tend to be pre-modonna's (Not all) but there are a lot of them. Good ones are in short supply and they know it. A happy tech will produce a lot more than a pissed off tech.

So you will find yourself juggling a lot. Keeping the customer happy, keeping your techs happy, getting promised vehicles done and being able to work on last minute "must have" vehicles that pop in last minute..

It's challenging, pays well, and can be rewarding..

Believe it or not, Service Advisors are the most important people in a dealership. They handle more customers per day, then anyone else in the dealership. Good Service experience leads to good sales.

Hope this helps..

just dont ignore the parts men, with out them dosnt matter how many people you walk through that service bay, nothing will get done with out them getting the tech's the parts they need. in my opinion THEY are the most important people in a dealership ;)

just dont ignore the parts men, with out them dosnt matter how many people you walk through that service bay, nothing will get done with out them getting the tech's the parts they need. in my opinion THEY are the most important people in a dealership ;)

A breed of their own... lol

:d :d

just dont ignore the parts men, with out them dosnt matter how many people you walk through that service bay, nothing will get done with out them getting the tech's the parts they need. in my opinion THEY are the most important people in a dealership ;)

im a parts man now, and you sir are 150% correct.:D

im a parts man now, and you sir are 150% correct.:D

Like I said... ;)

lol i WAS a service advisor then switched to parts, so much nicer

lol i WAS a service advisor then switched to parts, so much nicer

Sorry to hear about you were demoted... lol

Managers are always on your ass to improve customer service satisfaction, but don't help achieve it...

Screw that job. I'm done with it.. never again.

I agree. Management sometimes look at just the overall picture and not the actual problem or help.

Take CSI for instance. I love how the CSI score is our "Dealers score" according to management. Then they want to cut the Advisors pay if we get a bad score. It's even worse when the parts dept screws up(ours sucks and they do cause a lot of bad CSI's) and we get a bad score because of it. So the advisor shouldn't be the only one to get a paycut?? Amazingly when that is presented to management, it isn't a dealerships CSI score anymore.

I can understand if it was something I did, but when other parties are involved and cause the hickup and we get a bad csi because of it, the advisor still gets the blame.

Welcome to the automotive world.

I agree. Management sometimes look at just the overall picture and not the actual problem or help.

Take CSI for instance. I love how the CSI score is our "Dealers score" according to management. Then they want to cut the Advisors pay if we get a bad score. It's even worse when the parts dept screws up(ours sucks and they do cause a lot of bad CSI's) and we get a bad score because of it. So the advisor shouldn't be the only one to get a paycut?? Amazingly when that is presented to management, it isn't a dealerships CSI score anymore.

I can understand if it was something I did, but when other parties are involved and cause the hickup and we get a bad csi because of it, the advisor still gets the blame.

Welcome to the automotive world.


The CSI report is broken down to each answer and each answer has a score. The "Advisor" question have there own individual score as well.. An advisor can still have a good score and the rest of the experience can have a bad one. Granted you can piss someone off due to a part or tech and still get hammered no matter how you do.
The easiest way to bring up your CSI is simply to discuss it with EVERY one of your customers! A quick 1-2 minute talk will do wonders. And EVERY time you get a bad CSI or even "Very satisified" or "Satisfied" scores CALL THE CUSTOMER! On most occasions if they know you are going to (I use this word loosely) confront them, the survey will take on a whole new meaning when they fill it out next time.
You will be surprised how much your score will go up if you just talk to your customers! Explain to them that your only passing score is "completely satisfied" show them where they can score the actual vehicle, if they are not happy with it..
And the best thing is, your # of responses will come way up, if you just talk to your customers! The average happy person sees the survey and tosses it, not realizing how much it means to you.. The average pissed off person will fill it out.
And now they can fill it out on the internet!

The CSI report is broken down to each answer and each answer has a score. The "Advisor" question have there own individual score as well.. An advisor can still have a good score and the rest of the experience can have a bad one. Granted you can piss someone off due to a part or tech and still get hammered no matter how you do.
The easiest way to bring up your CSI is simply to discuss it with EVERY one of your customers! A quick 1-2 minute talk will do wonders. And EVERY time you get a bad CSI or even "Very satisified" or "Satisfied" scores CALL THE CUSTOMER! On most occasions if they know you are going to (I use this word loosely) confront them, the survey will take on a whole new meaning when they fill it out next time.
You will be surprised how much your score will go up if you just talk to your customers! Explain to them that your only passing score is "completely satisfied" show them where they can score the actual vehicle, if they are not happy with it..
And the best thing is, your # of responses will come way up, if you just talk to your customers! The average happy person sees the survey and tosses it, not realizing how much it means to you.. The average pissed off person will fill it out.
And now they can fill it out on the internet!

Not for Subaru. They mail it to you.

All Surveys are submitted with the Advisors name so he is held accountable no one else is. So, I can do everything right. However, if the customer gets pissed because the parts dept took too long to get the part shipped in, and they mention that on the survey the overall survey gets the bad grade which is in my name, not the parts dept. So I will get a bad survey if a tech screws up, if the parts dept screws up or even if the sales dept screws up.

I am an experienced advisor. I speak with every warranty customer about the survey at the counter and talk to them about it. I also follow up with every customer 3 days later to make sure the repair was properly done and they are not having issues. I also discuss with them again about the survey they will be receiving.

Not for Subaru. They mail it to you.

All Surveys are submitted with the Advisors name so he is held accountable no one else is. So, I can do everything right. However, if the customer gets pissed because the parts dept took too long to get the part shipped in, and they mention that on the survey the overall survey gets the bad grade which is in my name, not the parts dept. So I will get a bad survey if a tech screws up, if the parts dept screws up or even if the sales dept screws up.

I am an experienced advisor. I speak with every warranty customer about the survey at the counter and talk to them about it. I also follow up with every customer 3 days later to make sure the repair was properly done and they are not having issues. I also discuss with them again about the survey they will be receiving.

Yes the survey is linked to the advisor's name.
I dont know about Subaru, but GM surveys are scored by individual questions and sections. Here is a sample of a GMC survey: http://www.gmnacsi.com/GMCSI/help/PDF/GMC-SSS.pdf
The results are also scored the same way. Yes ultimately the Service Advisor is accountable, as he should be. The service advisor is the customers contact. The service advisor is the one in charge of most of the perception that drives the customers answers. Yes you can't fix everything. No you can't always convince a customer to score the service advisor portion of the survey in your favor. But as with everything else in this world it boils down to averages.
I find a lot of service advisors want to point fingers at everyone else except themselves.
If you can't AVERAGE a good CSI score, you are not trying hard enough or your store has serious issues. You are always going to have customers you cant please. You are always going to have customers that will hammer you, no matter what you do.
But...
If you dont have enough customers that are completely satisfied, or are happy with you, and your service department, you are in the wrong business..
Again I cant stress the importance of merely asking for them to fill out the survey. % of survey responses is EVERYTHING! With enough return even a marginal advisor will come out smelling like a rose..

Yes the survey is linked to the advisor's name.
I dont know about Subaru, but GM surveys are scored by individual questions and sections. Here is a sample of a GMC survey: http://www.gmnacsi.com/GMCSI/help/PDF/GMC-SSS.pdf
The results are also scored the same way. Yes ultimately the Service Advisor is accountable, as he should be. The service advisor is the customers contact. The service advisor is the one in charge of most of the perception that drives the customers answers. Yes you can't fix everything. No you can't always convince a customer to score the service advisor portion of the survey in your favor. But as with everything else in this world it boils down to averages.

For one I love that survey because it is based on the Advisor.

If i truly screw up, I will own up to it. If I forget to book the rental, or forget to call the customer when the parts in or update them on the repairs(i.e engine or trans jobs, etc), or just have a "I don't care attitude" then yes I deserve every bit of it.

However,if our parts dept drops the ball forgetting to order parts, could give a damn, they will order it whenever, or just forget to order it altogether, then yes that is not the advisor's fault and I feel they need to be held accountable in some form. Right now they are free and clear with no worries, yet the advisor's pay is being cut. Another is when I am off that day and there is a warranty repair, it reflects me, yet I am off. Again, No one but me is losing money by this and yet I am not even there.

I find a lot of service advisors want to point fingers at everyone else except themselves.
If you can't AVERAGE a good CSI score, you are not trying hard enough or your store has serious issues. You are always going to have customers you cant please. You are always going to have customers that will hammer you, no matter what you do.
But...
If you dont have enough customers that are completely satisfied, or are happy with you, and your service department, you are in the wrong business..
Again I cant stress the importance of merely asking for them to fill out the survey. % of survey responses is EVERYTHING! With enough return even a marginal advisor will come out smelling like a rose..
Thankfully I have a good high average and usually leading my district and high on region.

I tend to disagree with how our Management above the Service Manager feels CSI is a dealers CSI, yet the SM and Advisor get the pay cut when other people have created that bad score. It is not the SM nor advisor's fault a customer thinks you should have leather seats in the waiting lounge(that was a truthful response btw), or you don't have this or that at your dealership.

many places make the mistake that Upper management do not play a vital role in CSI. If a majority of the bad response revolve around how poorly the dealership is setup for the customers, then get on it and fix it. Don't tell the advisor they need to get better scores, when what is hurting them is beyond the advisor's control. All you are doing is frustrating your advisor, potentially making things worse and not fixing the problem.

My old dealership everyone got a bonus from CSI and if the dealership did not hit the goal, everyone missed out on the bonus. That is keeping it fair and right.

Personally the CSI should ask 2 things
A Was your car fixed correctly the first time?
B. Were you treated professionally and with courtesy by your Service Advisor/rep?

Nothing else!! Who cares about how many recliners are in the lounge, or if you have HD TV or that they are the only dealership in town and it inconveniences the customer because they live too far away. 2 questions that actually deal with the nitty gritty.