Business 17 www.aftermarketonline.net FEBRUARY 2025 For peace of mind always use a Garage Equipment Association member. GEA accredited engineers work to an industry code of conduct. Your assurance their skills and knowledge have been independently assessed. IS YOUR EQUIPMENT ENGINEER GEA ACCREDITED? Ask your engineer for his accreditation card ! The Upholders of Industry standards since 1945 The Garage Equipment Association www.gea.co.uk GEA ACCREDITED ENGINEER Name Company Discipline Exp Date ID Number XX123456 XX123456 XX123456 XX123456 XX123456 moments in the day to pre-order parts for upcoming bookings. Occasionally, she might need to return an oil filter for a no-show, but the efficiency gained outweighs this minor inconvenience. When taking a booking, Penny checks the vehicle’s history. If she notices that a brake fluid change is due, she includes it in the estimate and gains the customer’s authority. This proactive step not only increases sales but also ensures smoother workflow for the technicians and less unwanted surprises for the customer. By the end of the day, Penny has cleared her tasks and even prepared estimates for customers collecting their vehicles. With no one waiting for her attention, she clocks out feeling in control and satisfied with a great job done. Difference in outcomes Ronnie and Penny’s approaches highlight why the service advisor role is so important. A proactive advisor doesn’t just keep the day running smoothly — they add real value to the business. For garage owners, investing in training and supporting your service advisor can significantly boost efficiency, profitability, and customer satisfaction. Power of job and customer selection One area where experienced advisors really shine is in job and customer selection. While it might seem counterintuitive to “turn away” work, this is often a smart business move. An advisor attuned to the business knows which jobs the team can handle efficiently and to a high standard — and which might cause problems. Similarly, customers with unrealistic expectations or unclear communication can leave a business chasing impossible standards, ultimately leading to poor reviews. By filtering customers and jobs effectively, a service advisor ensures the business focuses on work it can complete successfully. This not only protects the team’s time and improves morale, but also safeguards the business’s reputation. Looking ahead This article has only scratched the surface of the service advisor role. In the next instalment, we’ll go into the world of the more advanced service advisor and how being highly effective in the role can greatly improve the business’s efficiency and profitability whilst delivering excellent customer service. If you’re a service advisor, take pride in your role — you are an integral part of the team. If you are a garage owner, remember that great advisors are worth their weight in gold. Support them with a clear process, training, and recognition, and they’ll help take your business to the next level. For those interested in honing these skills, take a look at the service advisor training programme delivered by me at Technical Topics. It’s designed to equip advisors with the tools they need to excel in this challenging and rewarding role, whatever their background. Remember, when your service advisor thrives, so does your garage! Visit https://absolutelyautomotive. co.uk/ to contact Jay. Quieter moments in the day could be used to pre-order parts for upcoming bookings
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