Help for the new kid

[kpratt]

I have decided to jump from parts to service management....My boss refuses to acknowledge anyone else....WHAT WISE WORDS OF WISDOM WOULD MY PEERS OFFER THE BEGINNER.....
BE GENTLE

[Michael White]

Run for your life! And don't look back!! Its a radically different, thankless job, with very long hours. Make sure you have a really great, open relationship with your owner. Get to know the factory rep(s) really well. They can be a great asset to you. Find out what training your factory has on service managemenet training. Read everything. There are som great tapes from the recent and past NADA conventions as well. Find out comparative data on your financial report on what other dealers are doing/spending. Talk to your peers. Visit the good ones. Take them to lunch and pump their brains. Most service managers are willing to give good advise.

Good luck and watch the blood pressure.

[robc]

I made this switch myself, moving from a parts manager into an assistant service manager/warranty clerk at a small import store. Michael is right, get as much info you can about how to run a shop, there is a wealth of it out there.

The only thing that struck me how my relationship with the factory changed. Before I was there to help them make money and now all I could do was cost them money ... I knew the difference at my first regional meeting. As a parts manager they were always in nice hotels with catered lunches and evening cocktail receptions -- my first service manager meeting was at a second hand place with boxed sandwiches from the local deli.

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** Rob, Editor WD&S **
Help is only a message post away!
robc@dealersedge.com

[dmroper]

Document everything, and organize accordingly. Explain everything and retain records so that you can easily produce documentation justifying your actions. Know your policies and procedures and never deviate. Thank your customer for coming to YOU and see to it that they come back.

[jrcal]

I would like to add one more piece of advise to what has already been posted here.

Always tell it like it really happened. The truth is always stanger than fiction. If the rear window fell on the ground and broke while the car was on the rack for an oil change, say so.

In the long run, this policy will pay off in the form of customers and collegues that know they can trust you!

The rest is just common sense.

Ps. Document everything and then document it again.

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JC

[petra404]

Find good people and pay them well. Profesional advisors, etc. will more than pay for themselves and will give you the time to manage your department. Know what's happening in your department.."anything that gets measured gets done". Delegate authority to your staff and enpower your people to make decisions.

[Kevin Kavanagh]

An additional thought for your jump to service. The parts department is typically a very high user of your computer system functionality. We find that the service department under utilizes their system. There are a number of tools available to help your ASM's communicate to both the customer and parts department. Remember some of the hassles you had with service? Many of the issues can be addressed with proper system set up and use as well as good communication between parts and service mangers.

Learn everything you can about what your system can do for your and use the tools available.

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