SA vs order taker

[robc]

I've been wrestling with this project for a while so I thought I'd throw it out there. What is the real world value of a service advisor over an order taker. Let me explain the case study. Let's say in NJ I can hire any college drop out kid for $12/hour to stand behind the desk and take customer service orders. I don't expect anything more, nor do I try to teach anything more - just take their order.

Or I can hire a top notch advisor who sells the heck out of service - but he costs $55K+ a year. Is it worth it? Will the pro be able to double gross and net?

The reason why I am doing the case is a dealer challenged me that a shop can make a go of it with anyone standing in the lane, and I think it takes at a pro. What are your thoughts?


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

[DAVID]

EVEN MC DONALDS KIDS ASK IF YOU WANT TO SUPER SIZE IT. IS YOUR FRIENDS MAKEING IT ,KEEPING THE DOOR OPEN OR MAKING A NET PROFIT?

[robc]

Yeah, I guess no ambition to do more is a stumbling block, but I think that puts it more to his point - a kid from McDonalds can probably hold his own especially with the price difference. I think he was saying he expects nothing more because his feeling is as soon as he expends energy training someone they start asking for more money.

Do they make money? Sure. They are fairly busy and that keeps the work flowing regardless of how much they sell service. If the shop gets slow the techs know it and start sand bagging a warranty job or go get an internal. Again, I am not saying that this is a desirable outcome, I am just saying it is tough to explain the ROI on the advisor's salary. (we haven't even started to discuss CSI, etc.)

[This message has been edited by robc (edited 10-21-2003).]

[FLYERSFAN]

The same will hold true on the sales floor.

[David Cates]

Isn't being a SA all about more than just making $$$ on each RO?

I am of the opinion that a SA is the one that picks up the relationship after the sale and perpetuates it throughout the lifetime of the customer. The service department is where lifelong customers are won and lost, and a high level of importance should be placed on creating relationships that will bring the customer back as well as create customer references.

That being said, it seems to me the part of this equation that is being left out is the incentive for a SA to go above and beyond to meet the needs of the customer, and to ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction possible.

I don't know which scenario would necessarily provide that level of service, but I would guess the one who has the greater incentive to perform at a high level is the one who will go out of his/her way to take care of the customer. I would think the ticket taker would be there to simply collect a paycheck.

It's not always about the daily dollar in my opinion. There's a bigger picture.

[dodgeboy]

in response to David Cates. Unless you are working for a highline or import manufacturer where maintenance needs are already drilled into the customers heads and the customer asks you to service their car, a service advisor is there for customer satisfaction, selling service work and generating profit for the dept. If your writers are only taking orders all day long and not recommending routine maintenance to the customers, you will never get more than your standard oil changes and tire rotations. If a customer comes in with 30000 miles and asks me for an oil change, The first thing I would do is get out our scheduled maint. sheet and present it to the customer. Advisors that only take orders have no place in a service dept., unless the dealer principal is wealthy and doesn't care about profit (I doubt it) I get very upset when I audit repair orders and see "one line"
orders. That means that my advisor did not do his/her job by recommending needed service work. I think everyone would agree with you that customer satisfaction is priority one, however, just because you made that customer happy doesn't mean they are going to open their wallet and make me happy!

[This message has been edited by dodgeboy (edited 10-22-2003).]

[This message has been edited by dodgeboy (edited 10-23-2003).]

[Mike Vogel]

I agree with David, an order taker would not generate repeat business for a service department, it gives no reason for the customer to do business with that place.
I have found that when service advisors spend enough time with a customer that's when you get the best results not only in sales but in retention fo that customer. When an advisor is too busy they become an order taker and both sales and customer satisfaction suffer.
My position : Order takers would not be successful in a service department.

[robc]

Since we are coming into the CSI issue here, I am going to play devils advocate What would crush repeat business faster - someone coming in for a recall and being upsold on $600 worth of work (say a 60K with fuel injector, trans, brake fluid, coolant and engine flushes) or someone who comes in for an LOF and leaves with an LOF.

The mindset of this dealer is that they have plenty to take care of just to do what the customer requests. Heck, his feeling is if they can just concentrate on actually fixing what the customer is complaining about instead of looking to make to R.O. bigger than the customers mortgage payment then customers would be happier.

Are one-line R.O.s evil just because they are one-line? What if the customer only needs an LOF?

My sense is that the dealer in question has had some aggressive people in the department and that they rode his customer base out of the shop. I am trying to explain that there is a happy medium here and if advisors really treat customers like they were their mom or grandmother hed have the best of both worlds.


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

[David Cates]

<i>I am trying to explain that there is a happy medium here and if advisors really treat customers like they were their mom or grandmother hed have the best of both worlds.</i>

I guess that was the point I was trying to make. Obviously there is more to making money than just making a customer happy, but in the big picture that seems to be the best starting point to maximizing all revenue opportunities, at least in my opinion.

As a consumer, I would probably be more upset that I spent much more than I originally intended to, regardless of whether or not the work may or may not have been absolutely necessary at the time.

There's always that feeling of being just a little "had".

[fburrows]

The other side of this discussion is what do you tell the customer who came in for service, got a LOF and a week later has a broken hose or some other failure. Reasonable maintenance and inspections are necessary. I agree that not everything sold falls into this category but that is another topic.

How about when the order taker writes up a normal condition and the customers leaves their car all day and takes up a parking space. Then they are told that they did without their car all day for a condition that is normal. What does this do for CSI and repeat business?

If you are a customer looking for a shop to service your car do you want a nice order taker who does not have a clue or an experienced individual who understands your complaints and can explain problems and why repairs or maintenance need to be done.

On the other hand I believe that bright individuals can become great service advisors and I have had success training these individuals. A good service advisor is more important than any other individual in the dealership when it comes to retaining service customers.


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Frank Burrows ABS
fburrows@absdata.com