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Buying Tips
The Roles of the Service Staff ... Who's been playing with my radio?
By Neil G. Chirico
Have you ever noticed after getting your vehicle back from a service center that
something is different? You may not recognize what has changed, at least not immediately.
Often it begins as a feeling once you drive away. Other times it may be more obvious,
such as the radio being turned to a different station or a spot of grease on your
once pristine carpet. Situations such as these can easily undermine your trust
of service personal and may even lead to a feeling of invasion. All this begs
the question, "Who are these people that I trusted with my vehicle?"
Most car and truck owners are not aware of the number of individuals involved
in the servicing of their vehicles. From the time you leave your vehicle with
the Service Advisor to the time the porter returns it to you, eight or more people
may have played a part in servicing your car or truck. All of these individuals,
in one way or another, play an integral role in your experience while your vehicle
is in the service department.
Service Greeter
Service greeters are most often employed at larger high-volume dealerships. Greeters
function as "traffic police" to help guide the high flow of customers into the
appropriate area. Typical job duties for a greeter include setting service appointments,
verifying appointments, providing follow-up calls and informing the appropriate
service advisor of your arrival. Often it is the greeter who will provide a friendly
face and a beverage upon your arrival.
Service Advisor
At most dealerships (other than the high-volume ones mentioned above), the service
advisor will be your first and primary contact at the dealership. The service
advisor is responsible for understanding what it is that you need to have done
to your vehicle -- normal maintenance or addressing a specific concern. This is
a critical step in the process because the service advisor must interpret and
note these concerns on the paperwork in terms the service technician will understand.
Most service advisors will repeat all problems and services requested in a concise
form in order to ensure that no miscommunication has occurred. Upon your sign-off
of the estimate for service, the paperwork is distributed to the dispatcher for
routing.
Technicians also advise service advisors when problems exist that may require
additional parts or services to affect a repair. It is the service advisor's responsibility
to contact you, the vehicle owner, to explain the additional recommended services
or costs. Within the industry, these calls from the service advisor are commonly
referred to as "up-sell" opportunities.
Lastly, the service advisor must monitor the progress on your vehicle to ensure
that the repairs are made in a timely manner and that the vehicle is delivered
at the promised time. Any customer interface issues regarding billing, explanation
of services performed or follow-up are often the responsibility of the service
advisor, as well.
Service Dispatcher
Service dispatchers are akin to air traffic controllers: Both are responsible
for the flow of vehicles into and out of a facility. Service dispatchers understand
the time and labor commitments required for each service and route your vehicle
to the appropriate technicians on staff who perform these repairs. Seasoned dispatchers
are capable of keeping an even flow of work throughout the day at a dealership.
Some dealerships have opted to bypass this position. In these instances, two scenarios
might exist. In one scenario, the service advisor is part of a team of technicians
and any work taken in will be performed by one of the team members. The other
scenario simply has the service advisor select from a pool of on-staff technicians
(often without a true sense of the technicians' workload).
Service Technicians
Service technicians are considered the "lifeblood" of the service department.
These individuals often have advanced training in a particular area of automotive
repair or on a certain make of vehicle. Training for service technicians is an
ongoing process as new vehicles go into production every year. With these new
vehicles come the latest technology that must be learned, in addition to advancements
in repair procedures for the older models.
Parts Counter Personnel
The parts counter personnel have the know-how to determine quickly what parts
are available for your vehicle. Dealerships usually maintain large inventories
of the most popular items, but will need to order parts from the automobile manufacturer's
local warehouse if a less common part is required. A well run parts department
will usually have the parts required to complete the repairs to your vehicle in
stock and at the technician's disposal when your car is dispatched.
Lot Porter
When the term lot porter is uttered, many people may envision the Ferrari's
epic leap on a Chicago thoroughfare in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
The lot porter's real purpose -- counter to the Flying Ferrari syndrome -- is
the movement of your vehicle from the service drive into a parking spot to await
a technician. These individuals are also in charge of washing your vehicle (including
the clean-up of any foreign grease stains or oil-smudged finger prints) and the
delivery of your vehicle to the service drive. On occasion, the lot porter will
put fuel in the vehicle at the local gas station.
Booker
The booker can be thought of as a book keeper in a traditional business. The booker
is responsible for the matching of all components of service while your vehicle
was at the service center. This includes any labor or parts charged by the technicians
or the parts counter personnel. All of these receipts will be summed, any notes
from the technician will be added to the paperwork, and all information will be
provided as an itemized statement. If a discount applies, the booker will provide
the discount and make the appropriate changes to the statement prior to submitting
the paperwork to the cashier.
Cashier
The cashier's job is to collect any money due for service and to summon the lot
porter to bring your vehicle to the service drive. Although the cashier may appear
knowledgeable, she is privy to only the information that has been provided to
her through the paperwork process. Often times customers may express concerns
to the cashier, but discussing any concerns you have with the service advisor
will yield greater understanding and action.
One of the most common concerns that your service advisor could address involves
an explanation of the work performed to your vehicle, because for most of us the
final bill is like looking at hieroglyphics. This is especially true if the vehicle
was involved in a warranty repair since this type of repair does not involve owner
authorization. A less common, but very annoying situation is when your vehicle
is brought up for you to drive away in, and you discover that the repair work
is incomplete.
Worse than unfinished repairs is when you arrive to find that your bill is more
than you authorized. The best recourse in these situations is to let the service
advisor know of your dissatisfaction and allow the dealership to correct the errors.
As you can see from this extensive list of individuals involved in the servicing
of your vehicle, it is difficult to pinpoint any one person who may have left
a smudge of grease or changed the radio station. You might even wonder how it
is that you get your vehicle back at all!
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