Service Advisor Policies and Procedures This position is a very important and integral part of the shop’s overall organizational strategy. The service advisor is the primary contact for our customers and is responsible for the work flow process from the moment the customer calls for an appointment to well after they leave with their repaired vehicle (Cradle to Grave and beyond). The Service Advisor position requires a high level of organization, exemplary people skills, integrity, and a strong commitment to customer satisfaction. The service Advisor acts as a manager and is expected to maintain daily shop operations in accordance with the owners directions and written policy. This position requires a neat appearance, a pleasant demeanor and a certain amount of tolerance towards the many different personalities that you will encounter in the day to day operations. The Service Advisor is the representative of our shop, they are the first and last human contact that our customers will have with us. It is therefore of paramount importance that this person is professional and courteous at all times. Many of our first time customers come into our shop after having a bad experience in the past or are in some way distrusting, cautious or new to the automotive repair process. It is the Service Advisor’s job to alleviate those fears by listening to their customer and by showing compassion for those customer’s specific needs. We must consistently work at instilling confidence in our customers by showing that we are trustworthy and have the technical ability and the tools at our disposal to provide a solution to their problem. Many customers have been referred to us because of our reputation for honesty and integrity as well as our excellent service. The ethical culture at J4 Automotive requires honesty, integrity and compassion. This culture is, and always has been, the foundation of this company and nothing less is acceptable. Dishonesty in any form is grounds for termination. In essence, the Service Advisors work in close cooperation with one another, the shop technicians, the shop steward and the owners in operating a profitable and enjoyable work place.

Our Product Although you may think our product is a repaired car, the reality is that J4 Automotive sells Good Feelings! Yes, our customers come here to get their broken car fixed or their service work performed, but what they are really buying is peace of mind. 1

Our goal at J4 Automotive is to provide our customers with the kind of service that meets and often exceeds their expectations. From the first time they hear our name, to the first contact on the phone, to their first visit to our facilities - every part has to be crafted to create those “positive feelings”. We continually work on improving our customer’s experience, our facilities and our marketing strategies with this goal in mind. The position of Service Advisor is the frontline of our “Customer Experience Plan”. By creating a comfortable, safe and friendly environment, the Service Advisor will help us create and keep long term customers.

Job Description 

Work hours are 7:20 to 5:30 or later Monday through Friday with one and a half hours off for the lunch period. Overtime is mandatory. Some days may require the Service Advisor to stay later than normal to accommodate a customer’s particular need in picking up and/or dropping off a vehicle or in catching up on duties that still need immediate attention.



The Service Advisor will read, understand and comply with all policies listed in the Employee Handbook.



The Service Advisor must work at and maintain good communication and a good working relationship with the mechanics and the other Service Advisor(s).



The Service Advisor’s job is a physically demanding one, requiring that they spend much of their time on their feet and active. The Service advisor must be physically capable of lifting and carrying objects weighing up to 50 pounds



Good typing skills and a working knowledge of Windows computer operating systems is a must.

The Service Advisor is responsible for: 

Preparing for the day by pre-ordering parts for known jobs before the customer comes in for their appointment, loading the appointment book with estimated times needed for repairs, and organizing and distributing work to mechanics with the appropriate skill levels.



Answering the phone in a courteous and timely manner, preferably within 3 rings or put the customer on hold if possible if not able to answer the phone right away.



Scheduling the shop’s work load and loading the daily schedule appropriately.



Greeting the customer when they enter either verbally or with body language if necessary.



Initiating the repair process by documenting the customer’s pertinent information, the vehicle type, and the concerns the customer has asked us to address by way of the interview process.



Determining which technician is properly qualified to do the job and enter the repair order into their daily work load.



Comprise estimates and source parts using established shop procedures. 2



Seek authorization for repairs.



Create estimates and upsell needed repairs and services that have been identified.



Document all findings and recommended services on the Job Ticket/Invoice



Receive payment for the work done, handle the cash or credit transaction and ensure customer satisfaction.



Handle customer complaints and vehicle comebacks to the satisfaction of the customer where such a solution is, in your judgment reasonable. It is sometimes necessary to discount a repair or do an initial comeback inspection for free when handling comebacks in the interest of maintaining customer satisfaction.



Keep management appraised of situations that might need management intercession or that might adversely effect the business reputation, profitability or customer satisfaction.



Track parts and core returns, monitor and maintain/adjust parts inventory, track advertising results, utilize Technician Time Management processes.



Maintaining target profitability on all jobs.



Participate in offered training courses and strive for constant skill expansion and personal betterment.



Keep the showroom/service adviser area clean including doors, door jambs, windows, counters, the kids play are, coffee area, floor swept and mopped, etc. Keep bathroom clean including sink, toilet, floor mopped and swept and monitor and stock paper towels and toilet paper.



Perform other duties as needed such as maintenance, janitorial and cleaning duties, customer service functions such as courtesy rides and any other duties that may be required to deliver quality customer service.

Daily Opening Procedure 

Arrive to work at 7:20, turn on computers, printer, perform TRACS backup.



Clean and pick up show room, adviser area, coffee area, kids corner and wipe off seats.



Open front door at 7:30 am and turn on “Open” sign.



Write up over night drop offs and organize/delegate work load so that the mechanics can start working on jobs when they clock on at 8 am.

Lunch hour Procedure Lunch hours are staggered between the service advisors. Lunch periods consist of 1.5 hours long and can be swapped and or rotated with each other if the advisors so desire just as long as there is always a service advisor present on the counter at all times during business hours.

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Daily Closing Procedure 

At 5:30 pm turn off “open” sign.



Run end of day report(s), count the till and perform end of day accounting procedures.



Empty the till of checks and currency into the bank bag and put the bank bag in it’s proper place (to be determined by management).



Turn off all computers.



Confirm all vehicles are locked up on the lot and all customers instructions are carried out (i.e. leave keys in vehicles, bring in exotic vehicles, etc.).



Lock front door, turn down heat/A/C in show room and shop, confirm shop is locked, lights are off and compressor valve is off if you are the last person out.

Greeting the customer Greeting the customer is especially important. This initial contact will set the tone for the conversation that follows. By greeting a customer with a simple smile and saying “Good morning, how may I help you today?” you will start your relationship off on the right foot. When answering the phone, the greeting is to be “Good morning/afternoon, J4 Automotive, this is your name , how may I help you”. Remember to smile even into the phone. Believe it or not, a smile comes through the phone lines in the sound of your voice. Again, it is important to make your customers feel welcome. There will often be a steady flow of customers in and out of the shop. By making sure to acknowledge a waiting customer with a smile and letting them know that you will be right with them, you will help them to feel welcome. Most customers understand that you are busy and won’t mind waiting if they know that they are not being ignored. Always be sure to thank a customer for their patience when they have had to wait (remember, their time is valuable too).

Making an Appointment J4 Automotive uses an appointment book to organize and schedule our time efficiently. Effective use of the appointment book and scheduling will allow for the technicians to work continuously all day, for the Service Advisor to plan for future days, and pre-order known parts needed for future jobs. When a customer calls to make an appointment, the Service Advisor will ask if they can email a short questionnaire (the appropriate Virtual Service Advisor form) relating to the upcoming service, accomplishing many different objectives. 

The form will increase the quality and quantity of information gathered from the customer



It will allow for more quality conversation and relationship building time on the counter instead of time spent gathering information, in essence, it streamlines the process



The customer will have the ability to write down the exact services required in their own words, eliminating mistakes and omissions, giving them control of their visit. Statistics 4

show they are selecting 2.5 more services/items in the convenience of their own home, on their own time with no pressure, and they are upgrading to the next oil level by 40%.

Write-Up Upon initial customer “Write-up”, it is necessary to note all previously written notes in the appointment book for this customers visit and then question/interview the customer closely to ensure that accurate information is conveyed to the technician. All sentences should begin with “Customer states” and are to be completed with “inspect and advise”. An estimate of initial costs (authorized amount) should be written on the R.O. and be explained to the customer before the customer is asked to apply his signature.

Job Codes and Menu Items To aid in saving time, we have pre-programmed several “Job Codes” into our operating software. These codes are identified by a short category description. It is important to apply the proper job code for each job so we may track our profitability on each job type. We have also developed a “menu” of common procedures such as coolant and transmission flushes that we have priced competitively and that are performed the same way each time they are sold. There are many different menu items that you will learn during your training, and using the correct item will greatly increase your efficiency by decreasing the amount of time needed to write a job or test description.

Vehicle Data If time permits, the Service Advisor is required to gather the vehicle color, license plate number and vehicle identification number (VIN) which, after decoded in our system will give us the pertinent vehicle information. It is recommended to do this before write up to prevent entering erroneous information into the computer and preventing wrong parts from being ordered due to incorrect vehicle information.

Promises Promises to a customer for a completion time of repairs can be dangerous due to any variety of circumstances that may be out of your control. Therefore it is important not to promise vehicle delivery times unless it is absolutely necessary. Keep your customer informed through the process but do not over-commit. The best way to respond to a customers query about when their car will be done is to ask them when they need it.

Repair Order Handling 

The Service Advisor will fill out a Vehicle Inspection/Repair Authorization Form which will have the original customers complaint and personal information hand written by the 5

Service Adviser with the customer’s signature on the bottom, along with an initial authorization amount. 

The Service Advisor will print a repair order using the TRACS software program with a copy of the vehicle inspection sheet on the back, paying specific attention to document the first of the three Cs - Complaint, Cause, Correction.



The Service Advisor will put all related all documents (Virtual Advisor form, Initial writeup/inspection form, any warranty papers, notes from customer, signed key drop envelope, etc.) in the plastic job pouches and put it in the Technicians work bin in the desired order of precedence.



The Service Advisor will give priority to repair orders (R.O.) requiring diagnostics so that they can be inspected, diagnosed and returned to the Service Advisor in time to create an estimate and call the customer while the Technicians are performing work that has already been authorized.



The Technician performs his inspection paying specific attention to address the customer’s primary concern. After diagnosing the cause, the technician will advise a correction and then perform a visual inspection and fill out the required information on the Vehicle Inspection form.



The Technician will then bring the R.O. back to the Service Advisor who at that time will inspect the sheet closely for all technician notes.



The Service Advisor will install the appropriate technician initials and labor times on the R.O. for each recommended service and repair and source the required parts, entering the cost and list for each item while maintaining profitability.



The Service Advisor will call the customer to acquire authorization for repairs, making sure to first address the customer’s primary concerns before attempting to up-sell other repairs that have been recommended by the Technician.



After the Service Advisor has acquired customer approval for repairs, they will document the approval in the computer and then order the parts, print an updated R.O. showing the new sold times and highlight those times, then return the R.O. to the technician or place it into their bin among their other R.O.s waiting for repair.



After all repairs have been completed, the Service Advisor will check the R.O. over to make sure all parts used and technician notes have been inserted on the R.O. before invoicing and printing the final copy.



The Service Advisor will call their customer to notify them that the repairs are completed and to acquire an approximate time when the customer will be in to get their car.

Up-sales “Up-selling” is one of the most important components of the Service Advisor’s responsibilities. Although we can survive as a business by only repairing the customer’s primary concern, it is when we gain up-sales from the technician’s inspections that we move into the profitable zone. We only recommend repairs and maintenance that are legitimately needed. We would be negli6

gent if we did not warn our customers about impending failures or safety related issues that we observe. We have a responsibility to address our customer’s initial complaint or what we term their “Primary Concern” first. When contacting your customer with an estimate, you should initially only address the primary concern and sell the needed repairs. After gaining approval for the primary concern repairs, you can then discuss with the customer the additional needed repairs or maintenance. It is best to sell all needed repairs and maintenance at one time. Often, additional repairs or parts are discovered during the repair process on a previously authorized repair. Before calling the customer, it is best to make sure that you have identified all additional repairs or services needed so that only one phone call is necessary. Customers begin to feel uncomfortable when they are called several times with additional needs and it may be intrusive.

Phone Techniques Many potential customers will call to ask for a price on repairs (phone shopping). It is important to remember that most people don’t know what questions to ask, so they ask for a price instead as a way of opening the conversation. If you simply give a customer a price, they will generally say “thank you”, hang up and call someone else. It is best not to quote prices over the phone except for menu style maintenance work. One of the Service Advisor’s responsibilities is to turn that phone call into a sale. With that in mind the best response to the customer with a price question is to ask: “What exactly are you experiencing?” This question usually opens up a dialogue, which can often allow you to get the customer in the door. Offering a free road test generally works quite well to bring in a shopping customer. Customers will also often ask what our labor rate is in an effort to determine potential cost and to compare us to other shops, which is difficult at best since it is seldom an “apples to apples” comparison. We respond by telling them that we have many different labor rates that vary with the job being performed and we discuss our value added services such as our 3/36 warranty. Finally, don’t forget to ask for the sale. “Would you like to set an appointment for that?” And thank them for their call to our shop.

Customer Care “Courtesy, Kindness, Patience, Respect, Knowledge & Compassion” are words that form the foundation of good customer care. Customer care begins with putting yourself in your customer’s shoes. If you can see through your customer’s eyes, you can anticipate meeting his or her needs. It is important to take an interest in your customer’s problems. By showing that you care, you will quite often have the upper hand over other shops competing for the same business. Communication is the keystone of any customer care program. By keeping in contact with your customer you are in effect saying, “you are important” and “I have not forgotten about you”. This is especially important on those jobs that require several days for completion.

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Conclusion The Service Advisor at J4 Automotive is an essential element to the success of this business and must embody all of the finest qualities needed for excellent customer service. Qualities such as honesty, compassion, fairness, listening, typing, narrative and communication skills, a clean cut appearance and much more. J4 Automotive has always embraced an open minded and family centered culture, open to ideas and processes that will improve our work place atmosphere and personal growth. It is our sincere wish that your time spent in the employ of J4 Automotive is rewarding, both personally and financially. Sincerely,

Kit and Viola Johnson J4 Automotive, Inc.

Rev 01/14

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