Everyone says it: “There’s no ‘I’ in ‘Team’”. It’s one of the phrases that draws eye rolls and exasperated sighs, but overall it’s acknowledged as truth in the service industry. For service advisors though, a team-based mentality is difficult to attain for two reasons: most service advisors have type-A personalities, and more importantly, it doesn’t work. It’s like trying to fit the square peg in the round hole.

The service advisor position is much more individualistic than most jobs. And while we want everyone in the department to work together, the position isn’t structured for it. Typically commission-based and with customers returning CSI scores based on an individual’s performance, ‘each man for themselves’ is more fitting.

Seem like it doesn’t fit with the dealership’s team mentality? If you approach it as an entrepreneurial position, it can and does fit.

The Service Advisor as an Entrepreneur

Think of it as every service advisor operating their own mini-business inside the department. The business owner – aka. the service advisor – is responsible for the work they do, the ability to serve their customers, the income they generate, and the feedback they receive.

With an entrepreneurial mentality, the service advisor takes on more responsibility willingly. There’s no one else to blame when things go sideways. For example:

1. They have to take ownership for their mistakes. Has a customer arrived at the end of the day for their vehicle to find it hasn’t been completed? Was there an error on the work order or a line missed? It’s now up to the service advisor to fix the issue. They have to answer to the customer – their client – as well as their contractor – the service manager.
2. They own the successes. When the month has been very profitable, it should reflect back to the service advisor’s paycheck in commissions. When their CSI scores are near perfect, that also should be recognized. That’s not a stretch compared to the typical structure – it already has an entrepreneurial feel.
3. Advisors become responsible for their own clients. Ever notice how some service customers gravitate toward a favorite advisor or book an appointment only when they know the right person is able to serve them? There’s a reason for it, and it’s because of the trusting relationship that’s been established. Conversely, the entrepreneurial service advisor doesn’t have the option to hang a client out to dry when it doesn’t suit them, nor can they simply pass off a customer to another advisor if they’re headed home for the day early.

It’s Not A One-Man Show

Anyone in business knows that building and maintaining parallel business relationships is a big deal. For service advisors, that’s how it is too. While essentially ‘owning’ your own small business within a business, there are people you have to work beside and work with in harmony.

The entrepreneurial approach can strengthen the service ‘team’ when done well. Service advisors who buy into the position have more impact for the whole department. It becomes their responsibility to maintain good communication with the technicians, strong relationships with support staff, and theoretically should require less ‘managing’.