Like any dealership position, there comes a need to fill a service advisor’s desk occasionally. There might be someone that resigns or you could be so busy you have to add a service advisor. In any case, you need someone to man that desk as soon as possible to maximize productivity.

From personal experience, I’ve seen zero cases where service advisors receive training prior to starting their job. That’s right – none whatsoever. Most get two to five days to shadow an advisor who’s likely so busy already that they barely have time to explain what they’re doing.

Case in point, I recently had a vehicle serviced and a new service advisor was working all alone. He was barely able to write the work order on his own and did not perform any of the tasks an advisor should. No walkaround, no recommended maintenance review, no recall check (that I know of), and no greeting other than, “I’ll be with you in a minute” without looking up.

For some reason, this has been okay in every dealership I’ve worked. Yet, salespeople need to be certified before they can work a deal. And take a look at other industries – even McDonald’s partners new hires with experienced staff to help them learn.

Sink or Swim Training is Not Okay

It could be called ‘on-the-job’ training, but it’s really sink-or-swim. From my experience, it’s safe to bet that I don’t think it’s alright, and I’m sure you’d agree. So, if it’s not alright to send new hires out to deal with customers without proper training, what’s the best way to prepare them for the role?

Basic Individual Advisor Training

If your new hire has never been a service advisor before, they absolutely need to know the basics before talking with a customer. Online training courses for service advisors can be found in several places online. Here’s a list of online service advisor training programs to get your advisor started within a couple of weeks with some understanding

Close Monitoring

A new service advisor should be closely monitored – buddied up, essentially – for at least two to four weeks. Your best bet is to pay a senior service advisor a handsome sum to be your trainer when required. That way you can have someone devote their attention to the new hire, getting them productive before turning them loose.

Mentoring

Mentoring is just like monitoring, but from a distance. The mentor should be available to help whenever the new hire needs it, and to continue the learning process once the basics are hammered down. Choose one of your best advisors to be a mentor, but don’t forget that it comes with a cost!

Certification

Aim towards certifying every one of your service advisors. While they might not be learning anything new per se, certification creates credibility with your customers. ASE Automotive Service Consultant Training is perhaps the most recognized there is.

How do you integrate new service advisors into your team? What processes do you have in place to train them up?