Everyone deserves a little time off. It’s something to look forward to and provides much needed rejuvenation. And whether you’re a service advisor, manager, technician, or support staff, you’re going to get worn out, burnt out, ticked off, or just plain tired. That’s what vacation is meant to address.

But it’s not as simple as just booking a week or two off and leaving for vacation, specifically for a service advisor. For those who aren’t aware, it’s a commission role predominantly. When you’re going to leave on a holiday, your ducks need to be all neatly lined up in a row. Otherwise, all hell can break loose while you’re away, and it usually does.

Taking vacation can be stress-free (mostly) if you can take care of these details in advance.

Hand Off Your Customers

I’ve personally been on vacation and had to answer a call from the dealership to walk someone through a customer’s work order. That can be avoided in large part by handing off your work orders to a colleague you trust.

Sounds easy, but you need to know they’re going to be cared for properly. Your CSI scores and what you earn on the work order is affected if someone isn’t going to properly look after your ROs. And here’s how to do it well:

• Walk through the details of each work order remaining on your last day before vacation.
• Make sure your stand-in knows how to contact the customer, and what the customer expects.
• Tell the customer who they’ll be dealing with.

Book Appointments for Your Return to Work

Nothing is worse for a commission-based employee than not knowing where your income will come from when you return. It’s going to sting a bit on the paycheck when you take vacation, but you can mitigate some of it when you book appointments for the days after you return to work.

Stash Some Cash

That sting on the paycheck? You should be prepared for it. In the months before you are taking vacation, you should begin squirrelling money away to cover your time off. The last thing you want is the burden of a small paycheck when you get back to work, knowing that it’s going to take a couple weeks to build up your work order base again.

Book Vacation in Advance

Everyone loves a great deal, but it’s hard to plan properly for your vacation if you’re waiting for a last-minute package. Your best bet is to book your vacation months in advance. That way, you can get your finances in order to pay off your holiday package, stash some cash for the low period around your vacation, and stack the appointment schedule to ensure your return to work goes smoothly.