Anyone who’s been in the service drive for the morning rush knows the chaos and stress service advisors face daily. I’ve been there and done that, having spent more than a decade as a front-line service advisor myself. And for those who can handle the pressure, it can be an extremely rewarding position. But if you don’t have your mind fully in the game, you’re in for trouble.

The Rewards

Like I said, being a service advisor has the potential to be very rewarding. For some people like me, it’s the rewards that drive a service advisor to get better.

Great Pay

As a mainly commission-based position, service advisors have the potential to make great money. There are very few positions that compensate as well as a service advisor, especially for someone who doesn’t have a college education.

If you work the pay plan right, you can optimize your earnings. Higher hours per RO, top CSI scores, more ROs month after month – they all add up to a great paycheck.

Satisfied Customers

It is, at its foundation, a service position. And when it’s done right, customers are served well and satisfied. There aren’t many things as rewarding in a position as knowing you’ve genuinely helped someone leave with a safer car.

The Risk

But being a service advisor comes with risks. It might seem petty to some, but the mental aspect is arguably more difficult than dealing with any customer.

Losing Focus on Customer Service

Inherently, commission-based positions like service advisors struggle against doing what’s best for the wallet instead of doing what’s best for the customer. The temptation is always there to oversell, pre-sell, or select the ‘good jobs’ to pad the paycheck.

You can convince yourself that it’s a good idea at the time and that you’re not really hurting anybody. But the fact is that you’re cheating the customer. More personally yet, you’re losing your primary focus – true customer service.

Negative Energy

Upset customers, wrong choices, poor RO write-ups – they all happen to every service advisor, and often on a daily basis. Sharp words from management, co-workers, techs, and the customer take its toll on the service advisor, as you can imagine. While most advisors are type-A personalities, the negative energy that wells up at work can take you down a dark road.

What You Can Do About It

If you’re a service advisor reading this, these tools can help you keep your head in the game – at least, more often than not. If you’re a service manager, fixed ops manager, or dealer principal, these are tools you can encourage your service advisors to use, especially if you see them in a funk.

Hit the Gym

Getting the blood flowing in a positive environment will help you immeasurably. Without getting into the physiology, there are good chemicals released in your brain that promote a positive attitude and outlook. Before work, during lunch, or after your shift – it’s all effective.

Talk!

If you have a spouse or a close friend, regularly talk about your work life. You’re probably lying to yourself if you think you always have good days. Being able to verbalize your frustrations and stresses to someone will help you process and move past it. Just make sure you aren’t lashing out at someone you love.

Listen!

Think you had a rough day? Ask someone you care about how they’re doing. Focus outwardly to combat your own feelings. Listening is as therapeutic as talking.

Be Routine

Get back to work and do the right things every time. Don’t try to cut corners. Focus on doing the basics really well. For example, do your vehicle walkaround on every vehicle, every time.

If your mental game is slipping, the worst thing you can do is ignore it. Take steps to get your mind healthy!