AutoFix AdvisorCast

Michael Doherty [00:00:00]:
This is the autofix advisor cast, powered by Worldpac. Hey, thanks for tuning in to autofix Advisor cast. I'm Michael Doherty, and I have been an active service writer for over 20 years. As you'll see when video comes out, I've lost some of my hair because of that, probably, I would say 18 years in independent shops, two, primarily, and three to four, maybe a little bit more in the dealership setting. And how I got my start doing all of this. I was a porter and detailer for an Audi Porsche dealership in Cary, North Carolina. And I was upfront one day waiting to get the next key to the car to detail or client to help out for, you know, maybe a ride home from a service advisor. And that particular day, a service advisor pulled me aside, and her name was Connie, and she said, hey, here's what's going on.

Michael Doherty [00:01:10]:
And she kind of pointed to the board, and by that, I mean things were written down. The date that the vehicle came in, your make, model, what it was in for, client pickup time, all that good stuff. And I said, you know, why are you showing me all this? And she says, I am done. I am. I am out of here. And that basically got thrown into it, you know, deep into the pool. No lifeguard on duty that day. So that's how I kind of got my start.

Michael Doherty [00:01:39]:
Service manager came over to me, asked what happened to the service advisor? I said, she quit. She said, she left. And he goes, what do you think? I said, let's do this. So just kind of jumped into that role and kind of took it from there. And then I had a. The dealership that I worked for had transfer. There was a service advisor from a Mercedes dealership that came over, and he was a mentor to me, and he taught me and showed me so many things over the course of a year. You know, the right way to answer the phones.

Michael Doherty [00:02:07]:
Client taken vehicle check in, writing up a repair order, client guided sales parts, you name it, down to the cashier, you know, not just dropping them off at the cashier and saying, here's your bill. But actually standing there with them, answering questions, thanking them for their business, asking them to come back, made sure they had a good transaction with us. It was just fascinating to me. I love cars. I love people. That passion just really collided for me, and that's, I think the main reason I love doing it. Every day is different. I mean, yeah, you can have your set guideline of, you know, here's the vehicles that are coming in today.

Michael Doherty [00:02:46]:
We know what we're going to do, but there's so many things that happen in between that eight to ten hour period that you're there doing. It never goes as planned to and it definitely, definitely keeps you on your toes. I think one of the reasons that I signed on to and want to do this service advisor podcast is, honestly, I feel like my superpower is being relatable. I have been through so many situations with clients, vehicles, technicians, shop owners, parts departments at dealerships, et cetera. Just so much combined knowledge over that long period of being an active service advisor. And again, I really feel like being relatable and having vast knowledge in the service advisor role is going to allow me to help others. Others that have just started being a service advisor, others that are maybe have been in it for a couple of years, I mean, they've been doing it for a long time. It's great to get feedback from other service advisors and what they're going through.

Michael Doherty [00:03:48]:
And I really feel like this is going to be a great platform, a great platform for service advisors aid event because we need to, and b, you know, just get topics to talk about, you know, again, just, there's so many things involved in doing this and doing it the right way, diving into it here, things that I'd like to bring up, especially at this episode, episode one, and, you know, again, focused on service advisors and just trying to help out where we can get a, get a conversation board going. How was your day? What problem did you have or what problems are you currently experiencing in the shop that you're in as being a service advisor? One thing I've always been curious and now this is a platform for me to be able to do. So, hey, from a service advisor's perspective, tomorrow in your shop that you work for or work at, if there's one thing that you could change that would make a positive impact, what would it be and why would you want to do it? And I think that's important conversation topic because I don't really feel that there's a lot of listening going on for the service advisors. I mean, we listen a lot, but again, just from the topic of, you know, finding out if there's one thing you could change at your business today that you work for, work at, work in, at the front counter area that would impact the shop in a positive way that you're not currently doing, what would that be? What would that be and why would you want to do it? Other things, conversation topics. Honestly, I'm really, it doesn't sound like it, but I'm excited to talk about this stuff. Do you believe that your shop is the best shop in town? Yes. Why no? Why not? I really feel that you have to believe you have to endorse where you are and that you believe that you're the best shop in town. And that has to come through on the phone when people are calling to inquire about your services or make an appointment.

Michael Doherty [00:05:49]:
Right. Super important. We talk about smiling through the phone, being upbeat, telling clients when they've called in. I'm glad that you called in today. You made the right choice. We have the best technicians, we have the best customer service, we have the best warranty. You made the right decision. Thank you for your reservation, your appointment.

Michael Doherty [00:06:12]:
We'll see you tomorrow, we'll see you Tuesday, we'll see you Wednesday. But do you believe that you work at the best shop? And if you don't, let's talk about it. Why, what's going on? What happened at the front counter? What happened as a service advisor, why do you feel that way? Again? Just generating conversation topics. Also question for service advisors everywhere nationwide. Does your environment create your thinking or does your thinking create your environment? You know, self talk, positive self talk in that role, you know, are you being influenced by other people in the shop that you may feel put down, that you may feel inadequate in that role? I don't joke about it. There's definitely a mental health side to being a service advisor. I have my up days and my down days. I don't really feel that a client will ever know that I'm not having a great day, but it does exist and I still have to carry on and move forward.

Michael Doherty [00:07:13]:
And there's always that weird dynamic that we're dynamic, you know, the front and the back, the back and the front between the, you know, the technicians and the service advisors. It shouldn't be like that. I've often been in meetings, especially. Was it in the dealership setting where we would have, you know, they'd. A shop manager would one night or one day talk to the technicians and say, okay, technicians, what do you think is going on with the service advisors? What's the concerns, what's the problems? And that would be a separate meeting. And then the next day they'd have a meeting with the service advisors and say, here's what the technicians don't like about you guys and whatever. And that's not right. You know, having everybody in the same room when you have those meetings or maybe those hard discussions.

Michael Doherty [00:07:57]:
So everybody's on the same page. Right. Communication. Communication is so important in this business, and especially from a service advisor's perspective, when working with the clients, working with the technicians in the back, having that cohesion, having that communication, it'll make or break the day, you know? And again, from a service advisor standpoint, you know, how do you feel in your position? Do you have a good relationship with the technicians in your shop, or do you feel that it's the front versus the back, the Hatfields and the McCoys, if you would? Or is it, is there a cohesion there? Is there unison there? Is it you guys working proactively and actively toward a common goal, which is taking care of the client? Right? I mean, I think the biggest thing is, you know, we want to assert and let clients know because we want clients coming back, client relationships, right. That's what we're here to do. Building and maintaining client relationships. That is our number one goal as a service advisor. I get it.

Michael Doherty [00:08:57]:
There's numbers involved, there's management side involved, all the other stuff that goes with it. But that truly is the mission it is building and retaining client relationships. So learning how to do that better, again, great conversation topic that we can get into and talk about once we start getting comments on the podcast from other people, service advisors in the industry, you know, how do you feel about that? What can we do to make that better? Just all that stuff to talk about. There's so many things, you know, daily. Daily job descriptions. If we could. Let's define what we do on a daily basis. Are you a cradle to grave service advisor like I am? And what I mean by that is you are answering the phone, making the appointment or reservation for the client.

Michael Doherty [00:09:47]:
You're checking in the vehicle, you're meeting the client at the front counter. You're, you know, any additional add ons at that time aside from their pre approved, hopefully, work order or estimate? They're coming in for that day, going out to the car, taking pictures of the vehicle, you know, notating dense things, mileage, any warnings that are on, things like that, writing up the ro in the best format for the technician, you know, dispatching at that point, the ro coming back to you with the technician's notes and, you know, building the estimate with parts and labor, researching the parts and labor, adding the parts and labor, calling the client client guided sales, putting that work order back into queue for work to be performed after you've ordered the parts, updating the client throughout the process and then cashing them out. I mean, that's a essentially cradle the grave. There are other service advisors, and I don't you know, I don't think it's a downstep, but there are service advisors that just, for better words, sell. And then there's a team around them that does the other ancillary things. I think that's more of a dealership setting. But I have seen some other shops have a dedicated parts department or somebody that just answers the phones. And when we're talking about the phones, that is one of the most important tools in your shop.

Michael Doherty [00:11:05]:
And whoever's answering the phone, are you qualified to do. So, what does that look like? And that is a serious thing. I mean, I'm sure there's maybe two or three people at your shop right now that you could think of that you hope to God they don't pick up that phone. They don't pick up that phone and start talking to a client because it could go really wrong really quick. And again, it's a. It is a tool. Are you qualified? Are you registered to use that tool and get the client in the door and do the right thing? So things of that nature. But talking about stressors, stressors that we go through on a daily basis in that position as a service advisor, things that are in and are not in our control.

Michael Doherty [00:11:54]:
We are control of our thoughts and actions, both physically and body language, verbally as well. But I like to use the method of two ears and one mouth. We have two ears to listen, one mouth to talk. So try to follow that rule. At least. I do. But, you know, again, just things that are in and out of our control. And also to understand that, you know, ladies, gentlemen, we're not machines.

Michael Doherty [00:12:18]:
I know it seems like we are when we're in that role and we're up there and we're doing it, but we're not machines. There has to be self care. That self care is very important in the workplace. And what I mean by that is taking time. Taking time out of your day, every hour, if you have to. Five minutes, five minutes minimum. You know, just. Just get out of the building, get a breath of fresh air, go listen to a song that you like, maybe walk out in the back of the shop just to change the scenery.

Michael Doherty [00:12:46]:
But, you know, mental breaks are important, especially in that role, because you have to. You have to get away from things that are going on, and you can't be up there all day. I'm so bad at doing that. I'll be honest. And that's why I say I'm relatable. I'm just being honest. For years and years and years, I've skipped out on lunch, because the way we have it set up now where I work is the technicians usually leave around 1130, somewhere in there, to go to lunch, and they take about an hour and, you know, right before they go to lunch, I might get two estimates sent back to me and I want to do the best I can for my team. So I will work on those estimates and do my best with client guided sales to get them put through.

Michael Doherty [00:13:34]:
So when they come back from lunch, they've got work in their queue. That's just my commitment to the role. And there's times where I've just missed my lunch break, you know. Yeah, I might, you know, take that five or ten minutes, go out in the parking lot, get a breath of fresh air, listen to a favorite song, do something. But I have to do a better job of that. So again, just being a little, being vulnerable there and being honest, I have not done a good job at doing that because I'm so focused on just trying to take care of the team and support the team. And I have to do a better job of self care, but I think I've done a better job than yours prior. So it's a job, but you also have to keep in mind you have a life outside of work and you need to have a good mental balance when doing that job to not go home and be thinking about work.

Michael Doherty [00:14:23]:
I know it's hard to do sometimes, but again, that's why I reference music. I think music is great. It's a good escape. I'll listen to all genres of music, but that's my escape at least. And interested to hear what your escape is from the daily routine of being a service advisor, at least for five or ten minutes during the day. And we can talk about those topics as well. But other things to talk about, you know, effective communication. I think I may have mentioned that a little bit earlier in the podcast, effective communication between team workers, co workers and clients.

Michael Doherty [00:14:57]:
And what I mean by that is from the client side, you know, when we bring somebody in, we go over the work order with them when they're dropping off the vehicle, you know, letting them know in advance. Hey, mister and misses Jones. I'll have an update for you today at 11:00 or 12:00 and actually sticking to that guideline, you know, building trust along the way with them, especially if they're a first time client, letting them know that you're going to do what you say you're going to do. And I think that's very important, the transparency, the communication, because really, it's transfer of information. I mean, that's ultimately what's happening in that role as a service advisor. It's transfer of information. Clients calling you to make an appointment, you're getting information, you're transferring that information on email or a work order to be dispatched to a technician, they're resupplying you, or they're supplying you information to build an estimate, you're calling the client with the updated information to fix their concern. And again, it's transfer of information.

Michael Doherty [00:15:57]:
So, you know, really just bringing up those topics of communication and transparency and what with the shop, with the clients and, you know, it's a very interesting position, the service advisor position. We are the front lines. We're the last line of defense. When the client picks up, I really feel that it's a quarterback position. If you would, if we could talk about maybe from a football perspective in sports, it's a quarterback position. And I think it's in some shops, underrated. Some shop owners or even co workers don't think it's that important, you know, but it is. I mean, you have a job that is equal to an air traffic controller.

Michael Doherty [00:16:41]:
It can get very, very stressful and you have to learn to not let it. And one of the things that I didn't learn early in my career was I was taking a lot of things personally. I really was. Client would be upset about something. And I kept thinking, man, I'm doing everything I think I can do to make them happy, and they're just not happy. They're. I can't make them happy. They're upset with me.

Michael Doherty [00:17:02]:
It's personal. It's personal. No, no, no. That is the exception, not the rule. Um, and it took me a while to figure that out, uh, just by trial and error and learning. Um, I was so caught up in and still am, just, just, you know, uh, wanting to make such an impact for that client and wanting to give them more than they came in for in terms of just the experience. Right. Or again, I felt like if they didn't have a good experience, it was my fault.

Michael Doherty [00:17:38]:
There are other things that happen in people's lives during a daily basis while their car is there, that maybe when you call them at that moment, you're the target. It's not you. If it is you, and you know that there's a reason why it was you, then so be it. But nine times out of ten, it's not you. So, you know, not taking it personally, that will grind you down. Having empathy, having empathy for clients and what they're going through is definitely important and needs to be talked about. It's not kissing people's butts, it's just being, having empathy, you know, being relatable. Something that they went through, something, you know, you can tell they're having a bad day or, you know, they had a bad experience.

Michael Doherty [00:18:24]:
You know, I love to ask new clients, especially, you know, well, just out of curiosity, Mister and Misses Jones, where have you been taking the vehicle before? They may not mention the name of the shop because it might be right next door to you or maybe a block from you, but they will definitely tell you about the bad experience that they had. And nine times out of ten, it was communication. It was a communication issue, you know, and they'll tell you, hey, I dropped off my car at 08:00 in the morning. I made them aware that I needed it back by the end of the day. They said they could do that. And I hadn't heard from them all day. And they called me at 445. I wasn't available.

Michael Doherty [00:19:01]:
They left me a voicemail. Here's what's going on, here's what your car needs. And then you go to call them back and guess what? They're closed for the day. That doesn't work. That is a prime example of communication failure. You know, so, so talking about ways that we can prevent that, and I know it seems easy, but with all the things that we're tasked with on a daily basis, remembering that client and remembering the promised time you were going to call them, if they have to call you for an update, you're not doing your job. I'm just being honest. And, and I say that because it is your responsibility as a service advisor to always keep them updated.

Michael Doherty [00:19:39]:
Now, we do get clients from time to time. If you tell them you're going to update them at, say, 10:00 or 12:00 and you do that, but they're one of those clients that calls every half an hour for another update. Again, the exception, not the rule. And how do you handle that politely? You know, how do you let them know that them calling every half hour is not going to speed up the process, especially when Covid hit. And a lot of the workforce went from brick and mortar to staying at home and working remote, and patience was lost. I think that was a very noticeable thing in our industry shortly after Covid, during COVID a lot of workforces went to the complete remote and now people have more time on their hands and there's less patience. So talking about how to, how to navigate, how to communicate effectively, but also with empathy and also for those, some clients, like I said, that just, you know, might call you every half an hour for an update and not answering the phone is not one of the things I would mention doing. So they'll do that.

Michael Doherty [00:20:54]:
They'll do that. But we can work around that. We can figure it out together. So again, episode one, just truly, this is going to be a great platform. My primary goal in wanting to do this is to open up conversation topics with service advisors nationwide. I know there's probably other places out there that do the same thing and there's other places that offer the same thing. I'm talking about doing not like this. I am not in car sales.

Michael Doherty [00:21:28]:
I am an active service advisor. So, you know, selling cars and doing service are two different things. If you want somebody that's involved in the industry, that is active in the industry, that does this on a daily basis, yes, I'm here. I'm here. My ears are open. Let's start some conversation topics. Let's get communicate, get to know one another better. Build a, build a better service advisor community, if you would.

Michael Doherty [00:21:56]:
I'm here. I want to help. I want to learn again. There's going to be so many things that I don't know that I can learn from you guys. And yeah, I'm going to call it a service advisor nation. That's what I like to do. Let's get a service advisor nation going and get our voices heard and work together and iron some stuff out and make the industry better. One client at a time.

Michael Doherty [00:22:22]:
Again, built toward retaining client relationships. Appreciate your time. Thanks for tuning in. This is Michael Doherty. Until next time.

Michael Doherty [00:22:34]:
Hey, thanks for listening to the Autofix Advisor cast. If you're ready to take your shop.

Michael Doherty [00:22:38]:
To the next level, check out our.

Michael Doherty [00:22:40]:
Sponsor, Whirlpack, and the Worldpac Training Institute, WTI. Big thanks to them for their sponsorship. Follow the podcast on social media for more insight sites and subscribe so you never miss an episode. Oh, and tell your friends, we want to help the industry grow and help advisors love their jobs again. See you on the next autofix advisor cast.