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When Service Advisors Diagnose

Let the technicians do the job they're paid to do

It happens every day in service drives across the country. Advisors jump to conclusions or make assumptions about a problem with a customer's vehicle. Unfortunately, this can lead to challenges in customer satisfaction and lower profits for the dealership.

Case Study

The customer drove in with what they described as a wind-type noise coming from the center of the vehicle. They couldn't clearly state whether or not it was coming from the sunroof, the windshield, or even the CD player. The advisor did find out that the noise increased in volume as the speed of the vehicle increased. The Service Advisor inspected the vehicle and found broken weather-stripping around the sun roof. Since the vehicle was under warranty, the weather-stripping would be replaced at no charge to the customer. The Advisor wrote the RO as, "Customer states, 'wind noise around sunroof'" and noted the broken weather-stripping.

What do you think?

Did the Service Advisor perform his responsibilities properly? Do you think he found the source of the noise described by the customer? Did he write the repair order correctly based on the customer's information? The answer to all these questions is "No."

Actual repair results

In this case study, the technician found a technical service bulletin relating to a piece of insulation missing from around the transmission housing. The complaints customers were having was described as a wind noise emanating from around the radio/CD player. Had the technician not been at the top of his game, he may have simply gone with the advisor's assumption and replaced the weather-stripping. The end result would have been a comeback and an unhappy customer. Warranty issues may have also been addressed by the District Parts and Service Manager if they happened to audit the repair

Leave diagnosing to technicians

While experienced advisors can do a good job of connecting customer concerns to common repairs, it is best if they leave diagnosing to the technician. This will help them avoid unnecessary repairs and unhappy customers. For more information about how to improve your service processes, enroll in one of our srvice courses.