After squaring away the basics and launching your career as an automotive service writer, the next step in the process of learning how to become a service writer is to gain hands-on experience within the automotive industry.
1. Find the Right Environment To Support Your Service Writer Career
Environment will have a major impact on the potential for your career to grow, flourish and shape in new ways.
You should consider whether you’d prefer to work in an independent repair shop, auto repair franchise, or dealership environment. Each work environment has its own perks and unique culture which might affect your decision.
Features like texting your customers their inspection results have revolutionized the way service writers can interact with their clients.
And there’s also the team dynamics to think about. You might ask yourself: do I want to work for a high-volume brand with a large staff and management hierarchy, or would I prefer working with a smaller crew with more of a team feel?
Asking questions about a shop’s values upfront during the interview process can help ensure the work environment is a good fit for you and save a lot of headaches down the road.
2. Consider Continuing Education as a Service Writer
Common advice for aspiring service writers is to seek out training. One great option being could be to gain accreditation or certification from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. That's an easy to elevate your resume and increase your future earning potential with credibility.
But narrowing down which training to enroll in might not always be an easy decision.
In fact, ASE has over 50 certifications, tests, and courses to choose from. Many of the courses and certifications are focused on general concepts like collision repair, but you’ll also find some specializations like school buses and military tactical wheeled vehicles.
Enrolling in specialized courses helps broaden your perspective and shows great initiative, both of which are necessary qualities for future leadership positions. The knowledge you gain can also be directly applied to bring innovation to your shop and give back to your local community.
Other ways to keep up with the latest industry trends and work on your professional development include attending conferences and trade shows, subscribing to industry publications, and listening to auto repair podcasts or radio talk shows -- or, better yet, read our Auto Repair Industry Index Report!
3. Elevate Your Customer Service Expertise
Although earning an education and practicing your technical skills is important in your journey, we’re not just here to talk about how to become a service writer—we want to help you become the best service writer you can be.
Polish these 5skills to elevate your customer service game:
Be Someone Others Can Depend On: The scheduling process at an auto repair shop involves a lot of moving parts and can get hectic at times. Your team and your customers will look up to you in this role to keep the daily operations running smoothly.
Meet the Customers Where They’re At: On occasion, you may encounter customers who might have unrealistic expectations about the repair order process because they used free online estimate tools. Knowing how to practice active listening with customers leads to more positive customer interactions and a higher customer retention rate.
Practice Empathy: Vehicle concerns can bring about a lot of stress for customers with busy schedules and financial concerns. Learning how to put yourself in your customers’ shoes can help them feel appreciated and ease their anxiety so they can better understand the work that needs to be done to get them back on the road.
Manage Conflicts: Exercising patience while dealing with unhappy customers and managing difficult conversations within the team can help you de-escalate situations before they turn into conflicts. Conflict management is also an important leadership skill.
Build Relationships: The little things like remembering a customer’s name or asking about their day can go a long way in making customers feel comfortable and welcomed in the shop. By giving guests a great experience, you can become the go-to shop for their friends and family, and the first place they think of when they need repairs later on down the road. Relationship-building is also vital to establishing a positive work culture and keeping your team’s morale high.
Fuel Your Career Growth as a Service Writer
If you’re a good problem solver who’s passionate about the automotive industry, building rapport with customers, and keeping shop morale high, chances are you’ll be an excellent service writer. If inspiring others is something that brings you fulfillment, being a service writer is the job for you.
Remember: it’s never too early or too late to follow your passions and try out a different career path. Service writers come from all walks of life and all types of backgrounds, which means you have the freedom to forge your own path.
And with a cloud-based Shop Management System helping run your shop as efficiently as possible, your chance to shine as a service writer has never been stronger!
Although our goal is to help you determine the best ways you can enhance your auto repair shop profit margin, we’re still going to shoot straight with you: opening a shop isn’t easy. You’re going to have to put in some hard work, but exceeding your goals will be well worth it. Along the way you’ll learn new things through trial and error and encounter some unexpected challenges, but who doesn’t when they step outside of their comfort zone, pursuing something they’re passionate about?
One question you may have is, "Is it even a good time to start an auto repair business?" That's a tricky question to answer. Coming off the heels of a pandemic in an economy that has seen better times might scare any new business owner. But remember, some of the most long-standing businesses were started during economic recessions.
Although there’s been better times to start an auto repair business, your shop can still be successful. And it’s clear that the demand for automotive repairs isn't going anywhere.
Take a look at these statistics on the latest automotive repair trends:
In 2022, there will be an estimated 76 million vehicles aged 16 years or older in the United States.
It’s estimated that by 2022, 18% of American households will use an auto repair service at least once a year.
The number of vehicles on the road that are 12 years or older is anticipated to increase by 15%.
In the past decade, the average length of time that drivers own their automobiles has increased by 60%.
As you can see, the need for vehicle repairs will likely increase due to the fact that drivers are choosing to stick to their trusty ol’ vehicles rather than opting for a shinier new ride. But regardless of whether the auto repair industry’s profit trends are growing or plateauing, making smart business decisions will not only prepare your shop for future transformation but also help your shop survive disruptive trends in the future.
Let’s get to boosting your shop’s short and long-term profits.
We’ve listed each of these tactics in the order you should take during each of your business growth phases: the seed stage, the start-up stage, the established stage, or the expansion stage. The order of these 10 tactics does not determine their importance; each tactic complements one another to put your shop in the fast lane to success.
Fast Facts
Industry size and past growth: The U.S. auto mechanics industry is worth more than $68 billion in 2022 and has seen steady growth the past five years.
Growth forecast: The U.S. auto mechanics industry is projected to experience continued growth in the coming years and expand by more than 10% by 2026.
Number of businesses: As of early 2022, 264,121 auto mechanic businesses operated in the US.
Number of people employed: As of early 2022, the United States auto repair industry employed about 561,359 workers.
Vehicle inspection checklists guide your technician’s through each aspect of a given inspection so that no problem areas go unaddressed.
Having a set list of points to check for each inspection will ensure they remember to look into each item listed. But before your shop gets started on inspections, you have to get down to the nitty-gritty of inspection checklists.
Find The Right Digital Vehicle Inspection Checklist For Your shop
There's no one-size-fits-all vehicle inspection checklist. It's essential to have different inspection checklists depending on the customer's concerns and what prompted them to bring their car to your shop.
One generic inspection checklist is not enough as it may be too broad or too narrow to cover all the necessary areas.
Your shop may have its own variations of inspections depending on the services you provide. For instance, an auto body repair shop may focus on checking for scratches, dents, and cracks, while a general repair shop will mostly inspect the belts, filters, fluids, and everything else under the hood.
So, how many vehicle inspection checklists do you need? As many checklists as there are common reasons for vehicle owners to bring their cars to your shop.
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