Simply your tasks and improve workflow by getting to know your customers. Taking detailed notes can make it easier to work with even the most difficult clients.
It’s a well-known fact in the auto-repair world that summer is the busiest time of the year. As the weather heats up and families start going on road-trips, more and more drivers bring their vehicles into the shop for maintenance.
Although the United States is still seeing a significant number of cases of the Coronavirus, industry insights such as the TM-500 index suggest that business is picking back up and shop owners have reason to be cautiously optimistic that 2020 will be another busy summer for shops, especially for shops taking the proper precautions.
Service advisors feel a lot of pressure during the summertime rush. Not only do they have to greet every customer and learn what they need, but they also need to connect a lot of moving parts, whether that means sending repair orders to guests, making sure they’re getting approved, coordinating with technicians, or literally tracking down parts for repairs. that service advisors keep a cool head.

Making sure every job makes it through the repair process without fault while providing guests with kind and diligent service can be tough, but there are tools and habits that can make the job a breeze.
Here are a few actionable tactics you can start using immediately at your shop so service advisors can stay brisk in spite of the heat.
Get to Know Your Guests & Their Vehicles
When it comes to guests, the mileage may vary. Some guests are easier to work with than others. Some will throw you the keys and approve whatever work needs to be done. Others will only approve a small amount of work and call every few minutes to check on the job.
Service advisors may not be able to directly change how guests behave, but we are able to know what to expect. Customer notes are a great way for service advisors to know the attitudes, behaviors, and preferences of each individual guest. Taking detailed notes and checking them before or during a customer interaction can make it easier to work with even with the most difficult clients.
Things Service Advisors Should Note
1. How to pronounce a customer’s name
When some people come into the auto-shop, they may already be frazzled because something is wrong with their car and they don’t know what to do. Pronouncing their name correctly is a good way to start things off on the right foot.
If you don’t know how to pronounce their name, ask them! It’s better to admit that you don’t know how to pronounce their name rather than bungle it up and have them correct you, or feel too shy or uncomfortable to make the correction. They may even give you a nickname, and if that’s their preference, be sure to use it.
You can use hyphens, dashes, or even “sounds like…” to make sure that you’re pronouncing the guest’s name correctly. For instance, the name Anais should be pronounced like ah-nah-EES, not ah-nay-is.
2. How the customer likes to communicate: email, text, or phone call
A good modern shop management software gives service advisors the option to text, call, or email guests. It’s worth asking your customers what they prefer and making a note of that in their customer profile.
3. Directions to get the customer home. Do they need a loaner vehicle?
If your shop has a shuttle service or offers loaner vehicles, you may want to take note of how to get the customer home, what their gate code is, and whether or not they usually need a loaner vehicle.
4. Specifics about the vehicle
Guests tend to have different preferences when it comes to their vehicles. You may want to note where they keep their wheel lock and how they like their steering wheel, seats, and mirrors to be positioned. If a customer has a breathalyzer in their vehicle, take note of that.
The last thing you want is to realize you need them to blow after they’ve handed over the keys and left the shop, or that you need to spend extra time calling the breathalyzer company to deactivate the system.