The Importance of Service Advisors in a Dealership.

The service consultant plays a large role in the warranty process. They are the initiators of the warranty repair order and the customer’s first dealership contact. Service consultants must be familiar with warranty coverage. It may be beneficial to have a warranty coverage reference chart, which helps consultants quickly determine factory warranty on every vehicle by manufacturer. Also, access to technology should be readily available to all consultants to confirm warranty coverage on a specific VIN including delivery date, warranty claim history, recall eligibility, branded title, and vehicle build information.

Determine Warranty Coverage
By ensuring warranty coverage is always confirmed on each vehicle that enters the service department, consultants may avoid many unsightly rejects once the claim has been submitted to the factory. It is recommended that the consultant perform a vehicle information report on all vehicles that enter the service department. The few moments it takes to perform this report will cost much less than charge backs you may receive for making goodwill adjustments after the fact by applying an authorization code and resubmitting the claim.

Repair Order Write-up
Once warranty coverage has been determined, the service consultant may now write the repair order. They begin by making a line-by-line analysis of who is covering each repair. If the responsibility cannot be readily determined, the line should be coded as customer pay until further notice. If the technician determines the repair should be warranty, they notify service management, and the responsibility is changed. The same is true if the technician finds a warranty-coded repair that the customer should be responsible for.

The service consultant is to write a brief description of each customer concern. The consultant should listen to the customer’s description of the concern and ask leading questions to clearly define the problem:

• What happens?
• When does it happen?
• Where does it happen?
• How does it happen?

A diagnostic worksheet may be used to assist the service consultant in capturing a description of the customer concern. Technicians find these very helpful in completing repairs with more quality and efficiency. The worksheets are also helpful in reducing shop comebacks and in turn, aiding in customer loyalty.

Parts
Whenever a part has been ordered for a customer and the vehicle returns, the consultant must restate the customer concern when they write the R.O. The proper way to write up a claim when a part was previously ordered should be as follows: “Vehicle was in on xx/xx/xxxx for a rough idle condition. Oxygen sensor was ordered by technician #7 on R.O. # 142589. Special order part is in.” The repair order can now be distributed to the correct technician who will be familiar with the vehicle and able to research, if necessary, the previous repair order to check the initial diagnosis. By noting part order information on the repair order, the consultant is assisting not only the technician, but also the parts department with finding the customer special order part.

Signatures
Next, the service consultant must obtain the customer signature, which authorizes the dealer to perform the requested service. If the customer drops the vehicle off as an early bird repair, attach the envelope to the repair order hard copy. If the customer leaves a list of concerns, attach that as well. The service manager is to sign and state the reason for service customers that you are unable to obtain a signature for. The customer may sign the invoice copy in the instance that their vehicle was towed in, dropped off or picked up.

Added Operations
Any customer concern that is added on after initial repair order write up must be identified and entered on the repair order as an added operation. If service consultants are responsible for adding additional lines, they must be familiar with the factory add-on repair policy. All added operations should be verified and approved by a service management signature on the repair order prior to the work being performed and include the specific reason for the additional repair.

Courtesy Transportation
Finally, the service consultant should be aware of any courtesy transportation options. The two primary purposes of a rental vehicle given to a customer is for an overnight repair or if the vehicle is inoperative or unsafe to drive. The consultant may explain the rental policy and if needed, offer the customer shuttle service. The reason for courtesy transportation, the type provided, dates, times and driver information may be documented on the repair order. If the customer is not pleased with these options you may want to contact ACC to offer other vehicle options.

Customers often see service consultants as the official representative of the dealership and the factory. A consultant that is properly educated in warranty procedures will be greatly beneficial to the dealership.