02 Front End Careers

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Table of Contents

“Front End” Positions

In addition to all the service-related positions in the shop, there is a team of support personnel that runs the “front end” of the shop. These positions require strong management and people skills and very little actual knowledge about automotive repair.

Service Consultant (Advisor)

Service consultants, also called service advisors, are the “face” of the service department and are the first point of contact for the customer. They work as the middle man between the customers and the technicians. The main job of the service consultant is to record an accurate description of the customer’s concerns. The tech will then use this information as the starting point for a troubleshooting procedure.

Additional responsibilities of a service consultant are:

  • To provide advice and assistance to customers concerning their vehicle’s service needs
  • To provide information and advice to customers about any related factory recalls or service bulletins.
  • To keep track of work being performed on a customer’s vehicle and to inform the customer if deadlines will not be met.
  • To provide a high level of customer support to build up a core base of return customers
Anyone with good communication and listening skills can be a service advisor
Becoming A Better Service Advisor | HumbleMechanic | Duration: 4:08

Service Manager

The service manager is responsible for the entire service department and in some cases the parts department too. The service manager primarily works with upper management and typically reports directly to the business owner. In a small independent shop, it is not uncommon for the shop owner to also fill the role of the service manager.

In the past, it was not uncommon for the service manager’s office to be in the shop area and for service managers to actually work their way up through the roles in a shop. However, most service managers today have formal business training and may have limited experience working in a shop environment. Their office is now typically tucked away somewhere outside the shop area.