The quality of your service department will define your success as a dealership. The quality of your technicians will define the success of your service department. Successful dealerships understand the service department is the heart of the company when sales are mediocre. Having quality service department team members will not only increase your return business, but will increase your outreach into your community. When hiring or training, remember there are a set of core values every great technician withholds. Here are our Top 5 personal traits every great technician must have.
- Communication– Technicians have to be able to read their customers and relate to them as best as possible. This requires ever growing communication skills. Not only is communication critical in explaining repairs, billing, and scheduling, but it also creates a fluid work environment. Customers who have a great experience when dealing with stresses involved with car purchases or warranty issues, they feel confident coming back and recommending your business to loved ones. Cha-Ching!
- Problem Solving– A great technician will be able to address even the most complex issues with the ability to strategize and break down the situation. People who are able to focus under stress will not only ease customer relations (which means a more pleasant visit for your customers), but will increase productivity tremendously.
- Leadership– Once the issue has been diagnosed, the repair still needs to be made. Reliable and credible technicians will be able to take control of the situation at hand, and make the best of it. Appropriate customer service relies on a technician taking initiative to process work orders from beginning to end. Technicians with good leadership skills will increase efficiency, and bring up those around them.
- Integrity– Your average automotive customer has limited knowledge about the vehicle they are dealing with. If the vehicle was newly purchased, they may even be more hesitant in hearing what you have to say. Customers must be able to rely on the knowledge and recommendations coming from their technicians. Responsible mechanics always but the customer’s safety, and the company’s reputation first. Being overbilled or stranded without their vehicle will cause any of us to be upset. Great technicians know what is at stake for the customer, and respects that.
- Understanding– Surviving in the automotive industry means you must care about the job you are doing. You are not only providing a service for monetary gain, but you often hold someone’s life in your hands. A good technician takes the time to do things right, has the customer’s best intentions in mind, and genuinely wants to help them. When dealing with a dirty, hectic, and stressful job, truly caring is the only way you will be successful.
Technicians are the first to tell you the list of interesting projects they have worked on, or tell you how young they were when they started wrenching. However, being successful as an automotive technician depends on a core set of values. It is built off of hard work, communication, honesty, and a general drive to help people. Having this quality of techs on your team will uplift the environment, increase productivity, and help you grab the attention of your community.
