by wire Trade Fair – Düsseldorf, Germany

Article by Ben Pate

An automotive service manager is an important part of a business. They act as a liaison between the customers and service men and are the main line of customer service support there. There are many other duties they perform to help your business run smoothly.

They are responsible for hiring and supervising employees in the service department and ensuring that they have the best candidates working for them. This includes monitoring how they work in maintaining company standards. They are also responsible for training to ensure they give this level of service. They are the ones who undertake the employee evaluations in their department.

The goals and objectives of the department are set by these managers and it is up to them to make sure that all the employees are meeting them. This means they set an annual operating budget for their department that includes overtime, profit and loss, and turnover costs. This covers marketing and a business plan to maintain repeat business through coupons, merchandising, and specials at the department.

They must have ongoing training to ensure they stay up to date with technology in the automotive industry, including attending classes and following up on seminars. This includes staying abreast of company policies and standards and making suggestions for changes as necessary. They must also schedule classes for themselves and other employees when they are offered through the manufacturer so they comply with current technologies on vehicles.

The automotive service manager must also stay on top of warranty and recall information. It is their responsibility to send warranties for payment and to ensure their compliance with the specifications to maintain less write-offs. They are directly responsible for the loss in the department due to write-offs, and must ensure that the staff is performing the work correctly to be paid by the factory. They will act as liaisons between the company and the factory representatives and may attend meetings or conferences for this purpose.

The main duty for them day to day is with customer complaints and service. They have to develop and utilize a plan to ensure customers return, which often will include compromising within company policy for a resolution to make the customer happy. They must also be able to bring in new customers and provide a level of service to make them turn into repeat customers.

In order to get this position, you must have college education and five years experience in the industry. Many will have a bachelor’s degree in business administration or in a technical field. Many companies do prefer to have ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certification in addition to the other requirements for the department to run smoothly.

About the Author

Being an automotive service manager can be a rewarding career that offers a good wage upwards of ,000.00 annually. Automotive service management is a career you can choose that offers some stability since service accounts for a good portion of the dealerships business.

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