Chapter 3:

Manpower Resources
Service Operations

FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

The most valuable resource of any company

PEOPLE
Although a substantial investment in facilities,
equipments and tools must be made, the
product of the service shop, labor sales, is not
generated without a host of qualified,
motivated employees

Job Titles
1.
2.
3.

4.
5.

In small shops, individuals need to be flexible

and perform a variety of different jobs

6.

In large shops, there will be one or more

individuals assigned to do each separate task

9.

All these tasks, however, must be assigned and

completed in all service shops, small or large,
as service is not simply a matter of fixing cars

7.
8.
10.

11.
12.

Service Cashier
Dispatcher
Claims
Administrator
(Booker)
Shop Foreman
Service Advisor
Lead Technician
Porter
Parts Specialist
Technician
Customer
Relations
Specialist
Service
Manager
Service Director

FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

Service Cashier
Responsibilities
Review and calculate service
invoice

Skills/Abilities

Accounting

Filing

Notify customers once repairs are

completed

Organization of paperwork

Maintain a filing system for

paperwork

Cashiering

Direct customer communications

Greet customers when they arrive

to pick up their vehicles

Process payment for repairs

Provide customers with copies of

service Service
record and
receipt for
Cashier
payment
Person responsible for collecting payment from customers upon
completion of repairs and for the final processing of payments and
repair records

FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

Dispatcher
Responsibilities
Manage daily workflow and
distribution of work throughout the
workshop

Know what work has been

promised, the number of
technicians available and skills
they possess, and the available
amount of time each technician
has available

Skills/Abilities

A good working knowledge of the

technical aspects of automobiles

Organize, reorganize, and adapt to

changing situations

Maintain composure and think

logically under pressure

Get all work out correctly and

timely everyday - assign the right
work to the right person at the
Dispatcher
right time
Evaluates repair order information and assigns the repairs to
technicians with the goals of meeting stated deadlines and making
the best use of the available technical skills

FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

Claims Administrator (Booker)

Responsibilities
Assign labor times and operation
numbers for every vehicle that
passes through the shop using flatrate manuals (books that provide
labor job descriptions and
standard times allowed to perform
those repair operations for most
common repairs)

Skills/Abilities

Fluently understand the systems

of vehicles

Completely understand the flatrate manuals information system

Very detail oriented - research

manuals for every claim
accurately and thoroughly

Need skills closely parallel to those

Determine what the technician
required by a librarian (research),
should be paid for the repairs
service advisor (technical
depending solely on the repair
understanding), and
order documentation
Claims Administrator (Booker)accountant(working with numbers
Person responsible for determining theand
proper
labor operation
preparing
precise documents)
codes, assigning flat-rate times to a repair order, and processing
technician pay based on the explanation provide on the repair
document

FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

Shop Foreman
Responsibilities

On-the-field coordinator of the

day-to-day activities

Provide guidance and additional

brainpower and a second set of
hands to assist experienced
technicians with diagnosis of
difficult problems
Provide on-the-job training for
younger, less experienced
technicians

Work with service advisors to help

verify and pinpoint the cause of
customer complaints to assist
them in developing reasonable
estimates of the cost of repairs

Skills/Abilities

A very high level of technical skills

(in-depth understanding of the
why of repairs, an understanding
of the underlying theory of
operation of the various systems)

A good communicator - clearly and

consistently help others to learn
how to make repairs and why

A good teacher - demonstrate how

to do jobs the right way

Thorough, accurate, and excellent

FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

Shop Foreman
Responsibilities

Assist in the coordination of

resources in the shop to keep
repairs moving and ensure that
employees are productive

Double-check repairs before cars

are returned to verify (quality
check) that the repairs have been
completed correctly

Skills/Abilities

Shop Foreman
Responsible for overall technical supervision of shop operations
including assisting in diagnosis and repairs across the shop as
needed
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FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

Service Advisor
Responsibilities
Respond to customers inquiries on
the telephone, online, and in
person

Schedule appointments based on

the availability of resources to
perform repairs

Write-up repair orders to

accurately reflect customers
concerns and requests
Perform general diagnosis of
complaints through observation
and questioning

Recommend needed services to

customers based on time, mileage,
and observation

Skills/Abilities

A good knowledge of automotive

systems

Communicate clearly and

concisely with customers
(laymans terms) and employees
(technical terms)

Multitask

Sales and marketing skills

Customer relations and

salesmanship skills

Organizational and time

management skills

FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

Service Advisor
Responsibilities

Prepare accurate repair estimates

and obtain customers approval to
proceed with repairs

Notify customers of repair progress

Verify the completion and

accuracy of repairs and bills

Skills/Abilities

Service Advisor
The main customer contact in the service department responsible
for determining customer needs and wants and preparing the
repair order document
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FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

Lead Technician
Responsibilities

The most qualified master

technician in the shop - the jack of
all trades and an ace at accurately
diagnosing a wide range of
problems

Resolve the most difficult

problems, and guide and direct
others within work group to
efficiently resolve simpler
problems

10

Skills/Abilities

Technical expertise - extensive

industry experience that gives
real-life knowledge to complement
theoretical understanding of the
principles and practices of
automotive repair

ASE Master Certified and has a

minimum of five years full-time
field experience

The most heavily trained individual

in the shop - attend and pass most
update training seminars
supported by the repair
shop/manufacturer

FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

Lead Technician
Responsibilities

Skills/Abilities

Capable of sharing knowledge with

others

Lead team by setting an example

of dedication and high work
standards

Willingness to help provide local

training to employees that will
improve their productivity and the
entire organization

Lead Technician
Technician responsible for resolving the most difficult concerns and
directing the efforts of less experienced technicians

11

FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

Porter
Responsibilities

Shuttle customers vehicles from

service write-up area back to
storage lot
Provide rides to customers to get
them to work or home while their
cars are being repaired and
bringing them back to the shop
once repairs are completed

Clean and/or detail customers

vehicles after repairs and new
vehicles before retail delivery

Shuttle customers vehicles back to

service pick-up area from storage
lot when the customers arrive to
pick up their vehicles
12

Skills/Abilities

A good driving record

A pleasant personality to deal with

co-workers and customers,

A self-directed worker

An individual with a desire to

follow task through to a successful
completion

FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

Porter
Responsibilities

Run errands to pick up customers,

parts, tools, and equipment as
needed to support the overall flow
of work in the shop

Do miscellaneous chores around

the shop, including housekeeping
duties

Skills/Abilities

Porter
Moves and clean vehicles and assists in general upkeep of vehicles
and the shop as directed

13

FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

Parts Specialist
Responsibilities

Identify and provide proper parts

to perform repairs and to have
them in a timely manner, and also
forecast the needs so that the
companys inventory is able to fill
most of the needs of the service
department

Skills/Abilities

Detail oriented - thoroughness and

accuracy

Consistently identify the correct

part to fit the right vehicle

Develop and maintain a real-time

system of inventory control (a
dynamic database of demand and
availability to keep the inventory
up-to-date)

Business analysis and accounting

skills

Parts Specialist
Identifies, locates, provides and properly prices out parts as needed
by the service technicians

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FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

Technician
Responsibilities

Skills/Abilities

Perform diagnosis to verify

complaints and pinpoint the
causes

Develop an estimate of cost and

time needed to resolve the
concerns

Perform necessary repairs, verifies

Up-to-date ASE certification in the
that the work completed has
repair specialties
resolved the concerns, produces a
Maintain knowledge of current and
detailed written record of what
was done on the vehicle, and
emerging vehicle systems
Technician
makes sure
that the vehicle is
Willingness and commitment to
Individuals
for verifying
customer
returned
to itsresponsible
original condition
of
lifelong concerns,
learning pinpointing
the cause and resolving the customer automotive repair concerns
cleanliness
in a safe and time manner
15

A high-school technical training or

its equivalent in direct industry
experience; or the best
preparation - a post-high-school
automotive technical training
program of technical and
academic training

FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

Customer Relations Specialist

Responsibilities

Contact customers after a service

visit to ensure that they had a
satisfactory experience and to
identify and resolve any problems

Skills/Abilities

Excellent people skills

Customer complaint handling skills

General telephone etiquette and

communication skills

Customer Relations Specialist

Contacts customers after they have picked up vehicles from service
department to assure that they are satisfied with their experience
and resolves or refers upward any questions or concerns
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FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

Service Manager
Responsibilities

Skills/Abilities

Responsible for the smooth

coordination of all jobs and
functions in the repair shop

Operational and strategic planning

General management and

leadership

A generalist - responsible for

possessing and exercising a
variety of skills that span the
entire range of managerial talents
and abilities

Financial measurement and analysis

Organization and time management

Customer relations and complaint

handling

Main functions - coordination,

motivation, and leadership

Employee relations, hiring,

discipline, and firing

Marketing, merchandising, and

sales

Service Manager
personnel
Supervises, motivates and directs all
Workplaceinsafety
the service
and other
repair
legal
issues
department

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FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

Service Director
Responsibilities

Similar to service manager in

many ways but on a wider scope responsible for the oversight and
operation of three distinct and
very unique profit centers: the
service repair shop, the parts
department and the body shop

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Skills/Abilities

Knowledge, skills, and abilities

include all those identified for the
service manager but on a large
scale

Develop and maintain a solid

working knowledge of the unique
characteristics and finer points of
the three different departments
under his control

An excellent leader and mediator maintain a sense of fairness and

balance between the operations
and the egos present in all these
operations

FVB 20103/21004 (2011/2012)

Service Director
Responsibilities

Skills/Abilities

Possess a political savvy and

discretion to interact with the
other directors and supervisors
within the organization and with
the owners to advocate on behalf
of his departments

Service Director
Supervises, motivates and directs all personnel in the service repair
department, body shop, and parts department

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