As every service manager knows, it is next to impossible to find good service advisors and technicians. I will save the technicians for another time but this one bothers me the most.

Service advisors work hard long hours. Usually eat breakfast and lunch at their desks and take the bulk of the blame when something goes wrong. They are the people who come into contact most with your customers and yet most of them have no formal training. Why? Well mainly because it is not available.

I know each manufacturer trains them once they are hired but sometimes that's too late. How many of you have had the pleasure of going through your company's hiring process, get all your paperwork in and pre-hire packets filled out and then have your new hire leave for lunch and never comeback?

There should be classes offered in local tech schools to train people to be service advisors? I had been working with the dean of a county college that also had a technical school to setup classes. Problem we found is that there's not many kids out there with a dream of working as a service advisor. That's where we can come in. 

As some of the biggest mouths in the business (I mean that lovingly and include myself) we can benefit the whole industry by promoting working in a car dealership. Kids get cars and customize them to be cool. If given the opportunity, they may make good service advisors with the right training.

Let's get the train moving. Dealers, get involved with your community colleges. Vendors, make some calls, get the word out.

I think with the proper training your drive can come alive!