Any Service Advisors in here?

B0B

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I've been working for BMW for almost 7 years. Right now I'm the internal service advisor, "Reconditioning Manager," at all of our dealerships. I facilitate and execute the processes to bring cars to spec to be sold. I have 6 techs and the detail shop, and deal with the sales managers for three dealerships directly. I don't hire or fire people, but I have a lot of pull within the company and the position I hold is very important. I feel that my stature with the dealership is among the level of management, higher up than a service advisor, yet I don't have the official manager title. I make good money, in the 70k range, and I'm good at what I do and for the most part like my job.

My boss (the service and parts director) has been trying to get me to write service for him for years. I have always said no, because I don't want to face customers all day. ESPECIALLY BMW customers. He said I need to do customer facing service writing for a while before he will make me the service manager at one of the dealerships. The position for service manager has opened up a few times, and my name has been brought up every time but gets shot down because I haven't put in my time with customers.

Anyways, two weeks ago I agreed to temporarily write service at the BMW store because one of the advisors is out for back surgery. I agreed to do it for two weeks, and then go back to my regular job. Friday, one of the new advisors didn't show up for work, or call. Now, with them quitting, I'll be stuck there for the rest of the month at least. I'm trying to decide now if I should stay there and do it for a few years until a management position opens, or put in my minimum time needed to get the hell out of there and go back to what I enjoy doing. I hate it, and loathe going to work in the morning. Boss said he will make it worth my while and they emphasize how much they appreciate me helping, but it ****ing sucks big time. BMW customers are UNBELIEVABLE.

My job is pretty good. I have my own office, don't have to deal with the public, work monday-friday, HOURLY pay plus bonuses, 3 weeks paid vacation, manageable amount of stress, and respect within the company. Would you guys get the hell out and go back to what I'm doing, or hash it out for months, possibly years, and wait for my time to come?

it basically boils down to this:

70K/year now: Happy, not rich or poor, pretty good quality of life. 40 hrs/week. I'm maxxed out in pay for my position

85-100k service advising: Hate life, hate job, 50-60 hours a week. lets just call it an Acute illness. Rapid onset, severe stress at
times. Become a robot and lose all human emotion.

125ishk service manager: Can't get there without writing service for a while, who knows how long, if ever. Better money status,
40-50 hours/week. More of a Chronic stress level. Slow, drawn out, constant stress. Expendable if
people working below me don't perform, could lead to GM eventually.




Input?
 
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jf4boogie

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You're 27 years old. Sack up, learn to deal with the customers and climb that ladder.

I have a close friend that is a service manager at a big name franchise and he makes a very good living and absolutely loves his job. Tells me its the greatest thing that ever happened and he enjoys going to work. Once you have the experience and can add that to your resume, THEN your options will really open up. Do it a few years and if you get tired of the BMW clientele, move on to another dealership. The lead tech (another close friend) that has been at his dealership for 10 years said his service manager for the past 6 years didn't like their new boss so he up and left his $160k a year job and found work the next week...

Anyway, if you have the opportunity and you trust what your management is telling you I say you're crazy for not taking the opportunity even if you aren't as "comfortable" doing it for a little while.

Good luck.
 

AntiHeightPunk

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if you don't like working with customers what makes you think you would be a good service manager? I know that sounds like im being an ass....but lets be honest its the only question you need to ask yourself.
 

90goldtsiawd

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if you don't like working with customers what makes you think you would be a good service manager? I know that sounds like im being an ass....but lets be honest its the only question you need to ask yourself.

Truth.
 

bdcardinal

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if you don't like working with customers what makes you think you would be a good service manager? I know that sounds like im being an ass....but lets be honest its the only question you need to ask yourself.

This... You think customers are mad just coming to you for an oil change, try handling them when they are mad about something going majorly wrong. Not sure how your dealer deals with CSI, but Ford pushes it so hard that they are changing our writers and possibly parts department pay plans to reflect our CSI scores. Gotta love it when you do a perfect job taking a customer but you fail the survey because their creamer in their coffee wasn't the right brand.
 

B0B

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This... You think customers are mad just coming to you for an oil change, try handling them when they are mad about something going majorly wrong. Not sure how your dealer deals with CSI, but Ford pushes it so hard that they are changing our writers and possibly parts department pay plans to reflect our CSI scores. Gotta love it when you do a perfect job taking a customer but you fail the survey because their creamer in their coffee wasn't the right brand.

One of the biggest reasons is CSI. The advisors have a $1000 all or nothing CSI bonus monthly. half the questions on the survey are out of the control of the advisor's hands. And to the other people, I'm not bad at dealing with customers. I'm good at it, but I don't like kissing people's asses every day. I am all about a solution for the best of the customer and the dealership, not sitting their consoling some dumb broad as she is crying or yelling about how much it is going to cost to fix her car. It gets old real quick. Service managers deal with the customers when the advisors mess up, or something goes wrong. It is completely different than sitting in front of them all day every day and taking shit while maintaining a smile on your face.
 

Zemedici

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Stay the **** away from the public. I have been a service advisor for ford. And I HATED it. You don't clock out at the end of your shift, you've got customers calling you, oh did their part come in, do I have his tires? Etc etc.

Used car reconditioning is the way to go. Decent money, zero interaction with the public. It's like banging a stripper without the herpes. All the good none of the bad.

I will never write service again. As stated above, ford advisors live and die by the CSI. My brothers a Nissan service advisor and he didn't make region (required csi) because some ass clown said his oil change 'was too quick' at 90 minutes....get that shit out of here.

My .02, stick to Used car reconditioning. Maybe invest dome of your money if you're not happy with your income, etc. Do something to supplement it without sacrificing you life by being a service slave.
 
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03cobra#2

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Agree with the above comment. Being a service writer sucks. I'm in car sales and there is no way I would be a writer. Enjoy the 40 hours and find a side job to make that extra 20k a year.
 

RDJ

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man it must just suck ass to have a choice between 3 well paying jobs at 27. I pity you, I really do. such an unfortunate turn of events in your otherwise perfect life .. to have to do something you dislike for 100k a year while you wait for a manager job to open up for you to be a shoe in for. #firstworldproblems.


One of the biggest reasons is CSI. The advisors have a $1000 all or nothing CSI bonus monthly. half the questions on the survey are out of the control of the advisor's hands. And to the other people, I'm not bad at dealing with customers. I'm good at it, but I don't like kissing people's asses every day. I am all about a solution for the best of the customer and the dealership, not sitting their consoling some dumb broad as she is crying or yelling about how much it is going to cost to fix her car. It gets old real quick. Service managers deal with the customers when the advisors mess up, or something goes wrong. It is completely different than sitting in front of them all day every day and taking shit while maintaining a smile on your face.
 

B0B

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Stay the **** away from the public. I have been a service advisor for ford. And I HATED it. You don't clock out at the end of your shift, you've got customers calling you, oh did their part come in, do I have his tires? Etc etc.

Used car reconditioning is the way to go. Decent money, zero interaction with the public. It's like banging a stripper without the herpes. All the good none of the bad.

I will never wrote service again. As stated above, ford advisors live and die by the CSI. My brothers a Nissan service advisor and he didn't make region (required csi) because some ass clown said his oil change 'was too quick' at 90 minutes....get that shit out of here.

My .02, stick to Used car reconditioning. Maybe invest dome of your money if you're not happy with your income, etc. Do something to supplement it without sacrificing you life by being a service slave.

Thanks. You understand why it is a hard jump to make. CSI is a joke. I have been doing mustang work on the side, and am still in the process of getting some other supplemental things started up.

Agree with the above comment. Being a service writer sucks. I'm in car sales and there is no way I would be a writer. Enjoy the 40 hours and find a side job to make that extra 20k a year.

Thanks, I am trying to get on the Casual list at the Longshoreman's union at the port here. That would be a nice additional part time gig.
 

Zemedici

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Thanks. You understand why it is a hard jump to make. CSI is a joke. I have been doing mustang work on the side, and am still in the process of getting some other supplemental things started up.



Thanks, I am trying to get on the Casual list at the Longshoreman's union at the port here. That would be a nice additional part time gig.

Good deal bud - why not open up a garage on the weekends or something?
 

B0B

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man it must just suck ass to have a choice between 3 well paying jobs at 27. I pity you, I really do. such an unfortunate turn of events in your otherwise perfect life .. to have to do something you dislike for 100k a year while you wait for a manager job to open up for you to be a shoe in for. #firstworldproblems.

yeah it sucks man. In the mean time I have to decide whether I should drive my 2014 F150, 600rwhp mach 1, or Jeep Rubicon to work tomorrow. Also, I would have to open one (of three) of my electric garage doors to get the mach 1 out. It sucks. I just don't get why they don't give me the managers position now. I'm entitled to that, I'm white.
 

HEMI LOL

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take the writer job and let me apply for you old one.

im outside sales for a mazda dealer, and 70k a year would be a raise for me. ill take it.
 

derklug

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If you hate your job, the pay won't make up for it in the long run. You will end up being an ass to everyone, start drinking too much, accidentally kill a hooker, and have no one to call to post bail. Don't ask how I know.
 

Zemedici

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yeah it sucks man. In the mean time I have to decide whether I should drive my 2014 F150, 600rwhp mach 1, or Jeep Rubicon to work tomorrow. Also, I would have to open one (of three) of my electric garage doors to get the mach 1 out. It sucks. I just don't get why they don't give me the managers position now. I'm entitled to that, I'm white.

Best post in this thread hahahha
 

HEMI LOL

Twin Screwed
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If you hate your job, the pay won't make up for it in the long run. You will end up being an ass to everyone, start drinking too much, accidentally kill a hooker, and have no one to call to post bail. Don't ask how I know.

hahahahahahahahahahahaha
 

B0B

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Good deal bud - why not open up a garage on the weekends or something?

I've thought about it. I did a few cars over the summer. I am going to do a little more advertising next year, with business cards and such. Word of mouth has gotten me a car here and their, but it isn't something I can rely on to get steady work. I also want to keep the workload pretty low so it can still remain a hobby and it doesn't turn too monotonous
 

Zemedici

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I've thought about it. I did a few cars over the summer. I am going to do a little more advertising next year, with business cards and such. Word of mouth has gotten me a car here and their, but it isn't something I can rely on to get steady work. I also want to keep the workload pretty low so it can still remain a hobby and it doesn't turn too monotonous

Understandable. I do parts now for a ford dealership and I've noticed since I do a 8-5 in ford parts I'm spending less
And less time on the forums and doing car stuff. So like you said it's a fine line between fun and source of income/zero fun times.

That's why performance stuff would be cool as its just what you want to do, but someone else's car. Haha they're the guinea pig lolololol
 

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