The average customer will see their automotive salesperson once every three years. The same customer will see their service advisor approximately three times a year. Relationships are either built, strengthened or destroyed in the service drive. Building and maintaining positive relationships with customers at the service drive is the bread and butter for the whole dealership.

Relationships with customers cannot be purchased. Dealerships have to put time and effort into establishing and maintaining relationships with their customers. These relationships need to be effectively managed to develop a consistent, positive, and productive customer base.

Automotive services sell themselves. Customers know they need oil changes and other maintenance/repairs for their vehicle, so the question for them is really where to take their car for such services. The retention of great employees is significant because the majority of customers come to see their service advisor, rather than the dealership. If the service advisor leaves, this affects customer commitment to the dealership.

Depending on a few great employees to pull the dealership up is risky. A smart hiring system, providing training and mentoring to the employees, and an effective compensation package, are all methods to create and maintain great employees. Yet, even this is not always enough.

When it comes to service advisor training, unfortunately, it is typically limited to the new hire training content, which does not describe how to navigate and manage relational human patterns, systems, and desires. Effective training should also cover useful information like the steps involved in introducing a service or product, phone follow-up, and entering information in the computer.

Hiring a customer service trainer could set your fixed operations department apart from competitors and help your dealership to better navigate the complex world of human relations. But, there are many (unqualified) self-proclaimed trainers in the automotive industry, so it can be difficult to identify who is worthy of your time. Worry no more! Below are seven useful questions to ask when looking to hire a skilled customer service trainer.

1. What relational training do they have? Many automotive customer service trainers come from the service drive or car sales themselves. On one hand, this is great because they have experience and understand the service process. At the same time, it is challenging because their training methods and materials are often the same as when they were trained, which is often outdated. Therefore, it is best to have a customer service trainer who specializes in understanding relational patterns and systems, like human resources specialists and various mental health providers, in addition to the experience working in the dealership environment.
2. Are they accomplished in customer service training? To evaluate their training ability/skillset, look at their previous experience working with other dealerships and presenting at conferences, request reference letters, ask if they published any information, and see if they have videos that could help you to understand their presentation style and content.
3. How have they handled a customer service crisis? This question will help you determine whether the customer service trainer in front of you practices what he or she is preaching or if this trainer operates from a world of perfect theory without getting his/her hands dirty.
4. What relational methods will they use? There are many intelligent individuals who studied human behaviors and wrote about it in great detail. For instance, in the field of family therapy, there are 32 complex relational-based models that help guide professionals in their relational work with customers. Your trainer candidate should be able to name at least one model that guides their thinking and practice.

Unfortunately, many self-made training “specialists” make up their training materials that are based solely on their own ideas and personal experiences, which is limiting and can be harmful to your dealership. The best way to make sure that this trainer does not operate solely on their own ideas is to ask them more about what relational theory they use. You do not have to know the theory to understand whether the trainer has an in-depth understanding of at least one theory. At least, with this question, the trainer candidate will know that you cannot be fooled.

5. How would THE training PROGRAM outcomes be evaluated? The training is typically evaluated on four levels.

Level 1: Reaction (evaluates whether participants liked the training). For instance, did the participants find the training favorable, relevant to their professional needs, engaging, and comprehensible?

Level 2: Learning (evaluates whether participants learned anything from the training). Specifically, did they gain the intended knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence, and commitment to apply new knowledge on the job?

Level 3: Behavior (evaluates whether participants begin to practice the newly gained behavior, and most importantly, whether they continue to practice new behavior after the training is complete).

Level 4: Results (evaluates the overall effect from the training on the department and the dealership. Specifically, you want to make sure that the trainer’s overall goals are in alignment with the dealership goals.

6. How would they and you know that the training program is complete?

You want to be informed about how your relationship with the trainer would be terminated respectfully and successfully. You do not want the training program to go on forever. You may want to bring the trainer back at some point, but what good are they doing if their constant presence at your dealership is never-ending?

7. How will they ensure that the newly developed skills from training will be maintained after the training is complete? The trainer candidate should be able to share what steps he or she is going to take to influence the training participants to practice the newly gained knowledge after they leave. Again, a skilled and professional trainer will be able to establish an environment where the dealership does not have to depend on the trainer, except for maybe a few minor refreshers. For example, he or she may share educational links to articles and videos that would provide a refresher for the newly gained information. They may provide handouts and certificates of completion that would gently remind participants about the training they had completed. They may train managers who could ensure new behavior is maintained by the employees. It should be a red flag for you if the trainer does not have a system in place for participants to practice newly-learned skills after the trainer leaves your dealership.

These seven questions should give you a strong foundation of what to demand from the customer service trainer. Obviously, there are many other questions that you could ask, which would help you clarify specific interests and goals for your dealership. For instance, you may want to make sure that even though the trainer is going to bring new information, they will not deviate from the overall goals of your dealership. You may want to know that the trainer would not require much time and effort from you; in other words, they are able to self-manage and will provide reports and updates without you having to be on top of them.

In any case, you do not want to take this position lightly. Your associates will look up to the customer service trainer as a representative of your dealership’s voice and ideas.