Service Advisor Needed

Job Description

Job Description

Service Advisor: Odyssey Shankle Bus & Truck Repair

Full-Time | Salary Negotiable Based on Experience

About the Position

Odyssey Shankle Bus & Truck Repair is looking for an experienced, knowledgeable, and results-driven Service Advisor to join our team.

The ideal candidate will have extensive knowledge of commercial trucks, buses, fleet vehicles, and heavy-duty repair operations, with the ability to accurately understand customer concerns, develop repair orders, communicate technician findings, sell necessary repair work, and effectively coordinate technicians.

This position serves as the critical link between our customers, technicians, parts department, and management. The Service Advisor must be able to understand the technical side of a repair while also communicating it clearly to customers who may not have mechanical knowledge.

A Critical Part of This Position

We need a Service Advisor who can bridge the communication gap between technicians and customers.

Technicians often communicate in technical language. The Service Advisor must be able to take what the technician is saying, understand the actual problem and recommended repair, and translate it into clear, understandable language for the customer. (Using translator apps are highly recommended as well) 

Language Preference

• Fluency in Spanish, Haitian Creole, or both is strongly preferred.
• Candidates who are fluent in both Spanish and Haitian Creole are highly encouraged to apply.
• Must be able to communicate effectively with customers and technicians in English.
• Ability to clearly explain technical information and repair recommendations in the customer’s preferred language is a major advantage.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for a Service Advisor who can communicate with a diverse customer and technician base and make sure nothing gets lost in translation—whether it’s mechanical information or language.

The ideal candidate can move comfortably between the technician, customer, parts department, and management, making sure everyone understands:

• What the customer is experiencing.
• What the technician found.
• What repairs are actually necessary.
• Why the repair is necessary.
• What the repair will cost.
• What additional work may be recommended.
• What work the customer has approved.

Just as importantly, the Service Advisor must have enough technical knowledge and experience to independently evaluate technician recommendations.

The Service Advisor should be able to:

• Recognize when a technician may have missed an obvious or related issue.
• Ask the right questions when a diagnosis or recommendation doesn’t make sense.
• Identify repairs that may require additional inspection or verification.
• Recognize when a recommended repair is legitimate and necessary versus when additional work may not be justified.
• Help prevent unnecessary repairs or over-selling of services.
• Ensure customers are presented with accurate, reasonable, and properly supported recommendations.
• Balance customer safety, vehicle reliability, technician recommendations, and the company’s profitability.
• Serve as an additional quality-control checkpoint before recommendations are presented to the customer.

This position requires someone who can protect the customer without sacrificing the integrity or profitability of the business.

The goal is not to automatically agree with or disagree with the technician. The goal is to ask questions, verify concerns, and make sure the customer receives an accurate recommendation based on the actual condition of the vehicle.

Key Responsibilities

• Greet customers and professionally assess their service and repair needs.
• Obtain a detailed understanding of customer complaints and vehicle concerns.
• Perform thorough and accurate service write-ups and repair orders.
• Document customer concerns, symptoms, requested repairs, and recommended services accurately.
• Follow proper company procedures for opening, updating, and closing repair orders.
• Review technician findings and verify that recommended repairs address the customer’s actual concern.
• Translate technical diagnoses into clear, understandable explanations for customers.
• Prepare accurate estimates for labor, parts, and related services.
• Explain repairs and recommendations clearly and honestly.
• Sell necessary repair work and recommended services while maintaining customer trust.
• Obtain appropriate customer authorization before repairs are performed.
• Coordinate with the Parts Manager to ensure required parts are available.
• Assign technicians to jobs based on skill level, experience, workload, and job requirements.
• Monitor technician workload and shop workflow.
• Communicate job priorities and expectations to technicians.
• Review technician recommendations for completeness, accuracy, and reasonableness.
• Identify potential missed repairs or additional concerns that may require inspection.
• Question questionable or unsupported recommendations and seek clarification when necessary.
• Monitor repair progress and keep customers informed of delays, additional repairs, or changes in cost.
• Review completed work with technicians before communicating completion to customers.
• Ensure repairs are properly documented before closing repair orders.
• Review invoices and repair orders for accuracy before presenting them to customers.
• Handle customer questions, concerns, and service issues professionally.
• Follow up with customers regarding estimates, declined repairs, and recommended services.
• Maintain strong relationships with fleet customers and repeat commercial accounts.
• Work closely with management, technicians, and parts personnel to keep jobs moving efficiently.
• Ensure proper procedures are followed for inspections, estimates, approvals, parts, labor, warranties, and final billing.
• Assist management in identifying opportunities to improve shop efficiency, customer satisfaction, and profitability.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Extensive experience as a Service Advisor, Service Writer, Shop Foreman, Technician, or similar position.
• Strong knowledge of commercial trucks, buses, fleet vehicles, and heavy-duty repair.
• Strong understanding of mechanical repair procedures and shop operations.
• Excellent service-writing and documentation skills.
• Ability to understand and interpret technician diagnoses and repair recommendations.
• Strong enough technical knowledge to recognize potential missed repairs, questionable diagnoses, or unnecessary recommendations.
• Proven ability to sell legitimate repair work and recommended services.
• Ability to effectively assign and coordinate technicians.
• Excellent customer-service and communication skills.
• Strong organizational and multitasking abilities.
• Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced repair environment.
• Strong computer skills and ability to learn shop-management software.
• Ability to prioritize multiple repair orders simultaneously.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Professional demeanor and excellent follow-through.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for someone who knows the difference between writing a repair order and actually managing a repair from start to finish.

The right person will be able to walk into a busy shop, understand what’s happening, prioritize the workload, communicate with technicians, evaluate repair recommendations, speak confidently with customers, sell necessary repairs, and keep jobs moving.

You should be comfortable speaking “technician” and “customer” fluently.

If a technician says, “The front end is shot and it needs a complete rebuild,” we need someone who can determine what specifically is wrong, what actually needs to be repaired, what evidence supports the recommendation, and how to explain that to the customer in plain English.

At the same time, the Service Advisor must recognize when a technician may have overlooked something important—or when a recommended repair needs to be questioned or verified before presenting it to the customer.

Our Standard

We want to sell repairs, not sell customers repairs they don’t need.

Our Service Advisor must help protect three things:

The Customer.

They deserve honest, understandable recommendations and repairs that are actually necessary.

The Technician.

They deserve accurate information, proper job assignments, and the support needed to perform quality work.

The Company.

We need profitable repair orders, efficient workflow, satisfied customers, and technicians who stay productive.

The Service Advisor is responsible for helping keep all three working together.

Compensation

Salary: Negotiable Based on Experience

Compensation will be determined based on the candidate’s experience, technical knowledge, service-writing ability, leadership skills, customer-service skills, and demonstrated ability to generate and properly manage repair work.

Odyssey means any long journey, often with a quest for a goal. Our goal is to be nationally & internationally known as the world's premiere bus & truck service provider. Combine the best in-house service with fast, efficient, and economical roadside assistance and our customers get the peace of mind of knowing their vehicle maintenance and repairs are well covered.

Company Description

Odyssey means any long journey, often with a quest for a goal. Our goal is to be nationally & internationally known as the world's premiere bus & truck service provider. Combine the best in-house service with fast, efficient, and economical roadside assistance and our customers get the peace of mind of knowing their vehicle maintenance and repairs are well covered.