Technicians becoming a service writer

[MeowJW]

Hello all. I am a technician who worked on cars for 7 years, 3 years working as a flat rate tech.

I recently been let go of my job as a tech.

The common reaction to this would be looking for another job as a technician. But I came across some openings for service writer jobs.

I thought to myself, since I did work with service writers before, why not consider another career path?

SO my question to the ETCG forum is: What to do technicians think of a tech becoming a service writer?
Have some of you worked also as a service writer before? If you have how is/was it?

Not thinking of dropping the wrench, but I think it’s at least a good learning experience.

Please help me out with your experiences and opinions.

Thank you in advance.

Topic

[Mike]

I was actually a service “manager” for a large used car dealership before I started working as a tech, about 10 years ago now. I was the one man do-all to get the mechanics everything they needed as far as work and parts, and deal with all the customers. It was the customers I didn’t like and still don’t that make me like it better in the back even with all the BS there. I was fine with all the math and paperwork and making tough situations work, it’s the customer situations I’ve never had the patience for.

The customers are what you’re all about up front and your biggest determining factor is if that is your kind of thing. Most customers neglect their car and feel like it owes them something because they owe money on it, and bring the accompanying toxic attitude in with them. Some customers are nice and happy that you’re helping them deal with the car they need but don’t understand, but many just don’t get it. It’s just it so common that you have to be ok with treating a customer respectfully after they demonstrate that they deserve to be treated like an asshole.

You obviously know the advantages of being up front vs. turning wrenches. Still though, service writers still tend to have pay plans that are like flat rate in the sense that you will be doing things constantly for ‘free’ that are expected even though there is no measurable pay for them.

You also have the aspect of knowing the work involved in the repairs you would sell, but you know all techs work differently and whatever job will be done differently and in a different amount of time by every tech. You know what you would do on job x, but what about the guy who actually is doing it? Will he be able to it well? How long will it take him? If he will take longer than book time, does he deserve to get more time sold or is he just slow with no redeeming qualities to his work? There’s a lot to consider about how the techs you support work, it’s tough to handle right.

I know most of that sounded kind of negative, but spent a fair amount of time over the years thinking about being up front again. This is just the kind of stuff I think about dealing with when I envision working up front and I know it’s not where I belong. I like being in control anyway, and the tech is largely the one in control because it’s their show whether they are willing to do a certain repair of if they break something nobody wants to pay for when doing it. In that sense it matters a lot how good your techs are to know if it’s a good place to be a service writer.

[Author]

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