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The differences between automotive service advisors and service writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an automotive service advisor and a service writer. Additionally, an automotive service advisor has an average salary of $44,596, which is higher than the $39,016 average annual salary of a service writer.
The top three skills for an automotive service advisor include customer service, automotive services and repair orders. The most important skills for a service writer are customer service, repair orders, and warranty claims.
An automotive service advisor is responsible for inspecting the car's condition and engine failure, coordinating with auto mechanics, and scheduling mechanical work orders. Automotive service advisors identify the customers' mechanical problems and write repair reports for the mechanics for further assessment. They may also reach out to clients to sell new items and services offered by the business that would get their cars more efficient and optimized. An automotive service advisor must have excellent communication skills and mechanical knowledge to respond to customers' inquiries and concerns and resolve complaints.
A service writer is an employee who acts as an informative middleman between a business owner and its customers in the automotive sector. To develop this relationship, service writers must provide successful management of product or service delivery to their customers. Service writers must correctly manage their scheduled appointments to avoid overwhelming their mechanics with incoming vehicular repairs while monitoring the service progress to avoid delivery delays. They must also know how to encode customer profile information into the computer system.
Automotive service advisors and service writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Automotive Service Advisor | Service Writer | |
| Average salary | $44,596 | $39,016 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $63,000 | Between $24,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | Norwood, MA | College Park, MD |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Phillips Chevy | American Institute of Physics |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an automotive service advisor and a service writer in terms of educational background:
| Automotive Service Advisor | Service Writer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 31% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between automotive service advisors' and service writers' demographics:
| Automotive Service Advisor | Service Writer | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.3% Female, 19.7% | Male, 62.7% Female, 37.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 6.1% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 5.8% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |