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The differences between automotive services managers and maintenance planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an automotive services manager and a maintenance planner. Additionally, a maintenance planner has an average salary of $57,625, which is higher than the $50,282 average annual salary of an automotive services manager.
The top three skills for an automotive services manager include customer complaints, strong customer service and repeat business. The most important skills for a maintenance planner are CMMS, maintenance planning, and maintenance tasks.
| Automotive Services Manager | Maintenance Planner | |
| Yearly salary | $50,282 | $57,625 |
| Hourly rate | $24.17 | $27.70 |
| Growth rate | 6% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 115,108 | 71,145 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Automotive service manager duties include greeting customers and interacting with them to understand their vehicular problems. They drive the vehicle with the customer and the technician to gain firsthand knowledge of the possible vehicular problems. They estimate all costs, including the services and repair costs, also spare parts if needed, and educate customers on vehicle maintenance to avoid troubles and problems. It is part of their job to maintain a record of repairs and services of vehicles accepted and completed on a daily basis to ensure the delivery of vehicles to customers at the agreed time. Moreover, ensuring customer satisfaction is achieved through effective services and repairs.
A maintenance planner is responsible for maintaining the efficiency and optimal performance of the operational tools, equipment, and machinery. Maintenance planners assist with the personnel's request for equipment repairs, requiring them to have excellent knowledge of the mechanical industry to identify inconsistencies and glitches and perform immediate troubleshooting. They schedule maintenance routine checks, upgrade component features, and replace malfunctioning parts as needed. A maintenance planner also supports the staff on the proper usage of machinery by creating procedural manuals and demonstrations.
Automotive services managers and maintenance planners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Automotive Services Manager | Maintenance Planner | |
| Average salary | $50,282 | $57,625 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $72,000 | Between $39,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Fremont, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Belle Tire | CVR Energy |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between an automotive services manager and a maintenance planner in terms of educational background:
| Automotive Services Manager | Maintenance Planner | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between automotive services managers' and maintenance planners' demographics:
| Automotive Services Manager | Maintenance Planner | |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.4% Female, 8.6% | Male, 85.6% Female, 14.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 2.1% White, 68.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 2.1% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |