What does a service writer do?
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.
Service writer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real service writer resumes:
- Achieve certification in service writer sales (upselling )
- Used SQL queries to report, analyze, and manage the ongoing Y2K research progress.
- Prioritize and schedule service to residential customers for both HVAC and preventative maintenance.
- Notify drivers via radio, cell phones, or GPS system.
- Utilize GPS equipment and location to guide service technicians to service location.
- Contact drivers for eta's, troubleshooting delivery issues, contact customers, reset orders.
- Answer phones and coordinate eta's base on customer needs and truck availability for emergency response, and breakdown services.
- Develop handouts and a powerpoint presentation.
- Customize reporting framework is created using Java to create suitable test reports after execution.
- Gain adept knowledge of ITIL and utilize service process methodology to demonstrate compliance and measure improvement.
- Plan new landscape builds including Linux parameters and settings, coordinating with installation team and guiding/documenting the install procedure.
- Demonstrate superb organizational and multitasking abilities
- Learned fix operations and aspects of the auto business including use of ADP and Nissan parts network.
- Enter information into ADP system to ensure technicians are paid accordingly for work done before closing repair order.
- Communicate with customers about their service needs and keep customer inform on repair status of their RV.
Service writer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Service Writers are proficient in Customer Service, Repair Orders, and Warranty Claims. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Computer skills, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Service Writers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 14%
Delivered outstanding level of customer service with high customer service satisfaction rating shown in regular surveys and direct customer feedback.
- Repair Orders, 12%
Initiated automotive services and repairs by determining performance problems and services requested; developing estimates; writing repair orders.
- Warranty Claims, 7%
Examined and processed recreational vehicle warranty claims from dealers requesting reimbursement for defective parts, using computerized records system.
- Cleanliness, 7%
Shared responsibilities in shop safety meetings, shop cleanliness, and contributed to training meetings to increase productivity and profit.
- Parts Inventory, 7%
Reorganized dealer parts inventory and improved parts retrieval.
- Schedule Appointments, 7%
Manage 8 technician's tasks for customer fulfillment -Schedule appointments and perform preliminary diagnostics -Manage all final invoice/payment documentation
"customer service," "repair orders," and "warranty claims" are among the most common skills that service writers use at work. You can find even more service writer responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a service writer to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "customer service representatives must be able to provide clear information in writing, by phone, or in person." Service writers often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "maintained thorough and accurate documentation to ensure clear communication happened throughout the repair process. "
Customer-service skills. This is an important skill for service writers to perform their duties. For an example of how service writer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "representatives help companies retain customers by professionally answering questions and helping to resolve complaints." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a service writer: "assist customer with any insurance claims. ".
Interpersonal skills. For certain service writer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "interpersonal skills." The day-to-day duties of a service writer rely on this skill, as "representatives should be able to create positive interactions with customers." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what service writers do: "establish strong customer relations through positive interpersonal and communication skills. "
Listening skills. A commonly-found skill in service writer job descriptions, "listening skills" is essential to what service writers do. Service writer responsibilities rely on this skill because "representatives must listen carefully to ensure that they understand customers in order to assist them." You can also see how service writer duties rely on listening skills in this resume example: "communicated repair process and cost to the customer, insurance companies, and manufacturers to receive authorization for repairs. "
Patience. While "patience" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to service writer responsibilities. Much of what a service writer does relies on this skill, seeing as "representatives should be patient and polite, especially when interacting with dissatisfied customers." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of service writers: "answered inbound and outbound calls with patience and skill. "
The three companies that hire the most service writers are:
- Sullivan Tire and Auto Service35 service writers jobs
- Custom Truck One Source13 service writers jobs
- LC Staffing
12 service writers jobs
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Compare different service writers
Service writer vs. Receptionist/customer service
Receptionists or customer service professionals are considered as the first contact point of the clients. They usually greet and welcome guests visiting an office or organization. These are employees who serve as administrative or office support. They take responsibility for digital communication. It is their job to coordinate the front desk activities such as redirecting phone calls and distributing correspondence. They should be equipped with skills like attention to detail, dependability, and communication skills.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between service writers and receptionist/customer service. For instance, service writer responsibilities require skills such as "warranty claims," "cleanliness," "parts inventory," and "schedule appointments." Whereas a receptionist/customer service is skilled in "phone calls," "data entry," "telephone calls," and "front desk." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Receptionist/customer services earn the highest salaries when working in the manufacturing industry, with an average yearly salary of $30,365. On the other hand, service writers are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $40,270.receptionist/customer services tend to reach similar levels of education than service writers. In fact, receptionist/customer services are 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Service writer vs. Bilingual customer service
In bilingual customer service, a representative specializes in responding to calls using English or another foreign language that the customer prefers. Among their primary responsibilities include assisting customers and addressing any inquiries, concerns, or issues that they may raise. Aside from this, a representative may also recommend or sell products, process refunds or payments, and conduct surveys or polls. Furthermore, a representative needs to build rapport with customers to secure sales or create a substantial client base.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, service writer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "repair orders," "warranty claims," "cleanliness," and "parts inventory." Meanwhile, a bilingual customer service has duties that require skills in areas such as "data entry," "strong customer service," "excellent organizational," and "excellent interpersonal." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Bilingual customer services may earn a lower salary than service writers, but bilingual customer services earn the most pay in the insurance industry with an average salary of $33,646. On the other hand, service writers receive higher pay in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $40,270.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Bilingual customer services tend to reach similar levels of education than service writers. In fact, they're 2.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Service writer vs. Customer service and billing
A customer service and billing worker primarily assists customers when it comes to billing matters. They answer calls or correspondence from customers to identify their needs, respond to inquiries, discuss product or service specifications, manage billing arrangements, provide price quotes, and offer other services. They may also arrange appointments, process refunds, and solve issues and concerns, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. Additionally, customer service and billing maintains records of all transactions and reports to managers regularly.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a service writer is likely to be skilled in "customer service," "repair orders," "warranty claims," and "cleanliness," while a typical customer service and billing is skilled in "strong customer service," "patients," "data entry," and "inbound calls."
Customer service and billings earn the highest salary when working in the utilities industry, where they receive an average salary of $38,268. Comparatively, service writers have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $40,270.customer service and billings typically earn similar educational levels compared to service writers. Specifically, they're 1.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Service writer vs. Customer service consultant
A customer service consultant is responsible for addressing the customers' inquiries and concerns regarding the company's services and resolving complaints to provide the best customer service and satisfaction. Customer service consultants also sell new goods and products to the customers, demonstrating features and benefits before proceeding with the orders, payment, and delivery details. They develop excellent sales pitches to attract customer to purchase items which would generate more revenue resources and profits for the business.
Types of service writer
Updated January 8, 2025
