Since all service advisors spend a lot of time around customers, you need to ask questions that test their ability to deal with difficult interactions. This question helps you make sure the applicant would be able to properly represent your company and defuse the situation if they encountered an angry customer. Their response also gives you an idea of the service advisor candidate’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills. What to look for in an answer:

• Ability to quickly solve problems
• Interest in following standard procedures for managing complaints
• Desire to remain polite and helpful

Bring up this question during your service advisor interview to test the candidate’s knowledge of vehicles. Although this role mostly focuses on providing services to customers, they do need to be able to discuss various aspects of automobiles with both customers and coworkers. This question is important because it makes sure that the advisor is comfortable with the subject or willing to learn more about it. What to look for in an answer:

• Confident and prompt answers
• Examples of their knowledge about vehicles
• Enthusiasm about the idea of discussing automobiles with others

Asking the candidate this question helps you to discover how well they would get along with co-workers. This particular scenario is useful because it can be used to see whether the potential employee is a team player and how they would deal with someone who might be slacking off on the job. What to look for in an answer:

• General interest in helping out team workers
• Willingness to inform management of under-performing workers
• A pleasant and conflict-free personality

By asking about the service advisor’s opinions on software, you get more information than if they just listed out all the programs they have worked with before. This question lets you make sure the candidate is comfortable working with technology. You can find out how well they actually understand the limitations and applications of the software. What to look for in an answer:

• Comfort working with technology
• In-depth answers that signify full understanding of the program
• Positive attitude toward software you use

Use this question to find out whether or not the candidate has the ability to keep track of several different responsibilities at once. You can find out how well they would juggle a variety of things, like scheduling loaner cars and providing estimates. This question also helps you see if the person can stay polite and friendly with customers while taking part in these difficult tasks. What to look for in an answer:

• Ability to stay organized
• Willingness to provide customer support while managing other tasks
• Strategies for time management

As the liaison between customers and the service technicians who work on their cars, service advisors need to have an in-depth understanding of how long different repairs could take. They should also be able to factor in outside influences that could cause the customer to have an increased wait time for a repair. Interviewers can ask this question to determine a candidate's logical thinking skills and their ability to set reasonable expectations with clients before they visit the dealership. A good answer should include:

• Strategic planning
• Communication
• Examples of influencing factors