In Episode 35 of the Friction-less Workshop Podcast, host Anthony Perl and automotive trainer Andrew Uglow tackle one of the most common sources of workshop friction: the complaint that service advisors don't provide enough information to technicians. But is this really about lazy advisors, or is there a deeper systemic problem?

Andrew reveals why this complaint is actually a symptom of broken communication systems, not individual failures. He explores how technicians and service advisors literally speak different languages - one technical, one customer-focused - and why neither side fully understands what the other needs. The episode exposes how workshops inadvertently create information bottlenecks by failing to establish clear communication protocols.

Key topics include the shared responsibility model for information flow, why technicians need to ask better questions instead of waiting for perfect information, and how service advisors can translate customer concerns into actionable diagnostic data. Andrew shares practical frameworks for creating effective communication systems that eliminate 80% of workshop friction.

Listeners will discover why the "us versus them" mentality between front and back of house destroys efficiency, how to implement simple communication protocols that work, and why both technicians and advisors need training in each other's roles. The episode also addresses how modern workshop management systems can help or hinder communication, and why face-to-face interaction still matters in a digital age.

Perfect for workshop owners tired of communication breakdowns, service advisors feeling caught in the middle, technicians frustrated by incomplete information, and anyone responsible for improving workshop efficiency. This episode provides actionable solutions for one of the automotive industry's most persistent problems.

Keywords/Tags

#ServiceAdvisor #WorkshopCommunication #TechnicianCommunication #WorkshopEfficiency #AutomotiveWorkshop #CommunicationBreakdown #WorkshopManagement #ServiceDepartment #TechnicianFrustration #InformationFlow #WorkshopSystems #AutomotiveIndustry

Categories

1. Primary: Business > Management
2. Secondary: Business > Communication
3. Tertiary: Technology > Automotive

Target Audience

1. Workshop owners dealing with communication issues
2. Service advisors feeling blamed for information gaps
3. Technicians frustrated by incomplete job information
4. Service managers trying to improve efficiency
5. Dealership fixed operations managers
6. Workshop communication trainers

3. SHOW NOTES

Episode Summary

Why do technicians always complain about service advisors not providing enough information? Andrew Uglow reveals it's not about lazy advisors - it's about broken systems. Discover how to create effective communication protocols that eliminate workshop friction and improve efficiency for everyone.

Main Topics Covered

1. The "service advisors don't give us enough information" complaint
2. Why technicians and advisors speak different languages
3. The shared responsibility model for communication
4. How workshops create information bottlenecks
5. Why waiting for perfect information wastes time
6. The importance of technicians asking better questions
7. How to translate customer concerns into diagnostic data
8. Creating effective communication protocols
9. The "us versus them" mentality and its costs
10. Modern workshop management systems: help or hindrance?
11. Why face-to-face communication still matters
12. Training advisors and technicians in each other's roles

Key Insights & Learnings

1. Systemic Problem, Not Personal Failure - When communication breaks down consistently, it's not about individual incompetence - it's about missing systems and protocols that should exist but don't.
2. Different Languages - Technicians speak technical language (codes, systems, specifications) while advisors speak customer language (symptoms, concerns, experiences). Neither is wrong, but translation is essential.
3. Shared Responsibility - Information flow isn't just the advisor's job. Technicians must actively seek clarification and ask diagnostic questions rather than passively waiting for complete information.
4. The 80/20 Rule - Simple communication protocols can eliminate 80% of information-related friction. You don't need perfect systems, just consistent ones.
5. Cross-Training Value - When advisors understand basic diagnostics and technicians understand customer communication, the entire workshop operates more smoothly.

Stories & Examples Shared

1. The Translation Problem - Real examples of how customer descriptions like "it makes a funny noise" need to be translated into diagnostic questions about when, where, and under what conditions.
2. The Waiting Game - How technicians waste time waiting for "complete" information instead of proactively gathering what they need to start diagnosis.
3. The Blame Cycle - Why the "us versus them" mentality between front and back of house creates a self-perpetuating cycle of poor communication and mutual frustration.

Simple Protocol Success - Workshops that implemented basic communication checklists saw dramatic improvements in first-time fix rates and reduced comebacks.

1. Communication protocol templates
2. Workshop management system best practices
3. Customer interview frameworks
4. Diagnostic questioning techniques

Action Items for Listeners

For Workshop Owners/Managers:

1. Audit your current communication systems - do they actually exist or are they informal?
2. Create simple, written communication protocols for common scenarios
3. Implement regular front-of-house and back-of-house meetings
4. Invest in cross-training: advisors shadow technicians, technicians shadow advisors
5. Stop blaming individuals and start fixing systems

For Service Advisors:

1. Learn basic diagnostic questioning techniques
2. Understand that "the customer said..." isn't enough - dig deeper
3. Translate customer language into technical language before passing to technicians
4. Don't be afraid to go back to customers for clarification
5. Build relationships with technicians - understand what they need

For Technicians:

1. Stop waiting for perfect information - ask questions proactively
2. Understand that advisors aren't trying to make your job harder
3. Learn to translate your technical needs into questions advisors can ask customers
4. Provide feedback to advisors about what information helps most
5. Remember: you're on the same team

For Service Managers:

1. Create communication templates and checklists
2. Facilitate regular communication training
3. Break down the "us versus them" culture
4. Measure communication effectiveness, not just blame
5. Recognize and reward good communication practices

Subscribe & Review

If this episode helped you understand communication breakdowns in your workshop, please subscribe and leave a review! Your feedback helps other workshops discover these solutions.

Related Episodes

1. EP32: Technician Pay Reality Check
2. EP33: The Recognition Revolution
3. EP34: Career Progression Myth

EP36: The Good People Myth (Next Episode)

Andrew has a variety of free downloads and tools you can grab.

Discover if your workshop is Retention Worthy© here or visit his website, https://www.solutionsculture.com where the focus is on bringing reliable profitability to automotive workshop owners and workshop management through the Retention, Engagement and Development of their Technical Professionals.

This podcast was produced by 'Podcasts Done for You' https://podcastsdoneforyou.com.au.

Career progression.

2

Myth, why there's more opportunity

than your technicians realize.

3

Join passionate automotive trainer and

coach Andrew Ulo as he dives into the

4

complaint that automotive offers no

career progression for technicians.

5

In this episode, you'll learn

why the traditional apprentice to

6

manager path isn't the only option.

7

How automotive skills translate

to countless other industries and

8

discover the difference between career

progression and personal development.

9

Along the way, you'll hear some great

stories, including Andrew's own journey.

10

From apprentice to national training

manager to business owner, and why

11

the skills learned in automotive

repair, prepare technicians for almost

12

any challenge life throws at them.

13

I'm your co-host, Anthony Pearl, and this

is the Frictionless Workshop podcast.

14

Let's get cranking.

15

Andrew.

16

Let's talk about this whole idea of.

17

Career progression.

18

Is there enough career

progression for technicians?

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What is the progression even look like?

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You know, where is it that they start?

21

Where is it that they want to go to?

22

Is it even the same for everybody?

23

How do you actually

encapsulate that whole idea?

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Because there is a perception, I

gather from the feedback you've had,

25

that there isn't enough progression.

26

Andrew Uglow: This is a mixed

basket, and I go back to the

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expectation of the individuals.

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What are you actually expecting?

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Like where, where do you wanna go?

30

Do you wanna become dealer

principle of a dealership?

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Because you could, there is no question.

32

I know of several people who are dealer

principles, but you have to develop more

33

skill than just the ability to fix funky

cars or talk with unhappy customers.

34

You need to develop financial acumen.

35

You need to develop people skills,

you need to develop leadership.

36

And I wanna highlight that one.

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Like we don't need more

managers, we need more leaders.

38

They're not the same, that they're

like absolutely different things.

39

One is about managing a system, the

other one is about leading people.

40

People don't wake up in the morning and

go, gee, I'm, I'm so looking forward to

41

being managed today, or I'm non-compliant.

42

Manage me, you know, manage

me harder, manage me harder.

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No, people don't do that.

44

People go, leave me.

45

Help me.

46

I'm struggling with this.

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And leaders help leaders serve and

we take a management frame, not

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a leadership frame, and it has a

suboptimal outcomes in their business.

49

And so back to the idea of career

progression or where do you wanna go?

50

Do you want to be a leader?

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Because that would be more useful.

52

And so if that's the case, if really

as a tech, if that's what you want,

53

you want to be, you know, known,

recognized, appreciated, you know,

54

stopped in the street and asked for

your autograph, if that's your thing.

55

Well short, by all means

develop your technical skill.

56

'cause the foundations for that are gonna

stand you in good stead for everything

57

else you do in or outta the industry.

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Conversely, let's not just stop there.

59

Let's start with helping you lead

you like you want to progress, right?

60

Let's get you leading you well.

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Once you are leading you well, now we

can give you unofficial responsibility.

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You can be the team leader,

you can be the workshop.

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Supervisor, you can be the

whatever sub thing that is in

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the workshop that we can give you

that gives you more responsibility

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to demonstrate your leadership.

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And now we have a, a gap.

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Well, maybe you work this part of

the workshop and someone works that

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part of the workshop right now.

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Why don't you start doing

leadership with customers?

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Why don't you start doing

leadership financially?

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Why don't you start doing leadership?

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So I, I'm gonna argue there,

there is and there isn't.

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And it depends upon what do you want?

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When you say there's no progression,

what's that really about?

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Because if we just deal with that, as

you know, I start as an apprentice and

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then I become a tech, and then I become a

senior tech, and then I become a foreman.

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Then I become a service manager, and

then I become a fixed operations manager,

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and then I become a general manager.

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Is that the progression

you're looking for?

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Like automotive is not corporate?

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You know, I don't become a, a subs, semi

prime candidate for partial leadership.

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Like there's so many levels

and sub levels in corporate.

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This isn't that This,

this is about solving you.

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You wanna know what a workshop's about?

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A workshop is about encouraging

customers to invest in positive,

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reliable ownership experiences of

their vehicle in this business with

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the skill that this workshop has.

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That's what a workshop does.

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Customers don't come because they've

got great workshop management.

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Customers don't come because they've

got outstanding profitability.

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Customers come to get stuff fixed

on their car 'cause it is or isn't

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doing something, or they just can't

afford to have the car go bad on

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them because it's too much stress.

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And so they just want that

stressor added their life.

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And so our job as

technicians is to do that.

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Is to provide that skill so the customer

can jump in their car, drive it, come

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back 12 months later, and they haven't

had any problems that they love their

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car, that it's a great vehicle for them.

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It's, this is what we're selling.

100

And so you go, well, there's

no career progression.

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Okay, sure.

102

Where do you wanna go?

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And the flip side of this is, okay,

so you wanna go wherever that is.

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If you don't have the skills

required to be a good tech, there

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is no way that you can progress.

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There just isn't.

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Because the skills that put you in

good standing for anything else you do.

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And I, I say this out of personal

experience, what I've learned as a

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technician, how to think, how to think

for myself, how to manage myself, how

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to deal with stress, how to handle

angry customers, like all of these

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skills I learned in the workshop.

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I went them at the cliff base.

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Yeah, sure.

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I went back to school and I

did, I studied at Swinburne.

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I, I did some really useful stuff.

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I then went and did a whole bunch of

other stuff that fits outside of the

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conventional thinking, because the

conventional thinking I found was lagging,

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but because of what I learned and how,

not what I learned to think, how I

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learned to think, but just that was the

foundation that allowed me to progress.

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So I love having this

conversation with Dex.

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I love having this conversation with

Dex, oh, there's no progression.

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Great.

123

Where do you want go?

124

Where do you wanna go?

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And, and, and how

committed are you to that?

126

Anthony Perl: I think, and it's a

conversation that's interesting, isn't it?

127

Because it's coming from the negative,

there's no career progression, whereas.

128

The conversation could easily

come from, Hey, I really want

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to get to here at one point.

130

Is there any way the company

can help me get there?

131

I've thought about doing this

course, or that course, or, you know.

132

Doing some extra hours and sitting in

here to see what other people are doing.

133

It's the way that conversation is

held can be everything as well.

134

Andrew Uglow: Absolutely, and, and with

all due respect, I, I know of several

135

managers who are really good at that.

136

The, the tech is, they feel like they've

plateaued with their technical skill.

137

I don't know what I wanna do next.

138

No problems.

139

Would you consider working with customers?

140

Well, okay, well, let's train you on that.

141

Ha.

142

Right?

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And I don't know if

you missed that or not.

144

Let's train you on that, and

then we'll pro promote you.

145

Let's give you some skill and then let's

try that out and see how that works.

146

Whereas usually they

just go, oh, here you go.

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Go and work with customers.

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I tell you what, there's a world

difference between customers who answer

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back, who have emotional days, who

illogical, irrational, and unreasonable,

150

versus cars that aren't sure.

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Cars do weird things, but

they don't have bad days.

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They don't turn up late.

153

They don't.

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Abuse you because who knows why?

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Global warming.

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I don't know what it was.

157

You know the, the customers just do some

of the worst things and not all customers.

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Most of them are really good, but some

of them have, or maybe some of them

159

could go to someone else's business and

upset their staff rather than coming

160

to my business and upsetting my staff.

161

Anthony Perl: The Frictionless

Workshop Podcast is brought

162

to you by Solutions Culture.

163

For details on how to get

in touch with Andrew Con.

164

Salt the show notes below,

and don't forget to subscribe

165

so you don't miss an episode.

166

Now, back to the podcast,

167

some of them have Googled the problem

and are insistent on what the problem

168

is when it may not be the case at all.

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I,

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Andrew Uglow: I look, and it is

really challenging, and again,

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there's two sides to this argument.

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Automotive industry in the past at

times has been profoundly dishonest.

173

Like, not just, not just a little

bit naughty, not just a bit gray

174

around the edges, but like absolutely

dy black in the wool, dishonest,

175

like shifty, dodgy, shonky, nasty,

manipulative, scheming, dishonest.

176

And I like, I've, I've seen

this, I've worked with this,

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I've spoken to customers.

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It's, it's funny the feedback I get

from customers, Hey, you know, oh,

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what do you do for a living, Andrew?

180

Oh, I help technicians

conquer automotive technology.

181

Oh, really?

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So you're teaching them how to work?

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Yes.

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Oh, I had this car and this

problem and they did this to me.

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And that it just, it's always

comes out and I, I love it.

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Abs like, give me feedback,

let me know how we're going.

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I, I think it's fantastic.

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And so we have, as an industry,

as individual businesses, we

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have opportunity to improve.

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Customers pay us money.

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They don't make us money.

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They pay us money, and so

we need to look after them.

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That's only fair and reasonable.

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We need to give.

195

Genuine value for what we do.

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Conversely though, customers could

be, what's the word I'm looking for?

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A bit more open at times.

198

You know, and the reason they Google

and go to forums and chats and stuff

199

is they, they're trying to find

information because information is power.

200

Knowledge is power.

201

You know, they've been handled in the past

and they don't wanna get handled again.

202

And sure, you know, maybe they're trying

to solve a problem, but at the same time,

203

be open, particularly at a dealership

level and even independent workshop

204

level, we have access to information

that you don't, we understand cars at

205

a level that you just simply don't.

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So help us, help you, you know,

help us work with you like we want

207

you, and this is the good business.

208

We want you to have the most pleasurable

ownership experience in your car as

209

you possibly can, or we, we don't

want you to have a second thought

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about the reliability of your car.

211

In order to do that, we need you

to invest in the skill in this

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workshop on your vehicle, and this

is how we believe it should happen.

213

And take that on board, you know?

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Sure.

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It's about the money.

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Don't get me wrong, we're not a

charity, we're not a sheltered workshop.

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Although you could argue that

for some places it's a business.

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We're here the money, but at the same

time, we're here to give genuine value.

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We're we're here to delight customers.

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Anthony Perl: I mean, and we talk

about this idea of career progression,

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which backs onto the previous episode

where we were discussing the whole idea

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of recognition, and I think there's

a bit of a gap there, isn't there?

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Because this interaction with.

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The client doesn't happen as much

between the technician and the client.

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They don't necessarily know what's

going on, so there's not necessarily

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an opportunity for recognition to

follow through, and therefore the

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opportunity for that to be recognized

as being there something that they've

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done and therefore get some career

progression as a result of it.

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And I had this personally just

recently where I had my car and

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I was on a longish journey and.

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The warning light came on.

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Yeah.

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And an engine warning light.

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And I'm like, I don't know.

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And I was on the freeway and I

managed to get to the destination

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even though I was losing some speed

at, at times, get to where I was

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going, pull out the manual as you do.

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What does this actually mean

is the question it said.

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And so the interesting thing

was it said it might be that you

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haven't tightened your fuel cap.

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That can get rid of the problem.

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Well, that's an easy fix.

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I can get out of the

car and I can do that.

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Did that, no, that didn't do it.

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And when you, you know, eventually

was in touch with the dealership

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and said, what's going on?

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Oh yeah, you shouldn't drive it much.

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Bring it in.

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We'll look at the problem.

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The short version of the story is,

I went to the dealership, couldn't

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get in there for two weeks, got in.

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Even though I still had to make some

other trips with this engine warning

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light coming off and on, get in there

and I waited in the dealership from

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eight o'clock in the morning until

two 30 in the afternoon when they

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said to me, oh, I'm really sorry sir.

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We didn't get a chance to

have a look at your car.

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Can you bring it back in?

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In a few more days?

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But what's really interesting, and

here comes the good bit, I bring it

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into the dealership the next time and.

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I didn't have to wait too long to find

out that when they did eventually look

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at it, all it needed was new spark bugs.

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Andrew Uglow: What?

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Anthony Perl: It was a very quick fix.

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Andrew Uglow: Well, that was good, right?

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Anthony Perl: Which was great.

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Right?

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And it was great that it

was done that way, but.

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The interesting thing for me is, is

I'm left with the sour taste because

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it took so long to get to that point.

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But on the other hand, I want to

actually recognize the technician

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that went in there straight away and

fixed the problem in no time at all.

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So whilst I'm negative about the fact

that the whole management process took

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too long, but the actual recognition

that could have happened for that

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technician to say, you identified

that problem really quickly, you

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fixed the problem, I would love to.

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Give you some recognition for that.

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And that opportunity actually

wasn't available to me as the

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client to be able to do that.

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Andrew Uglow: Yeah, that's, they

do send a feedback form, but

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technicians don't always see that.

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And going back to the idea of progression

in a business, and particularly in

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automotive, well, let's put on our

comparison hat and go, well, how much

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progression is there for plumbers?

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You want career progression as a

plumber, what's that look like?

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You want career progression as a

chippy, what does that look like?

287

You know, you want career

progression as a, a HVAC technician,

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what does that look like?

289

I, I go back to the idea of what

are you actually looking for?

290

And with progression, I think often,

certainly being my experience, that

291

they confuse the idea of recognition

with progression and they fuse

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progression with development.

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Really what we're looking

for, what they're saying.

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And again, test by asking, well, you

are looking for bigger aggression.

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Do you want more responsibility?

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Or do you want more development?

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Do you want to be better at what you do?

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Do you want more skill?

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Do you want broader skill?

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Like what are these things?

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And not always, but often.

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And it does depend upon the person, but

very often I find talking to texts, they

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go, actually, no, it's the development.

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And we can talk about

that in the next episode.

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And again, this is another

area that I think automotive

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has opportunity to improve.

307

The idea of training versus

developing, what are we doing?

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You know, because developing is about

planting people, growing people as opposed

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to training, which is about producing a

financial outcome, speed, and efficiency.

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Anthony Perl: Yeah, I think.

311

It's really just to wrap that whole

idea up of career progression in there.

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It's getting to the source

of what it actually means.

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I think there's a, you know, as you

talked about, that whole idea of, you

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know, again, someone in another trade

plumber is a good example, is the goal.

315

I wanna run my own plumbing business

and I want to have a team of

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plumbers that's career progression.

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That's a different thing, setting up

a business and doing that and, and if

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you're a technician and that's what you're

looking to do, that's a different idea.

319

But sometimes it is also recognizing that,

as you say, career progression is just

320

about more information, more knowledge,

the ability to be better at what you do

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rather than necessarily shifting jobs.

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Andrew Uglow: Yep, absolutely.

323

Anthony Perl: That concludes

our look at career progression

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opportunities in automotive.

325

Here's where things

get really interesting.

326

Next episode, we are diving into the

communication crisis that's costing

327

dealerships over a million dollars a year.

328

In staff turnover, Andrew exposes the

hidden cost of promoting technicians

329

without leadership training and

reveals why your best technical

330

minds often make terrible people.

331

Managers will share shocking data from

KPMG's research and practical solutions.

332

For developing real

leadership in your workshop.

333

The workshop Communication crisis drops

shortly, so make sure you are subscribed

334

now so you never miss an episode.

335

This is The Frictionless Workshop podcast,

produced by podcast done for you online.

336

All details in the show notes.