Garage manager

Garage managers oversee the work of road vehicle mechanics and administrative personnel. They organise the daily work and deal with clients.

The following job titles also refer to garage manager:

automotive repair shop manager
car shop repair service director
car repair shop director
motor vehicle repair shop director
motor vehicle repair shop coordinator
auto shop service manager
car workshop manager
motor vehicle repair shop manager

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as garage manager. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Garage manager is a Skill level 3 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to garage manager.

laundry and dry cleaning manager
call centre manager
beauty salon manager
contact centre supervisor
spa manager

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of garage manager. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of garage manager with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

membership manager
client relations manager
after-sales service technician
auction house manager
quality services manager

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of garage manager.

Customer service: Processes and principles related to the customer, client, service user and to personal services; these may include procedures to evaluate customer’s or service user’s satisfaction.
Car controls: The functioning of specific car equipment such as how to operate and handle the clutch, throttle, lighting, instrumentation, transmission and the brakes.
Financial management: The field of finance that concerns the practical process analysis and tools for designating financial resources. It encompasses the structure of businesses, the investment sources, and the value increase of corporations due to managerial decision-making.
Corporate social responsibility: The handling or managing of business processes in a responsible and ethical manner considering the economic responsibility towards shareholders as equally important as the responsibility towards environmental and social stakeholders.
Product comprehension: The offered products, their functionalities, properties and legal and regulatory requirements.
Customer relationship management: The customer-oriented management approach and basic principles of successful customer relations that focus on interactions with customers such as technical support, customer services, after-sales support and direct communication with the customer.
Communication principles: The set of commonly shared principles in regards with communication such as active listening, establish rapport, adjusting the register, and respecting the intervention of others.

These skills are necessary for the role of garage manager.

Guarantee customer satisfaction: Handle customer expectations in a professional manner, anticipating and addressing their needs and desires. Provide flexible customer service to ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Advise customers: Give information to people regarding import and export restrictions, tariff systems and other custom-related topics.
Create solutions to problems: Solve problems which arise in planning, prioritising, organising, directing/facilitating action and evaluating performance. Use systematic processes of collecting, analysing, and synthesising information to evaluate current practice and generate new understandings about practice.
Disseminate internal communications: Disseminate internal communications using the different communication channels that a company has at its disposal.
Maintain relationship with customers: Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by supplying after-sales information and service.
Manage staff: Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.
Maintain relationship with suppliers: Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with suppliers and service providers in order to establish a positive, profitable and enduring collaboration, co-operation and contract negotiation.
Use different communication channels: Make use of various types of communication channels such as verbal, handwritten, digital and telephonic communication with the purpose of constructing and sharing ideas or information.
Supervise the management of an establishment: Run the management of an establishment and ensure that every need for a smooth running of the operations is looked after.

Diagnose problems with vehicles: Diagnose issues with vehicles and assess the efforts and costs required to resolve them.
Promote organisational communication: Promote and nurture the efficient spread of plans and business information throughout the organisation by strengthening the channels of communication at its disposal.
Identify customer’s needs: Use appropriate questions and active listening in order to identify customer expectations, desires and requirements according to product and services.
Provide operational efficiency training to employees: Provide resources and prepares employee training activities and workshops; increase efficiency of warehouse operations.
Visit manufacturers: Visit manufacturers in order to learn about production process and to assess product quality.
Plan employees work in vehicle maintenance: Schedule work schemes for employees in vehicle maintenance. Plan and assign work in order to make sure agreements and deadlines are met.
Supervise work: Direct and supervise the day-to-day activities of subordinate personnel.
Plan health and safety procedures: Set up procedures for maintaining and improving health and safety in the workplace.
Liaise with managers: Liaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.
Follow company standards: Lead and manage according to the organisation’s code of conduct.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of garage manager. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Automotive diagnostic equipment: The equipment used to examine automotive systems and components.
Types of vehicle engines: Types of car engines in road and racing cars, inclusing those with emerging technologies like Hybrids and electric motors, and how they work.
Employment law: The law which mediates the relationship between employees and employers. It concerns employees’ rights at work which are binding by the work contract.
Engine components: Know the different engine components, and their operation and maintenance. Understand when repairs and replacement should be undertaken.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of garage manager. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Carry out inventory planning: Determine the optimal quantities and timings of inventory in order to align it with sales and production capacity.
Automotive engineering: The discipline of engineering that combines mechanical, electrical, electronic, software and safety engineering to design motor vehicles such as trucks, vans and automobiles.
Quote prices: Refer to prices for the client by researching and estimating fare rates.
Carry out repair of vehicles: Provide repair for vehicles and routine level checks, such as engine tune-ups, oil changes, tire rotation and changes, wheel balancing, replacing filters, repair engine failures; repair mechanical and electrical systems malfunctions; replace parts and components; repair body damage.
Monitor equipment: Monitoring equipment implies watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Monitor daily work: Planning the day’s work and assigns tasks equally to the workers and employees at harvest accordance with the plans drawn up by his superior, explains the work to do, advises workers on their work to guide them. Monitors the progress of activities and resolve issues, if any. Prepares equipment and ensures the availability and proper functioning of the tools.
Carry out repair of motorcycles: Carry out repairs and routine maintenance checks for motorcycles such as engine tune-ups, oil changes, tire rotation, tire changes, engine failures and mechanical system malfunctions. Replace parts and components.
Implement sales strategies: Carry out the plan to gain competitive advantage on the market by positioning the company’s brand or product and by targeting the right audience to sell this brand or product to.
Achieve sales targets: Reach set sales goals, measured in revenue or sold units. Reach the target within a specific timeframe, prioritise sold products and services accordingly and plan in advance.

1439 – Services managers not elsewhere classified

 

 

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References

1. Garage manager – ESCO