Chris Collins Inc. · The resource library
Service Advisor Training Resources
Better questions. Clearer communication. A stronger Service Drive.
Chris Collins Inc. provides free service advisor training resources: service advisor articles and Service Drive Revolution podcast videos, plus member access to SDR Academy’s 700+ on-demand training videos. Explore resources on CSI, repair orders (ROs), multi-point inspections (MPI), effective labor rate (ELR), and Service Department performance. Building a team? See our service advisor training for dealerships.
On-demand training videos
inside SDR Academy
Service Drive Revolution
podcast episodes
Watch & learn · Service Drive Revolution
Service advisor training.
Press play.
Explore service advisor conversations from the 400-episode Service Drive Revolution podcast with Chris Collins.
Start with these featured videos on onboarding, professionalism, and advisor development. Each thumbnail opens the original video on our YouTube channel.
SDR #325 · Advisor onboarding
Chris and Christian discuss training timelines, feedback, and the risks of rushing new advisors into the role.
Service Drive Revolution · Professionalism
Explore the difference between an amateur and a professional in the service advisor role.
Service Drive Revolution · Advisor development
A conversation about the skills behind a service advisor’s professional growth and earning potential.
The 400 episodes span the full podcast, including service advisor development, Service Department management, leadership, and Automotive Fixed Ops.
Find your starting point
One question can change your day.
I need an answer.
Read free articles on customer conversations, repair orders, inspection presentations, follow-up, and advisor performance.
I want to learn.
Watch Service Drive Revolution for discussions about the challenges advisors, managers, and Automotive Fixed Ops leaders face.
I’m building a team.
Explore SDR Academy for ongoing education, or review our Service Advisor Training approach for your dealership.
Read · Free articles
Service advisor answers.
Ready when you need them.
Use these starting points to explore common advisor challenges. Each guide links to the full article on Chris Collins Inc., with more resources available in our service advisor archive.
Start here · Role & responsibilities
What Does a Service Advisor Actually Do?
Understand how advisors connect the customer’s concerns with the technician’s work and keep the repair process moving.
Intake · Repair orders
Write Better Repair Orders.
Explore how focused questions and clear symptom documentation give technicians a more useful starting point.
Inspections · Recommendations
Explain the Inspection.
Help customers understand technician findings with plain language, visual evidence, and clear repair priorities.
Communication · Customer updates
Get Ahead of “Any Update?”
Build a proactive approach to customer communication, including updates when the repair plan or timing changes.
Practice · Advisor development
Make Practice Part of the Job.
See how live roleplay gives advisors a chance to rehearse conversations, receive feedback, and build confidence.
Follow-up · Customer retention
Keep the Conversation Going.
Explore how clear communication and thoughtful follow-up address the reasons customers stop returning.
Try this at your next team meeting.
Choose one article and one situation your advisors encounter. Discuss the lesson, rehearse the conversation, then agree on one behavior to practice. At your next meeting, review what happened and what needs adjustment.
SDR Academy · Member resource
On-demand training videos across advisor development, management, leadership, and Automotive Fixed Ops.
- Service Advisor TrainingCOMMUNICATION
- Service Manager UniversityMANAGEMENT
- Menu BuilderPROCESS
- Car Doctor ClinicEDUCATION
- Technician HiringTEAM BUILDING
- LeadershipACCOUNTABILITY
Go deeper · On-demand learning
Build a training habit
with SDR Academy.
SDR Academy brings the Chris Collins Inc. on-demand training library into your team’s learning routine.
The 700+ video collection includes service advisor education and broader Service Department training. It gives advisors and their managers a shared foundation for discussing customer experience, process, and performance.
- Develop your advisors: explore training focused on the customer journey and advisor performance.
- Develop their managers: connect advisor development with leadership and Service Department systems.
- Keep learning: revisit lessons and use available workbooks and PDFs to support team discussions.
SDR Live Academy combines the on-demand library with live learning and community access. Membership is required; visit the Academy page for current enrollment details.
The training overview
What does our Service Advisor Training cover?
Chris Collins Inc. develops advisors who build trust, guide the customer experience, and take responsibility for their performance.
Our Service Advisor Training page explains six core areas of development and why advisor performance must be considered alongside the systems in your Service Drive. It also introduces the Opportunity Analysis for dealership decision makers.
Looking for support across your Service Department? Explore Chris Collins Signature Coaching.
A common language
Terms you’ll hear in training.
Use these definitions as you explore the articles, podcast, and training library.
Customer Experience Timeline
Practice, Drill, Rehearse
Hours Per Repair Order
Effective Labor Rate
Customer Satisfaction Index
Net Promoter Score
A few useful answers
Service advisor resource FAQs.
Where should a new service advisor start?
Start with the advisor role guide, then explore customer intake, repair order documentation, inspection presentations, and proactive updates. Use the articles with a manager to discuss how each lesson applies to your Service Drive.
Which resources are free?
The public Chris Collins Inc. articles and Service Drive Revolution YouTube episodes are free to browse. SDR Academy’s on-demand training library is a member resource.
What is included in SDR Academy’s on-demand library?
The library contains 700+ training videos across service advisor development, Service Manager University, technician hiring, Menu Builder, leadership, and other Automotive Fixed Ops topics. Visit the SDR Academy page for current membership details.
Are all 400 podcast episodes about service advisors?
No. The 400 episodes span the full Service Drive Revolution podcast, including advisor development, Service Department management, leadership, and Automotive Fixed Ops. Use the service advisor YouTube search link to find relevant episodes and clips.
How can Service Managers use these resources with their teams?
Choose a relevant lesson, discuss it together, and rehearse a customer conversation. Agree on a behavior to practice, observe it in the Service Drive, and follow up with specific feedback.
Where can I learn about training for my dealership?
Visit our Service Advisor Training page to review the approach and request an Opportunity Analysis. For ongoing education, explore SDR Academy.
Resources from Chris Collins Inc. · Service Drive Revolution · SDR Academy
Put the learning to work
Ready to develop your advisors?
Explore how our training approach connects advisor skills, customer experience, and the systems inside your Service Drive.
Chris Collins Inc., provides fixed operations training, service department coaching and dealership performance systems across the United States & Canada. We take dealership owners, fixed ops directors, service managers, general managers and service advisors from REACTIVE to WEAPONIZED. We improve fixed absorption, RO count, effective labor rate (ELR), customer retention, technician productivity and service lane profitability. Our coaching programs include service advisor training, service manager coaching, BDC appointment process training, leadership development, profitability KPI coaching and onsite training designed to create stronger process accountability and measurable growth.
