There is an increasing level of demand from the fleet sector for experienced dealer service advisors, says Jobco-op automotive.

The technical expertise and customer service skills that they hold make them ideal to fulfil both traditional fleet management roles and leasing company maintenance controller positions.

Director Derek Webb said: “It has not been unknown for service advisors to make this switch in the past but we have seen a definite growth in the last few months.

“It appears that there is a shortage within the fleet industry when it comes to people with detailed technical knowledge about vehicles, and service advisors can fulfil this need.

“Also, because they are used to dealing with the public, they have very good customer service skills, making them ideal for dealing with leasing company customers or internal fleet customers.

“Finally, working on a service desk makes you a very good, dynamic problem solver and this skill is essential in many fleet roles."

Derek said that in order to take on more senior fleet management roles, service advisors needed training in areas such as duty of care and company car taxation.

He said: “Clearly, there are parts of the fleet manager role where service advisors need additional skills. However, it appears to be relatively easy to add these skills to their technical knowledge.”

Jobco-op automotive was launched in 2012 as an alternative to traditional motor industry recruitment, basing its business around an advanced e-commerce platform to minimise costs and increase the effectiveness of the recruitment process. The five directors involved in the company have extensive experience of all parts of the motor industry – including the dealer, fleet and rental sectors.