According to David Lehman, it takes someone with a passion for all things automobile to succeed in this role. With a decade of Technical Assistance Center (TAC) experience on top of his extensive automotive knowledge, David illustrates a day in the life of a TAC Consultant.
Behind the door of our Morley shop, the TAC team is hard at work examining customer vehicles, learning the ins-and-outs of their assembly and repair, and responding to dealership service personnel across the nation on requests for help diagnosing and fixing their most challenging cases.
“I grab a nice cup of coffee, then log on to my computer,” he says. “I check to see if there were any cases that came through overnight, any follow-ups for other chassis or medium-duty team members, or current cases that need responded to through the TAC DCM portal. If there are any, I respond to each case accordingly.”
Like other call center areas within Morley, TAC has specific sub-groups that specialize in various aspects of a modern vehicle, and it’s these knowledge bases that pool together to provide solutions for a TAC Consultant to pass along to clients and their customers.
One notable department of TAC is the growing Infotainment area, completely dedicated to troubleshooting smart consoles and sophisticated electronics in your vehicle’s dashboard.
The automotive world is a dynamic one, though, and changes in information can come at any time. That’s another aspect of the job where David must constantly remain vigilant.
“I also check my work emails for any updates or changes in information, such as recalls, service bulletins or new information that would be useful knowledge for the techs I speak with at the dealerships so they have the latest and accurate information,” he says.
Did you know that recruiters seeking TAC Consultants look almost exclusively for those with prior auto shop experience? It makes sense. In order to process and administer expert knowledge to a dealership, why wouldn’t we seek experts from the garage?
But according to David, extensive auto repair knowledge is not the only vital requirement to succeed.
“[You also need] general computer skills, the ability to work with others, help others and learn new things. You also need to care for others and show compassion to those having a difficult time. This means being on time, having good listening/communication skills, and a willingness to learn and adapt to constant changes in procedures and technology.”
Much like an automobile, a TAC Consultant doesn’t stop improving just because they’re “on the road,” so to speak. They’re often the first to know of – or the first to find – fixes for new repair concerns. David advises that something a prospective TAC candidate may not know is that the ongoing training and knowledge a TAC Consultant sees and learns daily helps provide world-class repair direction to technicians in the field.
“After a while, you see how much better of a person you become helping others with the repair skills that you learn, constantly sharpening your own personal skills by teaching others and sharing your knowledge,” David says.
“The teamwork that takes place to ensure good information is provided to techs and the quick repairs to the customer vehicle results in a happy customer, higher fix-it-right-first-times and high customer satisfaction with our vehicles.”
It’s this level of empathy for dealership service departments, auto technicians and drivers alike that results in rapid corrective action when something feels amiss in the knowledge base.
“I have done two ‘Speak Up for Safety’ [alerts], which resulted in safety recalls,” David explains. Recently, after bringing a concern to our client's attention, it was quickly corrected and new procedures were put into place. They thanked me and were very happy that I identified the concern and brought it to their attention, as it was an issue that affected several vehicle lines.”
Worst-case scenario with issues such as these, it could mean widespread vehicle failure, accidents and even death. But associates like David mean these potential problems can be eliminated before they happen.
David’s fully aware and likens his impact on the customer to a domino effect.
“I provide a wealth of auto repair knowledge to techs in the field, which results in quicker repairs and a happy customer,” he says. “I speak up for safety concerns, identify and correct information in Service Information, which creates quick and accurate auto repairs. This accurate information saves our client thousands of dollars in repurchases and misdiagnosis, which keeps customers safe and happy with the products and services provided.”
This level of professional satisfaction never stops for David, either.
“To me, every day is a success. Every interaction is a success. I give 150% every day and receive feedback from my peers, co-workers and technicians in the field all the time thanking me for helping them. I build trust with dealers, techs, customers and co-workers, and they know they can count on me.”
