An Auto-care Technician carries out a range of services and repairs to cars, car derived vans and light goods vehicles, working in an Auto-care or Fast-Fit Centre, which may be part of a national chain or operated by a regional/local independent group/owner. An Auto-care Technician requires a unique combination of technical, retail and customer service skills. They will use a range of tools, measuring and diagnostic equipment to identify & repair simple system faults.
The Auto-care Technician has to demonstrate expertise not only in the technical elements of their role and have a good grasp of the practical and theoretical aspects of the vehicle systems they service, but also needs to have excellent telephone, customer handling (including how to handle difficult customers and deal with customer disappointment) and effective sales skills, as well as strong problem solving and self-organisation skills. They must be able to work as part of a team but also operate independently, understand how their centre operates from a commercial perspective and how their actions contribute to business results, whilst maintaining a high standard of workmanship.
The technician will work on all the systems found within the vehicle. The day-to-day work ranges from replacing simple parts through to solving complex faults with the use of diagnostic methods and equipment. The tasks faced are constantly changing, driven by the introduction of ever more complex technologies and diagnostic techniques.
The growing complexity of todays vehicles, and the pressure to deliver a high-quality customer experience, requires the retail automotive sector to attract and train high calibre individuals and this is reflected in the elements of the Standard described below.