Service Advisor Thurrock Van

SAGA Truck & Van is the leading Mercedes-Benz distributor in the United Kingdom, with a network of ten dealerships across Kent, Essex, Hertfordshire, and East England, employing over five hundred staff.

The SAGA Mercedes-Benz Story: The journey began in 1971 in western France, initially focused solely on commercial vehicles. Over the years, car and utility vehicle operations were added, and dealerships multiplied—first regionally until 2013, then nationally, before expanding internationally in 2019. In 2024, SAGA Mercedes-Benz expanded to England with the acquisition of 10 dealerships, previously owned by Sparshatt Truck and Van and Motus Truck & Van. Today, SAGA has an international presence (in France, Belgium, England, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Czech Republic) and represents 70% of the RCM group’s revenue.

This role is responsible for both delivering an excellent end-to-end customer experience. We are looking for a people-oriented individual who can build rapport with a wide range of customers and colleagues. A strong customer-first approach is essential, with the ability to identify and meet customer expectations at every stage. The ideal candidate must be versatile and able to adapt to changing situations, while maintaining consistent communication and professionalism.

Day-to-day responsibilities include receiving customers and their vehicles, taking full ownership of their service experience. The advisor must keep customers informed through every stage of the service journey—upon vehicle receipt, during diagnosis, once authorisation is required, and upon completion. Timely and accurate invoicing of retail jobs is essential prior to vehicle handover, ensuring payment or valid order numbers are in place.

Main duties & responsibilities:

• Act as the primary point of contact for customers throughout the vehicle service journey, taking full ownership of their experience

• Attend to customers and vehicles, accurately capturing service requirements and setting clear expectations

• Manage service bookings, re-bookings, and diary control to maximise workshop capacity in collaboration with the Workshop Controller

• Make pre-arrival confirmation calls and ensure vehicles are correctly planned into the workshop

• Pre-plan jobs by coordinating parts picking at least 48 hours prior to vehicle arrival

• Keep customers informed at all stages of the service process, including diagnosis, authorisation requirements, and completion updates

• Liaise closely with workshop staff, parts department and subcontractors on both planned and unplanned work

• Promote aftersales opportunities and obtain customer approval for additional work identified during the service process

• Ensure all service activity is accurately updated in internal systems (e.g. Truckfile), including workshop loading and job status

• Deliver service in line with dealer and manufacturer standards, policies, and customer experience expectations

• Support the wider service team in achieving daily and monthly WIP and sold-hours targets

Location: Thurrock

Hours of work: Monday to Friday on a two week shift pattern.

Week 1: 6.30am to 3.00pm

Week 2: 10.00am to 6.30pm

This equates to a 40 hour working week,

Saturday mornings on a rota basis, paid as over time.

Salary: £28,080 - £31,200 depending on experience.

Joining SAGA Truck and Van means:

• Representing “the star,” an international luxury car brand

• Promoting vehicles with the latest technologies

• Benefiting from career opportunities within a fast-growing group

• Joining a family-owned group with strong values and collaborating with passionate people

• Participating in regular internal events that promote team cohesion (seminars, incentives, parties…)

• Enjoying many other benefits:

  • Discretionary bonus scheme

  • 24 days Annual leave plus bank holidays

  • Simply Health

  • Staff referral scheme

  • Enhanced Maternity and Paternity Leave

  • Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

#SAGATruck&Van

Essential:

Excellent customer service skills, with the ability to build rapport, manage expectations and handle queries professionally.

Clear and confident communication skills, both verbal and written, with customers and internal stakeholders.

Highly organised with strong time-management skills, able to balance customer-facing duties with financial and administrative responsibilities

Attention to detail - accurate processing of repair orders, invoicing, and maintaining compliance with company policies and manufacturer standards.

IT proficiency in generic software for managing workflows and customer records.

Desirable

Service administration, customer service, costing or invoicing role experience within an automotive or workshop environment. Ability to manage work in progress (WIP), ensuring jobs progress efficiently from booking through to invoice closure

Problem-solving ability - proactively addressing customer concerns and resolving issues quickly and effectively. Confidence to challenge inaccuracies and suggest improvements.

Adaptability - flexibility to handle changing situations and varying customer requirements with ease.

Team collaboration - working effectively with the Service Manager, Workshop Controller, and colleagues to achieve targets and deliver quality service.

Experience monitoring labour efficiency and identifying time or cost discrepancies

Experience in using dealer management or workshop systems (e.g. Truckfile, Kerridge, Keyloop or similar)

Knowledge of manufacturer standards, warranty processes and compliance requirements