The Parts Manager's Checklist for Running a Monthly Service Advisor One-On-One

A parts manager's monthly one-on-one with a service advisor should cover four core areas: parts availability metrics (fill rate, special-order turn-times), communication gaps that created backdoors or delays, advisor feedback on parts quality or supplier issues, and collaborative planning for the month ahead. Spend 30 minutes structured but conversational, using a written checklist to stay on track while letting the relationship breathe.

Why Parts Managers Need a Formal Monthly One-On-One Structure

Most dealerships don't do this. Service advisors and parts managers see each other every day, exchange quick questions over the counter, text about part numbers, and assume that covers it. Then six months pass and nobody knows why fill rates have drifted or why a tech is always asking for substitutions on certain jobs.

A structured monthly one-on-one fixes that blind spot. It forces a dedicated block of time—no interruptions, no "Hey, got a minute?" sidebar conversations—where both parties can step back and look at patterns instead of just firefighting the day.

For the parts manager, this meeting is also your chance to understand which advisors are handling parts friction differently, what's creating unnecessary RO delays, and where your supply chain is failing the front line. You'll hear things in a one-on-one that never come up in a team huddle.

Actually , scratch that. More importantly, this meeting is your chance to hear what the advisor is hearing from customers. A customer complaint about parts availability doesn't always reach the parts manager; it stays with the advisor. That's gold for your planning.

The Pre-Meeting Prep: Data You Should Gather

Don't walk into this conversation cold. Spend 15 minutes beforehand pulling three basic reports:

Parts fill rate for this advisor's ROs: How often did you deliver the parts the advisor needed on the first call? Aim for 90%+ on common items (oil, filters, fluids, pads, battery, wipers). Anything below 80% signals a problem.
Average wait time on special orders attributed to their jobs: If an advisor frequently orders transmission fluid or a rare part, how long does that customer wait? Is it 2 days or 14?
Substitutions or backorders on their ROs: How many times did you have to tell them "We're out, here's an alternative" or "Incoming Thursday"?

If your DMS and parts-tracking system integrate well, you can pull this in minutes. If not, even a rough manual count over the last month is better than guessing.

You should also jot down any supplier delays, quality issues, or parts shortages that affected their work. If a supplier had a two-week delay on a common item, that advisor felt it.

Core Checklist Section 1: Parts Availability & Fulfillment

Start here. This is the operational heartbeat.

What's your fill rate on routine jobs? Share the number. Ask where they felt the biggest pinch. Was it a specific part type (hoses, sensors, belts) or a vehicle make you tend to stock light?
Did we miss any turns on special orders? If you had to backorder something twice, talk about it. Was it a surprise part, or something you should have stocked more of?
Any suppliers letting us down? Ask directly. If they've noticed quality issues, late shipments, or parts arriving damaged, you need to know before it compounds. This is where the advisor becomes your extended eyes on the supply chain.
Are there parts you're always asking them to substitute? If they keep running into "we're out of the OEM brake pads, can you use this aftermarket equivalent instead," that's a signal to restock or adjust order timing.
What should we stock more of? Less of? They might notice you're overstocked on a slow-moving part or undershooting on something seasonal (winter fluid tops, summer cabin filters, etc.).

This section should take 10 minutes. The goal is to turn anecdotal frustration into actionable inventory decisions.

Core Checklist Section 2: Communication & Workflow Gaps

This is where you find the backdoors,the unofficial workarounds that are probably creating waste.

Are there times you can't reach me or the team? If an advisor is texting a technician directly to source a part instead of going through the parts counter, that's a gap worth fixing. Is your response time the problem? Are you unavailable at certain hours?
What's creating delays in the estimate-approval process? Sometimes an advisor can't move forward on a job because they're waiting for a parts quote or ETA. Are they waiting too long for you to call suppliers? Can you give them direct access to your supplier portal or a shared sheet with typical lead times?
Do advisors understand your ordering windows? If you order daily at 3 p.m. and someone calls at 3:15 p.m. thinking they'll get something overnight, that's a communication failure. Spell it out.
Is there friction with how we handle core returns or core charges? Some advisors might not understand why a starter core needs to be returned or how the holdback works. Clarity here prevents slow-down downstream.
Any parts you've told them to stop ordering because we're phasing them out? Make sure they know. If they keep requesting a part that's been discontinued, that's on you for not broadcasting the change.

These conversations feel small but they compound. An advisor who understands your ordering windows, your communication preferences, and your approval thresholds will run tighter jobs.

Core Checklist Section 3: Feedback on Advisor Performance & Pain Points

This is the two-way mirror. You're listening.

Are we making their job easier or harder? Ask openly. Some advisors won't volunteer complaints unless you create space for them. This might surface issues like: "I never know if a part is in stock until I call three times," or "I don't have a reliable way to check ETAs on special orders," or "I hate that I have to walk to the parts room to look something up."
What would help them sell more or move jobs faster? Maybe they'd benefit from a printable sheet of common part prices and lead times they can reference with customers. Maybe they'd move faster if you sent them a daily inventory update of what's low. Maybe they're losing sales because you can't give them a reliable ETA on a custom order.
Are there training gaps? Do they understand parts nomenclature well enough to order the right item on the first shot? Do they know which parts are typically stocked vs. special-order? If they're consistently ordering the wrong thing, that's a five-minute training moment right here.
How's the relationship with the technician team on parts? Sometimes an advisor feels caught between what the tech wants and what you have available. Ask how that's playing out.

The tone matters here. You're not interrogating. You're asking for help. An advisor who feels heard will bring you problems before they become crises.

Core Checklist Section 4: Looking Ahead – Planning for Next Month

Use the last five minutes to set expectations and align on upcoming challenges.

Are there seasonal parts changes coming? If you're moving from winter fluid stock to spring, or prepping for an upcoming recall, tell them now. They can set customer expectations if parts will be tight or lead times longer.
Any big supplier changes or new part numbers? If you're switching to a new battery brand or a parts supplier is discontinuing a line, the advisor needs to know before a customer gets blindsided.
Do you have specific improvement goals for next month? Maybe you're targeting a 95% fill rate (up from 88%). Maybe you're going to cut average special-order turn-time from 4 days to 2.5 days. Share the goal and ask them how to get there together.
Set a clear way to escalate problems faster. If something goes sideways mid-month, what's the protocol? Do they text you? Do they flag you at morning huddle? Do they log it in your DMS? Be specific.

This section isn't about creating bureaucracy. It's about making sure you and the advisor are rowing the same direction.

How to Actually Run the Meeting: Tone and Timing

Block 30 minutes. Not 45. Thirty. Respect their time. They've got calls to take and ROs to move.

Sit down. Put the phone away. Open your checklist,on paper or screen, doesn't matter,and follow it loosely. It's a guide, not a script. If they want to spend ten minutes on a supplier problem that's eating their day, spend the ten minutes. Skip something else if you need to.

Start with data ("Your fill rate was 87% last month, which is solid but I know you felt the pinch on Tuesday"). This anchors the conversation in reality, not opinion.

Listen more than you talk. You're here to gather information and problem-solve together, not to defend your processes or lecture about expectations.

If they bring up a real problem,say, a supplier's shipping times have gotten unreliable,don't promise to fix it by next week. Promise to look into it and report back. Then actually do it.

End with something concrete. "Next month, I'm going to test ordering this part from a second supplier to improve our fill rate," or "I'm going to send you a weekly inventory snapshot so you know what's low before you get a call." Give them something to look for when you meet again.

The Written Checklist Template

Here's a simple one-pager you can print or keep in your notes:

Advisor Name: __________ Date: __________
Fill Rate (Last Month): _____% | Special-Order Average Turn Time: _____ days
Biggest Fulfillment Gaps: (List 2-3 parts or categories)
Supplier Issues to Discuss:
Communication/Workflow Gaps Identified:
Advisor Feedback on Processes:
Training Needs or Skill Gaps:
Next Month's Focus (1-3 Goals):
Action Items (Parts Manager):
Action Items (Advisor):
Follow-Up Date: __________

Keep the notes. File them by advisor. If you're noticing a pattern across multiple advisors,say, everyone's frustrated with a certain supplier,that's your signal to escalate or make a change.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in These Meetings

Don't use the one-on-one to surprise someone with bad news. If an advisor's fill rate is tanking, you should have already flagged it in a quick conversation, not ambushed them in a monthly review. The one-on-one is for depth, not discipline.

Don't make it one-directional. If you're only asking questions and the advisor's mostly nodding, you've failed to create psychological safety. They don't feel like a partner yet.

Don't let operational issues sit unresolved. If they mention a supplier problem in month one and it's still there in month three, you've lost credibility. Either fix it or explain honestly why you can't.

Don't skip the data prep. Walking in with your gut feeling instead of actual numbers makes you sound unreliable. The advisor will tune out.

Don't make the meeting longer than 30 minutes unless something urgent genuinely needs more airtime. Respect the boundary. Short, frequent, focused beats long and rambling every time.

Scaling This Across Multiple Advisors

If you have three or four service advisors, schedule these back-to-back on the same day,say, every fourth Monday morning. One at 8 a.m., one at 8:35, one at 9:10, one at 9:45. You'll be in rhythm and it'll feel routine.

If you have more advisors, or if your service manager is running them, make sure there's consistency in the checklist format and topics. You want to spot patterns across the team, not get lost in individual conversations.

Document which advisors are strong problem-solvers (the ones who flag issues early) and which ones are reactive. Over time, you can trust the proactive ones more with real-time decisions, and you can coach the reactive ones toward a more preventive mindset.

This kind of structured feedback loop is the foundation of the kind of workflow Dealer1 Solutions was built to support,where parts, service, and sales data flow together so nothing falls through the cracks and patterns surface fast enough to act on them.

What Success Looks Like After Three Months

You should see:

Fill rates trending up (from 87% to 91%, for example).
Fewer unplanned substitutions because advisors and you are aligned on stocking strategy.
Faster RO turn-times because communication gaps have closed and advisors know how to escalate without friction.
Advisors voluntarily bringing you problems earlier instead of letting them compound.
A clearer picture of which suppliers are reliable and which ones need replacement or secondary sourcing.

The real win is that advisors stop feeling like they're working around your parts operation and start feeling like they're partnering with it.

Frequently asked questions

How often should a parts manager meet one-on-one with each service advisor?

Monthly is the standard cadence that balances depth with operational reality. Monthly meetings are frequent enough to catch problems before they compound but infrequent enough that they don't feel like micromanagement. Some high-performing stores do bi-weekly check-ins with their top advisors during busy seasons, but monthly is the baseline to maintain.

What if a parts manager doesn't have time for monthly one-on-ones?

You don't have time not to do them. These 30-minute conversations prevent days of downstream firefighting,backorders, miscommunications, frustrated customers. If you're too busy to meet with advisors, you're probably buried in reactive problems that structured communication would have prevented. Treat the monthly one-on-one like you treat a parts order: non-negotiable and scheduled in advance.

Should the service manager attend these parts-advisor one-on-ones?

Not typically. This meeting is between the parts manager and the advisor. It's a direct relationship about operational logistics. The service manager doesn't need to be in the room. That said, the service manager should see a summary of any action items that affect workflow, timelines, or staffing decisions. Keep the full conversation bilateral, but share outcomes upward.

What should a parts manager do if an advisor reveals a communication or training gap?

Address it in the moment, not later. If they don't understand your ordering windows or how to check part availability, spend ten minutes clarifying right then. Take notes on recurring gaps you see across multiple advisors,those are training issues for a group huddle or lunch-and-learn. Don't let someone walk out of the meeting still confused about a basic process.

How should a parts manager handle disagreement during a one-on-one (e.g., advisor says you're overstocked on a part)?

Listen first, then explain your reasoning. If they say you're holding too much of a slow-moving part, ask why they think that and what you should stock instead. You might have data they don't (seasonal trends, a recall coming, an upcoming promotion), so share it. Don't dismiss their input just because you see a different picture. If they're right, adjust. If you disagree, explain clearly why you're keeping inventory where it is. Respect flows both ways.

What's the best way to document these meetings for future reference?

Use the simple checklist template provided in this post. File notes by advisor name and month. Over time, you'll see trends in what each advisor struggles with, which suppliers are problematic, and where your stocking strategy is working or failing. These notes also become helpful if an advisor leaves and you're training a replacement,you'll have a record of common questions and gaps.