One of the most honest and necessary conversations at this year’s Vehicle Service & Warranty Lifecycle Summit came from Hyundai and Advantage Technical. Their joint session cut straight to a challenge almost every OEM and support center faces but rarely articulates:
Retaining top diagnostic talent.
The Hidden Cost of Losing Diagnostic Specialists
During Hyundai’s Preemptive Tech Support Strategy session, Jeff Ellis shared a reality many leaders quietly acknowledge: diagnostic tech support attracts some of the industry’s brightest problem-solvers — but it’s also a role where burnout builds silently.
In the early months, the work can be electrifying.
High volume.
Fast thinking.
Continuous learning.
Twenty, thirty, even forty diagnostic calls a day.
For someone wired for complexity and rapid problem-solving, it’s invigorating.
But over time, the very intensity that fuels growth can turn into something else entirely: monotony.
“In the beginning it’s fantastic — 20, 25, 30, even 40 calls a day.
But like anything, it becomes monotonous… and they leave.
And we need them.”
— Jeff Ellis, Senior Group Manager, Dealer Tech Support, Hyundai
And when diagnostic specialists leave, the impact ripples outward.
Dealers feel it first, customers feel it next, teams feel it most.The entire system absorbs the loss.
Why Hyundai and Advantage Technical Are Rewriting the Support Model
What makes Hyundai and Advantage Technical’s approach stand out is their refusal to treat attrition as an inevitability. Instead of accepting turnover as “part of the job,” they are choosing to rebuild the structure around the people who keep dealers operating with confidence.
Their proactive strategy includes:
Purposeful Training
Not just onboarding — but continuous development that keeps technical minds challenged rather than stuck.
Strengthening Dealer Confidence
Better support upstream means fewer disruptions downstream.
Dealers need to trust the people on the other end of the line.
That starts with stability.
Smarter Recruiting Pipelines
Finding the right personalities for diagnostic roles is half the battle.
Advantage Technical’s approach helps OEMs identify people who can thrive longer-term.
Real Career Pathing
Without a path forward, even the most motivated specialists eventually hit a ceiling.
Hyundai and Advantage Technical are building structures that create progression — not stagnation.
A Human-Centered Approach to Technical Support
The most compelling part of this conversation wasn’t the operational strategy — it was the honesty.
The acknowledgment that diagnostic work, while vital and intellectually demanding, can become repetitive. That people need growth, challenge, and purpose to stay engaged. And that retaining these individuals isn’t simply a staffing issue — it’s a dealer experience issue.
The leadership shown by Jeff Ellis and Laura Kelly, Vice President of Advantage Technical’s Vehicle Services Group, reflects the type of thinking the industry needs more of:
Honest about where people struggle.
Proactive about building systems that support them.
Committed to keeping talent challenged — not exhausted.
Their work reinforces a simple truth:
Supporting dealers starts with supporting the people who support them. And that shift in mindset is what will carry our industry forward.