Shan Bell has grown accustomed to people underestimating her ability to tell what’s wrong with their vehicle when they drive into the service department at Benton Nissan in Hoover.
“It happens all the time,” she said.
Women are a minority in the auto service industry. But Bell, the service manager and owner loyalty manager at Benton Nissan, has been in the business now for 15 years and can diagnose a problem as well as the male technicians who do the repairs.
After talking to her for a few minutes, most customers pickup on it, she said.
“I think they understand my knowledge is right on par with any male they might speak to,” she said.
But it’s still unusual to find a female service manager. And Bell isn’t just any service manager. She was the top Nissan service manager in the Southeast for her dealership size when she worked for another Nissan dealer six years ago.
When she went to Las Vegas for the awards ceremony, they announced her name as “Shane Bell,” not realizing the winner was a woman.
At Benton Nissan, Bell oversees more than 30 people, including 17 technicians, six service advisors, three business development specialists, three detailers, a cashier, shuttle driver and rental car agent. She is responsible for customer complaints, service appointments and the pickup and delivery of vehicles to customers.
The service department handles about 1,500 vehicles per month, doing everything from oil changes, tire mounting, balancing and rotation and basic maintenance to rebuilding engines and transmissions.
“Anything you could ask to be done on a vehicle, we do it,” she said.
About 80% of the vehicles that come through are Nissans, but the service department at Benton Nissan will handle any make and model of vehicle and welcomes customers from allover.
“We have people drive from Cullman down here to get vehicles serviced with us,” Bell said.
The technicians are certified with the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence and always put customers first. They won’t do any work without being willing to show customers what the problem is and explain what repairs need to take place and the cost, Bell said.
They want all customers to feel comfortable, but especially women, who sometimes feel mechanics try to take advantage of them, she said.
“I want your grandmother to feel comfortable coming here,” Bell said. “I love helping people. I love taking care of people. That’s important to me. People’s safety is important to me. That’s my way of making a difference in this world.”
Bell, who has a child with a disability, also has a heart for the disabled. About two years ago, she won an award for Small Business Employer of the Year from the Alabama Governor’s Committee of Employment for People with Disabilities.
She currently has two people with disabilities working for her at Benton Nissan.
“It’s very important,” she said. “They just want to have a normal life. They want to be able to provide for their families.”
When Bell isn’t working, she likes to spend time with her husband, six children and six grandchildren camping at Little Bear Creek Lake in Russellville or taking care of her four Yorkies.
“They’re my babies.”
