careers in the garage door industry

1. You’ll earn a comfortable salary and receive excellent benefits. Many employer compensation packages typically include the following:
2. Job stability. The need for garage door techs is kind of like the need for electricians and plumbers, everyone everywhere will always need them. Being a door tech offers you a certain level of job security: an accomplished tech can always find employment, and this hands-on job can't be outsourced!
3. No college degree needed, no student debt. The traditional career path is to attend college for four or more years and then try to find employment. This path may or may not help you get a better job. Choosing a trade like garage door tech means you learn on the job while getting paid! Many door dealers offer an opportunity to earn advanced certifications through the Institute of Door Dealer Education and Accreditation (IDEA).
4. Advancement opportunities. In the garage door industry, you can choose to work your way all the way up to the master tech level if you have the ambition to do so. Master garage door techs make a higher salary, have more job flexibility, and have better opportunities than many other skilled trade professions. With experience, additional training, and completion of IDEA's certification programs, you can progress to become a master technician in a variety of disciplines.
5. Job variety. Being a garage door tech doesn't necessarily mean you're repairing broken doors all day long. Techs work in all kinds of settings including residential, commercial, and industrial. That's the thing about this job, it's never the same day after day.
6. You'll learn specialized skills that earn respect. People respect garage door techs because they have specialized knowledge and a specific skillset most people don't possess. Garage door work requires both strong physical labor and intelligent problem solving requiring a variety of skills including carpentry, electrical and mechanical.
7. Full-time employment. Garage door techs typically work a 40-hour work week with occasional overtime depending on the workload of the employer. Due to the nature of the work, techs are often asked to respond to emergency repair requests after hours. At most door dealerships you will rarely work less than a full week, plus some!
8. Job satisfaction. Garage door techs provide access and security. Without good properly working garage door systems, homeowners and businesses are unable to gain access or be secure in their homes or facilities. Keeping their doors in good working order provides security, convenience, and free-flowing access. Techs have a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that their skills help provide this critical aspect of daily life. Riding by a garage door and being able to say I installed that one makes you proud.
9. Social interaction. As a garage door tech, you won't be stuck in an office or factory all day. This freedom allows you to be out and about, meeting and interacting with new people most days. Techs are often the face of the company and are therefore the company's ambassador in the field.
10. Part of the family. Garage door dealers have always been team and family-oriented businesses. Most of the time employees and management work together in an environment that feels more like a family. The best techs in the industry care about what they do for a living, represent the company they work for in a professional manner, and strive to provide excellent service to the customers they serve.

A sales career in the garage door business offers the opportunity for financial success and provides a sense of accomplishment and pride with each new sale.

1. Transferable skills, creating a challenging career - the skills developed in a sales career are abundant and provide a desirable career path for many professionals. Unlike many other careers, you will not feel pigeonholed in one product or service; once you have the skills to sell successfully you can transfer your skills and move between the full offering of residential and commercial products, providing new challenges and the opportunity to move your career in a forward direction.
2. Great earning potential -  Of course, compensation plans will differ with each employer and by region but in general, the average pay for this position is very attractive. The pay structure will vary at each company but will generally involve a base salary plus commission, bonus, and additional benefits. The best part of this profession is your ability to control your income through performance. Basically, the more sales success you achieve, the more money you make. As opposed to a job where you earn a fixed hourly rate or salary, depending on a raise to move up financially.
3. Freedom - a day in sales is what you make of it and there is little time for clock-watching and a nine-to-five mentality. A job in sales often provides freedom where you can generally structure your own day and manage your own time, whether you are in the office, showroom, or out on the road meeting with customers.
4. Social Interaction - a career in sales provides the opportunity to meet a variety of people including homeowners, general contractors, home builders, architects, industrial plant managers, and many others. It is almost a guarantee that each day you will talk to someone new, from a different walk of life, that will teach you something interesting you didn't already know. As a salesperson, you create for yourself a great career network that will help foster your career and often last a lifetime.
5. Continual learning - a career in sales means you never stop learning. From the vast networks of people, you will meet to the continual changes in the products and services that impact your job, you'll never have time to feel uninspired in the career you've chosen.
6. A typical day can involve researching new products, meeting with new customers, improving relationships with existing clients, or strategizing sales growth with other sales people or management. It's a profession with lots of variety that is seldom boring.
7. Satisfaction - there is a great deal of satisfaction that comes from successfully closing a sale. Satisfaction can come in a variety of ways from professional satisfaction, usually generated from financial rewards and the acknowledgment by your company's management of a job well done. Perhaps the greatest satisfaction is the feeling of self-confidence and pride. So, if you are considering a career in sales you can see there are many benefits that make it a successful and rewarding career.

So, you're thinking about working as a customer service rep (CSR) in the garage door industry, but you're not sure if it's the right move for you? We've put together a handy guide that will talk you through the benefits of working within this exciting area.

1. Interacting with the public - the main benefit of having a customer service job is that you can interact with members of the public day in, day out. If you are a sociable and outgoing person, then this should be a major draw for you. As a CSR you will work with all types of customers and members of your own team. Customers in the door business include homeowners, builders, contractors, building managers and industrial clients. All need the same thing from you...your help with keeping their garage doors operational and secure. You are often the primary point of contact of the company which allows you the unique ability to build lasting relationships.
2. The ability to help people - the main purpose of your role as a CSR will be to help people resolve their issues. It can be a homeowner who can't get their car out of the garage. Or a fire department that depends on their bay doors working to respond to alarms. Often it is just explaining how to solve simple DIY problems. In this business the CSR handles problems, schedules service appointments and works with other people in their organization to meet the customer's needs. For most of us, helping others results in feeling good about ourselves and the job we are doing. The pace is often hectic but and results in a massive boost in helps the day really whizz by.
3. Team Spirit - you may think that sitting with a headset on, talking to customers on the phone for most of the day would prohibit a lively and vibrant atmosphere. With most customer service jobs in the garage door industry, the opposite is true. There is a healthy amount of camaraderie present among staff. While you deal with each customer individually, you will only be able to help solve their problem through plenty of collaboration with colleagues to reach a decent resolution. These include team members such as technicians, sales people, accounting staff and management.
4. Transferable Skills - a customer service position will provide you with many transferable skills that you'll be able to use in other roles in the garage door business such as sales, finance and management. From dealing with the public to managing workload, from liaising with other departments to using your initiative, nearly all the experience you gain in a customer service job will benefit you in your next career move.
5. Excellent pay and benefits - as a CSR in the garage door business, you are in the unique position to represent the face of the employer to the customer. Most successful door dealers put a premium on these skills and therefore the CSR’s base pay is somewhat higher than other similar industries. 
6. Promotion Possibilities - no job can be truly enjoyable unless it offers you a decent chance to progress through the ranks, and most CSR jobs are structured in such a way that advancement is more than possible for the right candidate. Possible promotions could be to dispatcher, operations manager, inside or outside sales and beyond. As a CSR you will be well grounded with the basic skills needed to perform at a higher level if you apply yourself.

Don't hesitate to explore this exciting career opportunity in the garage door industry. Operations Managers are typically found in midsize to large door dealerships due to the amount of management responsibilities that come with the position. They fill a key role in the management of the business and often supervise more people than any other management position. They are typically in charge of overall field operations, warehouse activities, fleet and equipment management, safety and the overall customer service function. Direct reports often include dispatchers, customer service reps, field techs and warehouse personnel.

1. Compensation is typically commensurate with experience plus fringe benefits and often an annual incentive bonus. Of course, the pay range varies with each employer and region and is heavily dependent on industry experience.
2. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Manages supervisors who oversee the day-to-day operational and tactical aspects of installing and servicing garage door products, emergency repairs, and service agreements for both residential and commercial projects.
• Implements quality assurance programs/procedures to ensure customer satisfaction and to strengthen customer relationships.
• Fosters a culture that ensures excellent customer service by confronting issues openly and quickly and resolving customer complaints/dissatisfaction.
• Manages dispatchers, customer service reps, field technicians and other operations personnel. The Operations Manager assesses training for team members and is responsible for their continued training to further their careers in the garage door business.
• Challenges others to develop as leaders while clarifying roles and responsibilities and participates in all programs relating to performance evaluations and career development planning.
• Manages department resources to achieve revenue and profitability goals set for the operations department and addresses elevated budgetary issues when they arise.

The role of a dispatcher in the garage door business could be considered the "quarterback" in project management. The dispatcher usually controls the field schedule and keeps things running smoothly to maximize production. Their responsibilities include communicating with customers, installation and service techs, scheduling service and installation appointments, interfacing with sales people, and communicating with customers.

1. Essentials - Garage door dispatchers work with technicians who install, maintain, and repair systems involving commercial and residential door systems and related products. A high school diploma is required to become a dispatcher, and at the highest level, these individuals can pursue roles as managers or owners of garage door businesses.
2. Job Duties - a dispatcher organizes service calls and installation requests so that a technician is sent to a variety of locations in a timely manner. This professional must have in-depth knowledge of garage door systems in order to translate the needs of the customer to the technician and vice versa. However, the main duty of the dispatcher is to maintain the work schedules for field technicians and assure that all customer commitments are met. In addition, a dispatcher is responsible for providing logistical support to technicians and communicating with both fellow employees and customers. Dispatchers are ultimately responsible for informing customers of the progress of service operations while ensuring that technicians operate in a cost-effective fashion. In order to do this, a dispatcher must be able to match each available technician to a job based on that technician's skill level and location.
3. Compensation for dispatchers tends to be higher in the garage door industry, especially if the employee has lots of valuable specific industry experience.
4. Skills Needed - the ability to read fieldwork orders is essential for dispatchers, as is the ability to use basic computer software in order to schedule jobs and employees efficiently. Many door dealers install software that is specifically designed for scheduling, though these programs vary slightly by distributor, some experience with this type of software is often essential for employment and promotion. In addition, a dispatcher must be able to make judgment calls regarding the best plan of action for a particular job. They must also oversee its implementation from beginning to end, and a background in business studies may be beneficial. Good communication skills and knowledge of garage door work and terminology are crucial for a dispatcher. They must be able to serve as a liaison between customers and techs, sales staff, finance, and company management. A high school diploma and on-the-job training are typical prerequisites for this position.
5. Job Satisfaction - really good dispatchers, like customer service reps, derive much of their job satisfaction through knowing that they have a huge influence over completed field installation projects, responding to emergency service requests and in general getting the job done. They are particularly proud of solving problems, both internal and external, which ultimately allows the company to offer superior customer service. Of course, knowing that typical compensation packages are comprised of good pay and an array of basic fringe benefits always helps. Finally, knowing that there is a good career path to management and beyond allows great dispatchers to strive for the highest level of performance.

There are several positions required in garage door businesses for people with accounting skills.

1. Accounting Clerk - works with preparing a variety of transactions involving accounts receivable, billing, accounts payable, payroll, inventory management and job costing. May also assist with HR duties. 
2. Payroll Manager - prepares all transactions related to employee compensation for all hourly, salaried, and commission-based personnel. This position typically requires a variety of computer skills and often interfaces with outside payroll services. The payroll manager usually reports to the controller, finance manager or owner. 
3. Credit Manager - is responsible for collections of accounts receivable to maintain the company's required cash flow. Compensation ranges are similar to those of an accounting clerk and vary based on the company's size.
4. Controller - oversees all aspects of the company's financial functions. The primary job of a controller is to safeguard the company's assets and act in concert with other management personnel to grow profits and maintain liquidity. The controller is nearly always part of a management team and takes part in all strategic and operational management decisions. Annual compensation varies based on education level and experience. An accounting degree and/or CPA designation is preferred but not always required.