ASE as a Competitive Differentiator
Key Highlights
- ASE-accredited training departments are rare in retail. Bridgestone's internal training department—with 18 dedicated technical trainers—is one of the few retail operations to achieve ASE accreditation, setting it apart from competitors who typically hire external training vendors.
- Bridgestone covers all certification costs and offers bonuses. The company pays for technician testing and registration fees for A1–A8, L1, and L3 certifications, plus awards bonuses for passing—and repeats the investment for renewal tests every 5 years.
- The ASE blue seal drives customer confidence. 70% of customers seeking a new repair facility base their decision on ASE certification status, making visible ASE branding—patches, signage, invoices, marketing—a critical trust-builder.
- ASE addresses customer anxiety about vehicle complexity. As vehicles become more technical, customers feel intimidated by repair decisions; the ASE blue seal is a recognizable symbol of credibility that reassures customers they can trust a technician's guidance.
As vehicles become more advanced, technical expertise alone isn't enough to earn trust. Because of this, auto repair shops are looking for new ways to establish strong relationships and loyalty with customers.
One of those ways is through ASE certification. Many repair shops have found that ASE certification and accreditation instill trust in customers and help them stand out amongst competitors.
In this Q&A, Brad Marshall—field support specialist (Technical Operations) at Bridgestone Retail Operations LLC and an ASE Board of Directors member—shares how Bridgestone's investment in ASE accreditation and ASE certification strengthens its workforce, distinguishes it from competitors, and reinforces customer confidence.
What is ASE Accreditation?
Brad Marshall: ASE accreditation is something that helps us stand out amongst our competitors. Within our virtual retail operations, we have our own learning department.
Within that department, we have a technical training site where we have 18 of our own internal trainers that only focus on our technicians. In addition to that, there are about 18 others whose focus is on customer sales and customer service.
What that means is that our training department went through a process of evaluation based on ASE standards. As a result, ASE has recognized that our technical training department meets ASE accreditation standards.
If you look at our competitors, none of them have an ASE-accredited training department. As a matter of fact, most of the companies out there that are ASE-accredited are actual training departments or actual training vendors that you would hire to come in and do technical training for you.
What does ASE accreditation do for you and your company?
Marshall: It makes a statement that we really care about the growth and development of our technicians. It shows that we want to give them every opportunity they have to be the best technician they can be.
We know if we get our technicians ASE certified, the knowledge they're gaining is going to be reflected in their work. Being ASE accredited and being able to make that statement is a standout thing that a lot of our competitors can't do.
What are ways to encourage ASE certification among your employees?
Marshall: Most companies out there are going to recognize ASE certifications, but our company takes it a step further.
We want our technicians to be ASE certified, but we also don't want them to carry out the financial burden of taking those tests. So, we've created an ASE program—in partnership with ASE—where we pay for our technicians' test and registration fees.
We cover ASE certifications A1–A8 and L1 and L3. These tests are what Bridgestone recognizes as part of our program. This helps us stand out from our competitors.
On top of that, when our teammates pass an ASE test, we give them a bonus for passing. ASE certifications are good for five years, so when those certifications come up for renewal, the SRO does the same thing.
We will pay for those teammates' tests and registration fees. If they pass that recertification test, we will once again give them a bonus for passing it. That right there helps us to stand out from our competitors in what we do with ASE and how we recognize the importance of ASE.
How do you use your ASE accreditation and certifications to instill trust in your customers?
Marshall: Customers really understand what the ASE logo is. In a customer survey that ASE released in 2023, they were able to determine that 70% of customers who are looking for a new repair facility will make that decision on whether the teams are ASE certified.
Because of this, we work with our ASE-certified technicians to make sure that they are wearing ASE patches on the job. The other thing we do is have signage at our stores that says we employ ASE-certified technicians.
We have ASE branding on our buildings, ASE branding in our marketing communications, and ASE branding on our invoices to point out to customers that they can trust us with their cars.
Why do you believe ASE certification remains one of the industry's strongest tools for establishing credibility with customers?
Marshall: This is a tough industry, especially when it comes to our customers. Vehicles are evolving, and there's so much technology in them; as a result, people don't know a lot about their vehicles.
People know they need to put gas in their car. They know that they need to change their oil, but when people take their car to get serviced, there's a lot of intimidation from a customer's standpoint.
They don't know if they're being lied to. They don't know if the things that the technician is telling them are trustworthy.
ASE is one thing that a lot of customers trust. They might not know exactly what ASE is, but when they see that blue seal hanging outside of a repair facility, most customers can relate to that.