22 Customer Relations & Sales Practice Questions & Answers

1. 1. You are on the telephone checking availability for a caller when a walk-in customer steps up to the counter. What should you do?

   • A.Keep working on the call and greet the walk-in only after you have hung up.
   • B.Point the walk-in toward the aisle and leave the counter to go pull the stock.
   • C.Put the telephone customer on hold at once and turn to the walk-in customer instead.
   • D.Acknowledge the walk-in with eye contact and a word, then finish with the phone customer.✓ Answer

   Counter practice is that every customer is acknowledged within seconds and no customer already being served is abandoned. Eye contact and "I'll be right with you" satisfies the walk-in, while the caller keeps the help already in progress.

   Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — acknowledging customers and balancing telephone, e-commerce and in-store trafficReport a problem with this question

2. 2. A call comes in to the parts counter. Which way of answering it is correct?

   • A.Give the store name, the department and your name, and then offer to help.✓ Answer
   • B.Answer with the single word "Parts" and wait for the caller to state a request.
   • C.Say "please hold" first and come back to the caller when the counter clears.
   • D.Give only your first name so that the call stays short and stays informal.

   Naming the store, the department and yourself tells the caller he reached the right place and who is accountable for the answer, and it opens the call with an offer of help instead of making the caller start the conversation cold.

   Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — telephone communication etiquette and phone sales skillsReport a problem with this question

3. 3. Parts specialist A says a caller should be asked for permission before being placed on hold and thanked for waiting when you return to the line. Parts specialist B says that when a lookup will take a long time, it is better to take the caller's name and number and call back with a confirmed answer. Who is right?

   • A.Neither A nor B
   • B.A only
   • C.Both A and B✓ Answer
   • D.B only

   Both statements are standard telephone technique. A caller placed on hold without being asked is stranded and may hang up, and a call-back with a verified answer is always better than a guess or a long silence on the line.

   Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — telephone communication etiquette, holding and returning callsReport a problem with this question

4. 4. A wholesale account telephones in an order for several parts. Before ending the call, the parts specialist should:

   • A.Enter the ticket and skip the read-back so the caller's time is not wasted.
   • B.Read back the parts, quantities, price and delivery method, and confirm the application.✓ Answer
   • C.Send the order out with the driver and confirm the details at the delivery.
   • D.Read back only the quantities, since the account already knows the parts ordered.

   Reading the ticket back catches a transposed number, a wrong quantity or a wrong application while the order can still be fixed on the phone; a comeback or a wrong delivery costs the account far more time than the read-back does.

   Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — confirming the order and the application with the customerReport a problem with this question

5. 5. A customer asks for a water pump for his car. While you gather information he mentions that the engine has never overheated, but that a belt squeals when the engine is cold. What should the parts specialist do next?

   • A.Ask more questions about the complaint before selecting and quoting any parts.✓ Answer
   • B.Tell the customer he is wrong and sell him a belt and a tensioner instead.
   • C.Decline to look anything up and send the customer straight to a repair shop.
   • D.Write the ticket for the water pump, because the customer already named the part.

   The counter's job is to sell the part the vehicle actually needs, not simply the part that was named. Further open questions gather facts without contradicting the customer, and the ticket is written only after the application is confirmed.

   Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — identifying customer needs and obtaining pertinent product application informationReport a problem with this question

6. 6. Before quoting price and availability on a set of front brake pads, the parts specialist needs:

   • A.Year, make, model, engine and the options that split the listing for that part.✓ Answer
   • B.The customer's name, telephone number and the mileage now on the vehicle.
   • C.Year, make and model only, since pads seldom change within one model line.
   • D.The old pads in hand, because the catalog cannot be trusted on brake parts.

   Brake listings commonly split by engine, trim, brake size or other factory options, and the engine is confirmed from the vehicle identification number. Quoting before the application is pinned down is what produces wrong parts and comebacks.

   Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — obtaining pertinent product application information before quotingReport a problem with this question

7. 7. One customer arrives in work-stained clothing and another in office clothing; both ask for a fuel pump. How should the parts specialist decide how much installation detail each one needs?

   • A.Offer installation detail only after a customer asks a direct question about it.
   • B.Give both of them the same full installation lecture so that no one is shortchanged.
   • C.Assume the one in work clothing is a professional and skip the details for him.
   • D.Ask each customer about the job and about who is going to do the work.✓ Answer

   Skill level is established by asking about the job, never inferred from clothing, age or gender. What the customer knows changes what you sell with the part — tools, cautions, companion items — but never whether you help.

   Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — identifying customer needs and skill levelReport a problem with this question

8. 8. A do-it-yourself customer and a shop account both ask, "what else do I need with this water pump?" Why is the answer different for each of them?

   • A.The shop account gets a longer answer; shops simply buy in much larger quantities.
   • B.The shop wants stock, price and core facts; the do-it-yourselfer also needs cautions.✓ Answer
   • C.The shop account is sold premium parts; the retail customer is sold economy parts.
   • D.The shop account is entitled to related items; the retail customer must ask first.

   Both customers get the companion items the job requires, but the professional installer is buying logistics — availability, price, core status and delivery — while the do-it-yourself customer also needs the tools, torque and fluid cautions that keep the job from coming back.

   Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — customer skill level and the importance of selling related itemsReport a problem with this question

9. 9. A premium water pump is described as having a double-lip seal. Which statement turns that feature into a benefit for the customer?

   • A.It is the pump that the supplier lists first in the electronic catalog.
   • B.It carries a higher counter price than the economy pump on the same shelf.
   • C.It keeps coolant off the bearing, so the pump is less likely to leak again.✓ Answer
   • D.It is built with a heavier casting than the economy pump in the same box size.

   A feature is what the part is or has; a benefit is what that feature does for this customer. Sealing the bearing away from coolant is the reason the customer has to care about the double lip.

   Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — identifying product features and benefitsReport a problem with this question

10. 10. A customer asks for "the cheapest brake pads you have" for a commuter car. What is the best way to handle the request?

    • A.Quote the three grades, explain what each trades away, and let him choose.✓ Answer
    • B.Quote the three prices and let the customer work out the difference himself.
    • C.Quote the premium pad only, because it is the safest pad on the shelf.
    • D.Quote the economy pad only, because that is exactly what the customer asked for.

    Good-better-best is presented by naming the trade-off of each grade in terms the customer can act on, and then letting him decide. Quoting one grade alone, or three bare prices, leaves the customer without the information to choose.

    Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — promoting premium and feature products and closing the saleReport a problem with this question

11. 11. A customer asks what a remanufactured alternator is. Which explanation is accurate?

    • A.A core taken apart, worn parts replaced, then reassembled and tested to specification.✓ Answer
    • B.A new unit built by an aftermarket supplier that never contained a used core.
    • C.A new unit built by the vehicle manufacturer and sold in its original box.
    • D.A used unit sold the way it came off a vehicle, after a bench test only.

    A remanufactured unit starts life as a returned core: it is disassembled, worn components are replaced, and the finished unit is reassembled and tested against a specification. That is what separates it from a used unit sold as it came off a vehicle.

    Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — explaining product lines (new, remanufactured, used) and core exchange to the customerReport a problem with this question

12. 12. A customer is buying front brake pads and rotors for a job he will do himself. Which companion items are appropriate to offer?

    • A.A set of wiper blades, floor mats and an air freshener for the same car.
    • B.The hardware or abutment kit, brake fluid and caliper slide lubricant.✓ Answer
    • C.Nothing further, because a customer offered extra items feels pressured to buy.
    • D.A battery, a set of spark plugs and an engine air filter for the same car.

    Companion selling means the parts the job genuinely consumes or requires — hardware, fluid and lubricant on a brake job — so the customer does not make a second trip. Unrelated merchandise added to a brake ticket is pressure, not service.

    Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — the importance of selling related itemsReport a problem with this question

13. 13. All of these actions support a professional business image at the parts counter EXCEPT:

    • A.Keeping the counter clean and organized while customers are waiting to be served.
    • B.Telling the customer that the shop which last worked on his car does poor work.✓ Answer
    • C.Referring an actual diagnosis to a qualified technician instead of guessing at one.
    • D.Saying you will verify the listing in the catalog before you answer the question.

    Running down another shop, a competitor or a manufacturer damages the counter's credibility and puts the customer in the middle of it. Verifying before answering, keeping the counter orderly and referring diagnosis to a technician all build trust instead.

    Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — presenting a knowledgeable and professional business imageReport a problem with this question

14. 14. A customer comes back to the counter angry because a part bought yesterday did not fit. What should the parts specialist do first?

    • A.Let the customer describe the whole problem without interrupting or defending.✓ Answer
    • B.Refund the purchase immediately so that the customer stops raising his voice.
    • C.Explain that the catalog listing is right and the mistake lies somewhere else.
    • D.Call the manager to the counter to take the conversation over from the start.

    Listening completely is what lowers the temperature and produces the facts needed to fix the problem; empathy, questions and a solution follow it. Refunding, defending the catalog or handing the customer off all skip the step that de-escalates.

    Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — handling customer complaints and addressing customer concernsReport a problem with this question

15. 15. A customer returns a failed fuel pump, and while you gather the facts it is clear the pump was damaged during installation. Store policy leaves this decision above your level. What should you do?

    • A.Tell the customer the damage is his own fault and that nothing can be done here.
    • B.Document the facts, say what you can do, and bring the manager into the decision.✓ Answer
    • C.Process a full refund at once so that the customer leaves without an argument.
    • D.Send the customer back to the installing shop and close the matter at the counter.

    Facts and paperwork come first, then you tell the customer what is within your authority, and the manager is brought in only for the part of the decision that exceeds it. Blaming the customer or promising what policy will not support both create a bigger problem.

    Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — handling returns, addressing customer concerns and escalating to managementReport a problem with this question

16. 16. A customer brings a starter back to the counter. Which situation is a WARRANTY return rather than a core return?

    • A.The old starter is turned in so the deposit charged on the exchange is credited.
    • B.The starter is unopened in its box and the customer decided not to do the job.
    • C.The starter bought some weeks ago quit working while still inside its coverage.✓ Answer
    • D.The customer was unhappy with the store's service and asks for an accommodation.

    A warranty return is a part that failed inside its coverage period; the failed unit is tagged and claimed against the supplier. A core return recovers a deposit, an unused stock return goes back on the shelf, and a satisfaction return is discretionary.

    Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — handling returns and distinguishing new, core, warranty, labor claim and customer satisfaction returnsReport a problem with this question

17. 17. A first-time customer asks why there is a core charge on a remanufactured alternator. Which explanation is correct?

    • A.It is a damage deposit, credited once the new unit has been proven to work.
    • B.It is a fee that covers the cost of recycling the old unit for its scrap metal.
    • C.It is a refundable deposit, credited when the rebuildable old unit comes back.✓ Answer
    • D.It is a handling charge the store keeps for processing the exchange paperwork.

    The core charge is a deposit that exists to bring the rebuildable old unit back to the remanufacturer as raw material, so it is credited when a complete, matching, rebuildable core is returned under the store's policy.

    Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — core returns and the purpose of a core depositReport a problem with this question

18. 18. A customer's part failed inside its warranty coverage and he asks whether the store will pay his shop's labor to replace it. Which statement is correct?

    • A.Labor is always covered whenever a part fails inside its warranty coverage.
    • B.Labor is covered only where the program provides it, at a set time and rate.✓ Answer
    • C.Labor is never covered by any parts warranty program under any circumstances.
    • D.Labor is covered whenever the customer produces the installing shop's invoice.

    A labor claim is separate from the parts warranty. Labor is reimbursed only where the warranty program provides for it, and then at a published labor time and rate, usually with a limit; a warranted part does not automatically carry labor.

    Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — labor claims distinguished from warranty returnsReport a problem with this question

19. 19. Which statement best describes a customer-satisfaction return?

    • A.An adjustment the manufacturer must fund whenever a customer files a complaint.
    • B.A replacement the customer is owed because the part failed inside its coverage.
    • C.A discretionary accommodation made under store policy, not a warranty entitlement.✓ Answer
    • D.A return of the rebuildable old unit so that the deposit can be credited back.

    A customer-satisfaction return is goodwill granted at the store's discretion under its own policy to keep a customer, and the store absorbs it. A warranty return, by contrast, is an entitlement tied to a failure inside the coverage.

    Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — customer satisfaction returns distinguished from warranty returnsReport a problem with this question

20. 20. Two alternators for the same engine look identical on the shelf, but the catalog splits them by a factory option. The customer insists they are the same unit. What should the parts specialist do?

    • A.Sell the unit the customer points to, because he knows his own vehicle best.
    • B.Compare the two units on the counter and sell whichever one looks closer.
    • C.Verify the application in the catalog and explain what the listing splits on.✓ Answer
    • D.Say the catalog is often wrong on these and sell the less expensive listing.

    Outward appearance does not establish interchangeability: output rating, pulley, mounting clocking or connector can differ between two listings for the same engine. The catalog application is the authority, and explaining the split informs the customer without talking down to him.

    Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — confirming the application and explaining catalog listings to the customerReport a problem with this question

21. 21. The part a customer needs is not in stock at the store. Which response is correct?

    • A.Offer to order it with an honest arrival estimate, or a disclosed equivalent.✓ Answer
    • B.Tell the customer we do not have it and suggest that he try another store.
    • C.Promise it for tomorrow to hold the sale and explain later if it slips.
    • D.Supply a different design without mentioning it, since the part will fit anyway.

    A sale is not over at "we don't have it": the counter offers a special order or an outside purchase with an arrival estimate it can keep, or a substitute whose differences are disclosed before the sale, and records the demand so stocking can be corrected.

    Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — providing information related to the sale, special orders and disclosed substitutionsReport a problem with this question

22. 22. A do-it-yourself customer buying front brake parts asks the parts specialist to tell him how to skip bleeding the brake system after the job. What is the best response?

    • A.Say that counter staff give no advice at all and let him work it out himself.
    • B.Explain the shortcut anyway, since the customer will do it that way regardless.
    • C.Refuse the sale outright and ask the customer to take his business elsewhere.
    • D.Decline the shortcut, explain briefly why it is unsafe, and suggest a shop.✓ Answer

    The counter does not help a customer defeat a safety-critical system. Declining courteously with a short reason, still selling the correct parts and pointing the job toward a qualified technician protects the customer and keeps the relationship intact.

    Source: ASE Official Parts Specialist Study Guide (P2), Customer Relations and Sales Skills content area — addressing customer concerns and referring work to a qualified technicianReport a problem with this question

Practice questions written to the ASE P2 Automobile Parts Specialist task list and standard parts-distribution practice. ASE is a mark of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence; this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by ASE. Part numbers, prices, warranty and return terms, and vehicle-specific applications are deliberately left out because they vary by supplier and change constantly — always confirm an application in your own current catalog and your employer's policies before selling a part. About the ASE P2 test →