RVDA’s Ingrassia: Focusing on RV Fixed Operations in 2024 – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following column by Phil Ingrassia, executive director of the RV Dealers Association (RVDA), was originally publushed in he January issue of RV Executive today. It is posted here with permission.
One of the things that I took away from the RVDA Convention/Expo in November was the increased focus on improving all aspects of fixed operations at RV dealerships.
Over the past year, dealers have invested millions of dollars in building new fixed operations facilities as well as upgrading existing service bays, parts departments, and customer service areas. These projects provide much-needed capacity to support the 4.4 million new RVs sold over the past decade.
For many dealers, the investment in fixed operations is extending to employee training. Well-trained parts and service management personnel and technicians help dealerships increase profits by improving efficiency and increasing customer loyalty.
Employees who are well-trained and feel confident in their abilities are likely to be happier, more productive, and less likely to job-hop. Fixed operations excellence also supports the sales department. As several speakers in the convention/expo’s digital marketing/ business development track mentioned, a great part of a dealer’s online reputation emanates from how well the dealership performs in the service and parts departments. A finely tuned fixed operations workforce will help to improve the image of the overall dealership and support increased sales.
RV Learning Center Resources
This issue is filled with information on industry resources available to get folks the training they need…and deserve.
The Mike Molino RV Learning Center offers a variety of fixed operations training programs, including parts manager and parts specialist online training designed to teach dealership personnel about parts inventory management, merchandising, and customer service.
The RV Learning Center’s Service Writer/Advisor online course is designed to teach dealership personnel about core principles of the service writing process, including insights on the repair order process and how to effectively communicate with customers.
To gauge the knowledge of new hires and existing personnel, the RV Learning Center is also providing free readiness tests through the RV Fixed Operations Today mobile app. Once gaps are identified, the online courses are an affordable way to get employees up to speed on the basics.
RV Technical Institute (RVTI) Technician Training
RVIA’s RVTI provides dealerships with several online and in person training programs for technicians covering all RV systems, including propane, electrical, plumbing, appliances, body, generator, and chassis. Now with Level 3 specialty training launched, technicians have access to advanced training in specific areas, such as RV air conditioning, refrigeration, and slide-outs. RVTI has done an excellent job of providing a mix of hands-on and accessible online training for techs and there’s more to come in 2024.
Improving Repair Event Cycle Time
All these programs fit into the larger industry initiative to reduce Repair Event Cycle Time (RECT). Service management that can identify customer needs and schedule repair efficiently, parts people that can navigate ordering and stocking components, and technicians that can diagnose and repair problems quickly is the goal.
It takes a lot of hard work from everyone up and down the industry supply chain, but with more training resources available, the industry is making excellence in fixed operations a top priority in 2024 and beyond.
Thanks for your support!
