Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/132138
A year after launch, the Remote Diagnostics platform continues to evolve. The team, from left, are Barry Morgan, Magnus Gustafson, Todd Gardner, Conal Deedy, Rich Glasmann and Evandro Silva. what they were used to, which was very reactive. Often, all they could do was call a dealer or a tow and try to get the truck in," says Barry Morgan, customer service manager. "Now, the table's turned. Instead of waiting on the customer to call us, we're contacting the customer. We let them know we've contacted a dealer, they have the parts, and we just need to schedule the truck. It's almost a 180 degree change." The system — the powertrain, Volvo Action Service, aftermarket repair and parts — doesn't work if all the pieces don't fit, and the Remote Diagnostics team made it happen. "It's the whole process, with the ASIST platform holding the process together," says Rich Glasmann, director, commercial telematics products, referring to Volvo's online case management tool. Silva, in the newly created post of Uptime Manager, is the bridge between the truck hardware and support software. Silva's job is to understand the nuts and bolts behind the fault codes and make sure the Uptime Center is communicating the correct repair instructions. Likewise, he takes the incoming data back to the manufacturing team to identify and correct potential design or quality issues. "The way I see it, coming from the powertrain side, the data is now better structured to be used effectively," Silva explains. "The powertrain is made up of systems: the engine, the transmission. A guy looking at one system may not have had access to some important data from another system. Now we're doing much a better job. We're connecting the right dots." "But it's weird for me to work somewhere that doesn't have a manufacturing floor," Silva adds with a laugh, referring to his relocation from Hagerstown, Md., where Volvo engines and transmissions are assembled, to the Volvo corporate campus in Greensboro, N.C. Indeed, a year after the rollout, most of the team has new titles and responsibilities, related to Volvo Remote Diagnostics. Glasmann was new to the company when the project started, and had never worked with the other team members. A couple of others were Volvo veterans with a dozen years or more with the company — yet they hadn't worked together either. It was crucial that they jump DRIVER 'S DIGEST #1/2013 DDQ113PG022-28_Inside Volvo.indd 27 27 5/20/13 9:09 AM