Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/821175
18 during a meeting of TMC's Service Provider study group — which Calhoun chaired — earlier this decade. Calhoun says the fl eet's request was TMC develop a recommended practice (RP) service pro- viders could use to better forward service event data to vehicle owners so the latter wouldn't be forced to call. A task force was formed to accept the challenge, and in the years since, Payne, co-chair and DP Solutions President Bruce Love and a large group of industry volunteers have worked to build a RP to help meet this customer need. Written as a blueprint for service and fl eet manage- ment systems to connect and transmit data, Love says the document is hopefully just months from approval. "We've had good collaboration from the industry, and I think when we're done we'll have a solid RP," he says. As a service event solutions provider, Decisiv participated in the development of the proposed RP and is eager to see it used, says Michael Riemer, vice president of Product and Channel Marketing. Riemer believes transparency issues in the service channel exist not because of a lack of information, but because of improper proliferation and organization of data that is already being produced. He says any effort by the industry through TMC or individually by software companies will improve the service com- munication experience for all involved. "If there is a level of transparency that exists throughout the channel, that eliminates a lot of the stress, headaches and frustrations that impact people," he says. Be adaptable Transparency isn't achieved by maintain- ing the status quo. As customer expecta- tions change, so must service provider habits and processes. Calhoun acknowledges it's hard. Updating customer intake processes requires project planning and develop- ment. Employee training. Performance monitoring and follow-up reporting. It's a daunting task. But attempting to maintain a cus- tomer base without evolution is nearly impossible. "We will always have to fi ght that battle — feeling way too busy to fi nd a more effective and effi cient way to do business," Calhoun says. "But I think the [service providers] who are truly trying to grow their businesses understand that change is about driving out waste." Riemer agrees. "I think people are recognizing that there needs to be change. As for their propensity to adopt new processes? That's a different question," he says. "Change is hard. I know some guys in the market who have been doing everything the same way for 25 years." At Blaine Brothers, Grabow says his team tries to evolve based on customer requests. He references a recent trend among customers to request images during service as one area where the company has changed. Since those requests became commonplace, Grabow says Blaine Brothers now regularly photographs trucks during repairs and automatically inputs those images into their system — ready to be transmitted in a moment's notice if asked. "We want to meet their expectations and get their information to them right away," he says. The good thing about transparency, Love says, is it benefi ts everyone. And it's a whole lot easier to change when the benefi ts are universal. "I think overall everybody wants to see this process improve," he says. "It's a diffi cult process to improve because there are a lot of moving parts. But that's the bottom line." T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E | M a y 2 0 1 7 Fairfi eld Auto & Truck Service provides corporate repair statistics to customers on a regular basis in an effort to build customer relationships and increase transparency. If there is a level of transparency that exists throughout the channel, that eliminates a lot of the stress, headaches and frustrations that impact people. – Michael Riemer, vice president of Product and Channel Marketing at Decisiv Cover Story