Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/458425
FOCUS PSB Service Department www.PowersportsBusiness.com Powersports Business • January 26, 2015 • 15 Hiring and training entry-level technicians GUEST COLUMN Finding the right technician for your service department can be one of the most challenging issues a service manager might face. We would all love to have our pick of any number of the proven performers whose résumés flood our inbox each week. Unfortunately, the reality is a stark contrast to this dream. Recruiting and hiring highly qualified technicians is a daunting task. Many experienced technicians left the industry in the last five years. They sought and found positions that were not as seasonal or simply offered more long-term stability. The bad news is that very few of them have returned to the powersports industry, even though we have seen some very exciting signs that dealerships' service departments are turn- ing things around. Service managers have had to start thinking a little more outside the box. A few years ago a new technical school graduate might have faced months or even years of working in a position other than being a technician. Today, more and more graduates are being recruited and hired directly into entry level positions that can fast track them into a position as a traditional powersports technician. The career path from entry-level technician to master technician can be shortened by years. I sat down a few weeks ago and talked with Daniel Field, service manager at American Eagle Harley-Davidson in Corinth, Texas. Our conversation revolved around hiring, training and experience. Just like every other service manager, when the opportunity to hire a proven technician with years of training and experience comes along, he has taken advan- tage of it. But those opportunities do not come along very often. Daniel has spent the last few years devel- oping an in-house program designed to help new, inexperienced technicians make the tran- sition from technical school graduate to more advanced positions with increasing levels of training and experience. Daniel invested time and resources in grooming his senior techni- cians and has prepared them to take on the added responsibility of mentoring less experi- enced technicians. This scenario is becoming more commonplace as service managers, shop foremen and senior technicians recognize the benefits to both the department and the dealer- ship as a whole. One statement that Daniel made really stuck with me. He said that everyone in the store benefits when everyone works as a team. He asked me to think about what happens when an inexperienced or poorly trained tech- nician is given a job that is beyond his capabili- ties, and he fails to get the job done right. In the customer's mind it wasn't just "that techni- cian" who failed to meet the expectation, it was "that service department" that failed, or in a worst case scenario, "that dealership" that left a customer unsatisfied. Every employee and every department suffers. And yes, the customer does, too. The process of staffing the department properly begins with the interview process. Screening applicants to find those who under- stand the value of teamwork, demonstrate a willingness to learn from others and have the personal determination to dedicate themselves to study and growth during their off-time sud- denly becomes one of the most critical aspects of the process. In days gone by, a technician might have only sat down with the service manager for a few minutes to discuss technical knowledge or expertise with little to no atten- tion being put into those qualities that might prove valuable in a team environment. I had the good fortune in recent years of "The shared experi- ences of attending classes together at tech school, starting at a new job at the same time and even completing advanced training courses from the manufacturers at the same time created bonds that I have seen last for years now." Hiring and training entry-level technicians Finding the right technician for your service department can be one of the most challenging manager might face. We would all BRANDON KIRSCHNER See Kirschner, Page 17