What Dealers Are Doing to Better Meet Fleet Needs
Denise Rondini
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Denise Rondini
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Fleets grumble a fair amount about truck dealers. They complain about wait times and poor communication, among other things. While it may feel like dealers are ignoring fleets’ concerns, based on interviews with the American Truck Dealers/Heavy Duty Trucking/Procede Truck Dealer of the Year nominees, dealers not only hear what fleets are saying, but also are trying to do something about it.
Here is a sampling of some of the ways dealers are trying to improve their service to fleets.
“We went through a lean initiative at all our locations,” says James Carello, president and dealer principal, Regional International Corp., Henrietta, New York. “We looked at how we wrote trucks up, how we communicated with customers, how we were using technology, and we streamlined our operation.”
In addition, Carello has a policy of never walking away from a customer. “If a customer buys a truck from me, and he has got a problem, I am going to do things to support him in every way.” He says this is true even if the problem is not the result of something his dealership did.
In order to bring service closer to his customers, Carello has also added five subcontractors who are trained and authorized to sell parts and perform service, including warranty work. His goal is to have customers no more than 35 miles away from one of his service facilities.
Kathryn “Katie” Hopkins, executive vice president and dealer principal, Truck Centers Inc., Troy, Illinois, says her dealerships now produce work flow reports that track repairs so the TCI team can see what’s going on during the entire repair process. The headquarters location also offers service 24 hours a day/7 days a week. And to ensure parts availability, TCI provides parts and service at several of its customers’ locations. This helps expedite getting …Read the rest of this story
