Jack of All Trades, Master of.....
Well, All of Them

Master Technician Jim Deaton (left) of Augusta RV in Andover, KS, confers with John Jones, chairman of the RVIA Education Committee. Jones is Director of Customer Satisfaction at RV Products, maker of the Coleman-Mach line of air conditioners.

Where else can you learn plumbing, heating, air-conditioning, carpentry, appliances and auto mechanics," says Jim Deaton, service manager at Augusta RV in Andover, KS. "We have to be jacks of all trades and should be masters of all of them." Deaton should know, he has worked in the RV industry for 25 years and received his RVIA Master Technician certification in 1995.

"I'm the service manager, but I am also a technician. I like to get my hands dirty. You have to in order to stay abreast of the changes in the RV industry." That is why Deaton, like many other industry professionals, believes so strongly in the RVIA/RVDA's RV Technician certification program.

"It is important to me personally that our technicians be certified, but it is also extremely important to the dealership. It is a real selling tool. We generate revenue for the dealership because of our continued training at industry schools. Customers want to know that the people servicing their RVs are top notch. We keep the shop clean and well organized so our salesmen can bring customers back to the service area to show them around and explain our certification and our procedures. It is a strong selling point. Customers are looking for service after the sale."

According to John Jones, chairman of the RVIA Education Committee, "Customers have come to demand expert service. Just as an ASE plaque displayed on an auto service center wall lets customers know they can expect to receive professional service, an RVIA/RVDA certification provides the same assurance to RV customers. Certification lets the customer know that his or her RV will receive the best attention the industry has to offer. That sense of confidence is rapidly becoming a necessity in the competitive marketplace."

"Customers are beginning to assume that the dealership will have industry-certified technicians working on their RV's," agrees Deaton.

Jones, a 30-year veteran of the RV industry, is director of customer satisfaction at RV Products, a division of Airxcel, Inc., Wichita, KS, manufacturer of the Coleman-Mach line of RV air conditioners. He sees certification as being important not only to dealers and customers, but to the technicians themselves. "A RVIA/RVDA certified technician is worth his weight in gold. The certification demonstrates a proven ability and knowledge base. It also shows that the technician is committed to keeping on top of an ever-changing industry. A smart dealer or service center will make sure that their certified technicians stay with them. As an OEM, I want to be sure that the technicians working on our air conditioners are as professional as they can be. If just reflects better on all of us."

Deaton cautions, "Longevity is the real key to having a good staff. It takes time and training to learn how all the different vehicles and their components work. The dealership should take an interest in a technician, send them to schools, help them get certified and keep their wages increasing in line with their skills and value to the dealership. That is when a tech becomes a real asset."

On the other side of the wrench, Deaton sees careers in the RV industry becoming more attractive to technicians. "You don't have to have a college education to get into the field, just an above-average helping of common sense and the ability to work with your hands. The rest is training. What I like most is that the 'rut factor' is very low. A tech rarely does the same job twice in a row, so it's not like working in a factory or doing some other job where you do the same thing over and over again. RV techs face a different challenge every day. You really do have to learn heating, air-conditioning, plumbing, carpentry, auto mechanics, LP gas, electrical systems and appliances, and be able to fix all of them. The RVIA/RVDA certification program lets people know that you have mastered all of those areas. It is a real achievement.

"This is a great industry because it is fairly small as it compares to the automotive industry. Most RV companies and dealerships are not huge, so you really have a sense of identity, like you are a significant part of the overall operation. There is no dull routine of doing the same thing over and over again for eight hours and not really feeling like you are appreciated, as was the case in some of the other industries I've worked in. And for the most part, the customers are very nice and easy to get along with. They know that you are trying to help them, especially if you are certified."

Any RV service technician is eligible to sign up for the written certification exam, consisting of 200 multiple choice questions covering basic RV service areas. Those scoring 85% or better on the written test will have the practical test waived and become certified. Those scoring 72.5% up to 85% will need to pass the practical exam to receive certification. Programs such as the National RV Technical Institute, which is a program of formal education at community colleges throughout the country, the RVIA Trouble Shooters Clinics, and the RVIA correspondence courses are excellent ways for technicians to prepare themselves for the certification test. A study guide to help technicians prepare for the certification test is available at a cost of $15 from RVIA at 703-620-6003, ext. 355.

The certification test will be administered across the country on November 6, 1999, National RV Service Technician Test Day. Another National Test Day is scheduled for March 19, 2000. The cost of certification testing is $200, which covers the written test, practical exam and up to three retests of the written exam over a 24-month period if the previous attempts were unsuccessful. The certification test was developed by RV industry technical experts and working RV technicians under the supervision of education testing professionals from the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute. The Certified RV Technician Program is administered by the RVDA/RVIA Service Technician Certification Test Governing Board. It is designed to make the nation's nine million RV owners even more satisfied with their motor home, travel trailer or truck camper by creating a network of qualified, professional RV technicians across the country. More than 1,000 technicians have received certification since the program began in 1993.

For more information about RV Technician Certification, contact the RVDA/RVIA Service Technician Certification Program, 3930 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 - (800) 336-0355.

RVN