"RV Service Plus Network"
Driving Ahead

RVDA Education Foundation Program Seeks to Improve Information Flow and Educational Opportunities for Technicians

Diagnosing the Problem

The economy is booming and the RV industry is enjoying its most prosperous period in more than 20 years. But as the industry experiences growth, there are technical challenges that dealers, manufacturers, suppliers, and others who serve RV consumers must face. The baby boomer generation, the RV industry's major market segment for the next 25 years, is very demanding and intolerant of poor customer service. A recent J.D. Power consumer study showed product service and repair are some of the most problematic and least satisfying aspects of RV travel.

Many RV dealers face shortages of trained technicians. Insufficient and incomplete information frustrates service and aftermarket personnel seeking professional development. A consumer who purchases an RV and has a problem with their unit will want timely resolution. If they experience difficulty or delay in service, then they are likely to get rid of their unit and never buy one again. They'll be sure to tell all their friends about their bad experiences, too. The vehicle should not interfere with the recreation of the consumer, otherwise the meaning of the term "recreation vehicle" is lost and so are the customers.

The RVDA Education Foundation created the RV Service Plus Network as a way to help address these areas that can have a negative impact on customer satisfaction. Specifically, the network  seeks to improve the service and aftermarket segment of the industry. It may not be the complete answer to the industry's deficiencies, but it is a definite step in the direction of improving the quality of RV technicians and ultimately the RV consumer experience.

Supplying a Solution

The Education Foundation board approved this new communications effort in June 1999 to help deal with the service and aftermarket dilemma. The RV Service Plus Network's goal is to improve educational opportunities for technicians by communicating proven technical information, methods, and best practices that will enhance customer satisfaction with RV products.

When a technician tries to get information on educational courses, the registration materials about the courses are sometimes hard to obtain. As RVs become more complicated, so does the information about how to repair and install RV products. The Foundation is trying to address these problems by building a clearing house of service and training information.

RV Technician Magazine

To distribute the latest technical information on RV products to RV service technicians, service writers, service mangers, and other RV technical fields, the Education Foundation decided to acquire RV Technician magazine from D&S Media Enterprises.

The all-new RV Technician, a four-color, glossy magazine, is the flagship of the RV Service Plus Network. The Foundation-published RV Technician made its debut at the Louisville Show November 1999. Subscribers found an informative magazine containing articles on topics such as diagnosing refrigeration problems, replacing sidewall vinyl graphics, basic LP gas systems components, and computer ignition systems. Additional information included departments with RV recall listings, new products, industry news, customer service tips, a quiz, and other relevant service & aftermarket subjects.

The Spring 2000 edition focuses mainly on air conditioning issues. There are also articles about customer service, awnings, and engine problems. A new training calendar contains professional development and certification testing information, and a new department, "Changing Gears," keeps up with industry career changes.

RV Technician magazine encourages feedback from its readers. A major function of the RV Service Plus Network is to provide service technicians with a forum dedicated to exchange ideas with their peers. So far, response to the revised magazine has been positive. "I want to complement RV Technician magazine," said Jim Jones of The Dometic Corp. "It's very, very informative and keyed to the service man."

RV Technician is published quarterly. The magazine's editorial offices are at the RVDA headquarters. Two RVDA staff members are primarily responsible for the magazine's publication. Frank Hurteau is the Editor and Media Manager, and Adam Langley is the Editorial and Website Coordinator. Designer Ginny Walker assists with the layout of the publication. The magazine's Technical Advisor is Ron Barrows, formerly of Modern RV of Osseo in Osseo, MN. The magazine also utilizes the contributions of freelancers, education manuals, corporate product literature and technical writings. Besides providing educational and technical information, the magazine wants to recognize the valuable contributions people involved in service and aftermarket segments make to the industry. The magazine is always eager to receive input and contributions from its readers.

RV Service Plus Website

Another tool to distribute information for the RV Service Plus Network is through the new RV Service Plus Website. Available at www.rvda.org/rvservice, the Website has the potential to become the most important element of the network and will prove to be a valuable resource for technicians and service and aftermarket personnel.

For Web-savvy technicians, they'll find information on how to become a certified technician, training opportunities, service publications, locate suppliers or manufacturers, and read articles from RV Technician magazine. There is still much work to be done with the site, but it already has gone a long way toward reaching the goals of the RV Service Plus Network. RV tech Dale Keffer of Media Camping Center in Hatfield PA said, "I`ve found your site very informative and helpful."

Centralizing Professional Development Information

The RV Service Plus Network attempts to make it easier for service and aftermarket personnel to develop professionally and keep up-to-date on all the products they repair and service. The network has established a one-stop hotline for technicians to register for Trouble Shooter Clinics and the RVDA-RVIA Technician Certification program. RV dealers can call the RVDA member service hotline or (703) 591-7130 (ext. 113) for more information.

Training Calendar

The network also wants to collect information on other technical training opportunities and communicate those opportunities to RV technicians through the hotline, fax, World Wide Web, and other publications. This clearinghouse of information will enable service and aftermarket personnel to quickly and easily locate all the opportunities that exist for professional development and product information. The training calendar is a regular feature of RV Technician magazine in the "Training Opportunities" department. The RV Service Plus Network website will also feature the service & aftermarket training opportunities list. Eventually, the plan is to establish links on the list to take applicants directly to the firm that offers the training. Interested individuals can call (703) 591-7130 (ext.113) for details on programs and courses offered to service and aftermarket personnel.

Service Training Information Needed

The training calendar is still evolving and welcomes all consultants and corporations that offer training to submit their course listings, schedules and applications to

trainingcalendar@rvda.org

or fax them to (703) 591-0734, or mail them to Training Calendar, RVDA, 3930 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030. The more information the network has, the better for both the service/aftermarket segment and the training providers.

Peer Exchange

This area of the network is still in the planning stages, but the goal is to enable technicians to educate each other using new technologies. The Foundation is exploring new ways to use the Web to allow for communication between technicians and others in the service and aftermarket personnel. Also, interactive teleconference / Internet workshops offered through The RVDA Education Foundation reduce costs of transportation to seminars, allowing for greater participation, and more educational capabilities.

New Horizons

The RV Service Plus Network is here to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. As RVs become more complicated, they will require technicians to wear many different hats. It's important that these rapidly changing technologies be maintained with know-how and competence. The network hopes to keep the service and aftermarket segment of the industry up to date on these wide-ranging subjects, by utilizing technological innovation.

Thanks to the Internet, the RV Service Plus Network can offer technicians easily accessible information and communication. Ultimately, it is the human force behind the technology and the network that will matter most, and that all depends on participation. With the participation and support of dealers and their technicians, as well as manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and those involved in the RV technical field, the RV Service Plus Network can meet its full potential providing education and information to the industry.

Keeping Technicians "In the Loop"
by Rick Horsey, Parkview RV Center
RVDA Education Foundation Chairman

One of the biggest challenges RV service departments face is getting the latest product information into the hands of the people who need it the most -- the service technicians.

Does this scenario sound familiar? A service bulletin comes in and stays in the office for administrative purposes. The tech now has to go to the service manager or the administrative office for the information. The manager is on the phone or talking with a customer. So the tech has to wait. I'm sure you'll agree that this type of activity is not a productive use of the tech's time.

Keeping technicians "in the loop" and working efficiently is something we've tried to improve at our dealership. Now we make enough copies of each bulletin for every person that needs it and we get that information into the technicians' hands as quickly as possible. The techs keep the material in a binder so they have their own "library" of information right at their fingertips.

RV Technician an Important Resource

Our technicians have another important resource today -- RV Technician magazine. The reason the RVDA Education Foundation purchased the magazine is that we found that is was the only information source going directly to technicians. A 1999 technician demographic study by the RVDA-RVIA Technician Certification Governing Board showed that it is far and away the publication that techs read the most.

The first two issues of RV Technician published by the Foundation cover a good array of technical topics and, so far, the content is right on the money. Now we need to build up the magazine's base of technical information so that all techs can benefit from the variety of material that is available, but hasn't been released in a format that is easily accessible. I think we're just scratching the surface of what this magazine can accomplish.

Recognizing the Technician's Role in Customer Service

RV Technician magazine demonstrates to technicians the important role they play in a customer's overall satisfaction with the dealership. We've had a lot of lip service about how important the technician is, but before RV Technician, we didn't really produce anything just for them. When a unit is brought in for service, it's not the salesman who sold the unit or even the service manager who has the biggest impact on the customer: it is the technician who fixes the problem.

We're still behind the auto industry in providing technical information to our service people, but we are making improvements. The RV industry is fortunate to have several fine trade magazines, but RV Technician is the only publication that can help technicians do their jobs more efficiently. I urge not only technicians and dealers, but our manufacturers and suppliers to help provide the editorial and financial support that will keep the magazine a must read for RV service people.

RVN