RVDA’s Mike Molino RV Learning Center ushered in a new certification program. The Service Manager Certification Program is expected to debut this month in conjunction with RV Fixed Operations Certification Week.
RV Learning Center Fixed Operations Consultant Tony Yerman said the service manager course is an interactive guide, preparing service managers to do their jobs better. He said service managers have a key role in dealerships, and the Learning Center wanted to build off its original service managers learning guide.
“When we looked at the service manager’s job,” Yerman said, “we took all the responsibilities and put it in the course.”
The service manager course covers 68 competency areas, broken down into duties and tasks. Topics covered include paperwork, computers, electronic programs, managing people, hiring, firing, disciplining people and more.
“For example, the first duty is managing service department workflow,” Yerman said. “There are 11 tasks involved in managing the service department workflow, like reviewing sold units, requiring delivery and viewing service units.”
The course will offer quizzes throughout, including at the end of each lesson and each section. A final practice quiz will test students’ knowledge and prepare them for the certification test.
“You can hang up the certificate behind your desk,” Yerman said. “It gives the customer more confidence in the dealership to see that.”
Like the other Learning Center courses, the service manager course was developed by the Ohio State University Center on Education and Training for Employment and RV industry experts. Like the other courses, the service manager certification training is fully online Yerman said students had positive experiences taking Learning Center courses online. Participants can start the course at any time in the year, but the course will expire at the end of December. Students must recertify every five years and first need 40 hours of continued education credits to recertify. Each Learning Center course can be used once for continued education credits. The courses are $150 each.
“We have had people say the courses are an excellent foundation for them,” Yerman said. “It is great to go back through and renew your education.”
Today’s Action Item: Download the RV Fixed Operations Today App – Use the QR Code
The RV Fixed Operations Today mobile app from the Mike Molino RV Learning Center offers free access to the RV Learning Center’s five self-assessments or readiness tests for service management and parts personnel. Each readiness test relates to job-specific skills for service writers/advisors, service managers, parts managers/specialists and warranty administrators. By identifying possible knowledge gaps, the readiness tests help fixed operations professionals determine their certification preparedness. The tests cost $25 each. As an incentive for downloading the app, the five tests are offered free through the app. The app is available to download in the Apple and Google Play stores by searching “RVDA.”
