Automotive News Canada - February 2020 - 10

OPINION

02.20

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Technology alone To reach women, reach out
can't build trust
JEFF MELNYCHUK

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

THE FIXED-OPS SPOTLIGHT ON PAGE 23 TOUCHES ON A SUBJECT
that's near and dear to my heart: The hit and miss of being called
by the service department when the work is completed.
OK, the spotlight is not precisely about that. Rather, it explores
how dealerships are using new video technology to earn customer
trust by showing what repairs are necessary, and how texting can be
used to get quicker sign-off for those
repairs. It sounds as though there are
Be trustworthy
some customer benefits - speedier turnand customers will around, in particular - but the implementation of such technology is done on the
come. Technology
of revenue. As in, will it make
can help the pursuit, basis
money?
but it begins with
That's completely understandable as
honourable people these services are far from free and fixed
operations runs as an increasingly valuable
doing what they
profit centre. The story indicates that one
say they will.
texting service costs up to about $1,000
per month. That's on top of any hardware
purchase, integration and staff training.
There's no question that text beats voice for simple information
exchange, mostly because it doesn't require both parties to be communicating with one another at the same time. Texting is discreet.
Send a quick text now and, according to the spotlight story, it will
likely be responded to within five minutes.
Texting is also quicker because it eliminates greetings and other
rambling small talk, and there are fewer mix-ups since the message
is right there to reference. No relying on memory of the conversation.
Given the overwhelming benefits, it's natural that dealers want
to use the technology to tighten
the communication loop with customers. It means less time in
limbo.
Sending video of necessary
repairs also makes perfect sense.
Customers can view it in their
own time - sort of like reading Video technology will help
a text in their own time - and
customers trust what the
can see why the direction-injec- service department is telling
tion fuel pump is shot as
them, but it still ultimately
opposed to being told that over
comes down to people.
PHOTO: ROB GURDEBEKE
the phone. The result, as the
spotlight indicates, is increased
customer trust, which is always a tough thing for the service department to build. And that means customers tend to have more of the
suggested work completed, which brings the service department
more revenue.
The integration of text and video technology also makes sense
because data networks can handle the load and, most importantly,
that's how people want to communicate. "Just shoot me a text."
But, looping back to the beginning, I really do hope the issue
that's near and dear to this customer's heart is resolved: Getting
that promised call when the vehicle is ready to be picked up.
To build trust takes people, and missing the little things is not an
option. Hopefully the new technology helps create consistency.
"Just shoot me a text," thank you. - ANC

EST. 1925

PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
KEITH E. CRAIN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
KC CRAIN, GROUP PUBLISHER
JASON STEIN, PUBLISHER

DAVE VERSICAL, CHIEF OF EDITORIAL OPERATIONS, AUTOMOTIVE NEWS GROUP

PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

NEWS DEPARTMENT

JEFF MELNYCHUK, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, 506.854.5024, JMelnychuk@autonews.com
GRACE MACALUSO, MANAGING EDITOR, 226.787.0441, gmacaluso@crain.com

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HOW CAN THE AUTO INDUSTRY ATTRACT MORE
Convention Centre, which also was hosting the
women?
Canadian International AutoShow (CIAS). The price
By bringing them together under one roof and
of admission for the sold-out event, expected to
finding effective ways to spread
draw more than 300 people,
the word about opportunities in a
requires attendees to bring one
sector undergoing revolutionary
woman who currently does not
MANAGING EDITOR
change.
work in the auto sector.
Women-only gatherings have
"We don't want to be preachGRACE
ing to the converted," said orgabeen a regular occurrence at
MACALUSO
nizer Sue Gubasta, CEO of
Toronto-based Pfaff Automotive
Mississauga Toyota and CIAS
Partners since 2018, said Robert
2020 president. About 40 per
Morrison, fixed-ops manager at
COMMENT
cent of the attendees will be
Pfaff Porsche in Vaughan, just
women who work outside the
outside Toronto.
industry, said Gubasta, also former president of the
The Women of Pfaff initiative, which celebrates
Ontario-based Trillium Automobile Dealers
women employees and their
Association (TADA).
accomplishments, grew out of
"We want to expose them to what we are, what
the group's efforts to boost the
we do and how much oppornumber of auto technicians at
tunity there is to make an
its 17 dealerships across
Women-focused
amazing living, whether it's on
Ontario and British Columbia,
events provide
the vendor side, the manuMorrison said. It's part of "a
facturing side, dealer side."
push to make sure we weren't
support and
On March 10, the first
paying lip service to equality but
validation
Sue Gubasta: actually living the practices at
Canadian Women in
"There is
Cybersecurity Conference will in an industry
our facilities," Morrison told
just so much
Automotive News Canada sibling be held, also in Toronto. The
dominated
opportunity in publication Fixed Ops Journal.
event is not exclusive to the
automotive,
auto sector but relevant to an by men.
Bringing together women
but we are
industry developing connectwho toil in a male-dominated
not on any
ed and self-driving vehicles and whose plants are
industry gives them support and
women's
incorporating digital technologies.
validation.
radar."
Ikjot Saini, an expert in cybersecurity for conTwo
such
gatherings
were
FILE PHOTO
nected vehicles, said women remain a minority in
slated to take place over the
next couple of months. On Feb. 20, the inaugural
Women Driven event was to be held at the Toronto
SEE NETWORKING PAGE 12

Encourage kids to wear hard hats
MY NINE-YEAR-OLD SON TOLD
me what he wants to do when
he grows up. It was much of
what you would expect from a
kid with dreams:
1. Baseball player;
2. Basketball player;
3. Builder (he pantomimed
hammering, so I assume a
framer or contractor);
4. Hunter ("I want to catch
my own food," he said);
5. Coach.
Now, don't go telling Ontario
Labour Minister Monte
McNaughton about my son's
list. It's not exactly littered with
skilled-trades jobs, unless you
count "builder."
If McNaughton's latest plan
works, my son's younger sister
might one day
say, "a millExpose
wright!" That's
because
students
Ontario has
to skilled
launched an
trades at a aggressive
young age. multimillion-dollar
campaign to fill
a gap in the auto sector.
According to the province,
there were, on average, 2,100
vacancies in the transportation
and equipment-manufacturing
sector - which includes the
auto industry - through the first
three quarters of 2019. Fourthquarter statistics weren't available by press time.
To fill those jobs, Ontario in
January launched a campaign to
sell the skilled trades to youth as
young as 5.
The entire plan involves an ad
campaign, changes to education
and paid apprenticeships and

The province isn't alone on
this. Back in 2013, Workforce
Windsor-Essex, an organization
that facilitates and advocates for
regional workforce development
GREG
in Windsor, told the CBC that
LAYSON
starting younger is better.
"Kindergarten would be better. It's one of those things that
COMMENT
when you finally start to take it
seriously, it's almost too late."
work placements.
They might be right. I recall
The province crafted the prosending wood to my son's class
gram after it hired Ipsos Reid to
in junior kindergarten, where
survey Ontarians aged 18-34 to
they sawed and hamask why they were avoidmered away under
ing the trades.
teacher supervision. It
McNaughton said too
might explain why he
many people see them
wants to be "a builder."
as "the second option"
So, the province
and grease-monkey work.
wants to plant the seed
"Young people today
of skilled trades early
don't know what constiand then help them
tutes a skilled trade and Ontario
financially later. Two
Labour
they have no idea how
Minister
programs launched
to get into one,"
Monte
within days of each
McNaughton said in
other in the final week
Windsor at Cavalier Tool McNaughton
says young
of January offer up
and Manufacturing, a
more than $14.5 milshop so clean you could people are
lion.
eat off the floor. "My pri- unaware
of their
The first will provide
ority is to end the stigma, simplify the appren- opportunities up to 4,000 work-paid
in skilled
placements, each
tice system and tell
trades.
between four and 12
business to step up to
PHOTO:
months in duration. The
the plate and take on
G R E G L AY S O N
second includes
more apprentices.
$559,837 for Sheridan
"A lot of these jobs pay six
College's General Machinist and
figures and come with pensions
Industrial Mechanic Millwright
and benefits."
pre-apprenticeship programs to
McNaughton said that kids
create placements for an addibegin to make their career
tional 50 students.
choices in Grades 7 and 8.
When I asked McNaughton
"Much younger than I think
what advice he'd give a kid
many people knew," he said.
heading into high school, his
"So, it's about introducing the
answer was simple
skilled trades in kindergarten,
"Pick up a career in the
that's part of our education
skilled trades."- ANC
reform."
DIGITAL AND
MOBILE EDITOR
AUTOMOTIVE
NEWS CANADA

Automotive News Canada - February 2020

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