Fixed Ops Journal - February 2020 - F22

FIXED OPS JOURNAL

TRAINING
continued from Page 21

off-site training gets very difficult and can also
get expensive, but nothing replaces the human factor."
"In a group setting, when you have a good
trainer who's interactive and is entertaining,
you're going to retain more and get more out
of it," he says. "When we do online training,
we can get distracted by 20 other things and
not retain what we need."
Technicians frequently take online and virtual training courses for certifications, to learn
system updates and repair procedures and as
refreshers. But manufacturers typically require that techs attend classes in-person and
perform diagnostic and repair procedures in
front of an instructor to complete advanced
training or master tech courses.
At Nissan North America, the hands-on
classes are the last step (after online and virtual classes) and focus on helping techs diagnose problems faster. Dale Sonnenberg, a senior manager of aftersales for Nissan, says
techs who complete the hands-on training
classes produce, on average, $8,000 more in
parts sales annually and nearly $8,000 more in
labor time, based on dealer repair orders.
"With competency-based training, we concentrate on the things that will help them the
most, like diagnosis," Sonnenberg says. "They
learn more [about a repair problem], and instead of spending two hours going in circles to
diagnose an electrical problem, they can get it
in 30 minutes or less. That's where they make
up the time."

NADA Academy Instructor Michael Lucki works with a
class. Students also learn from one another in groups.

Teamwork is key
But no amount of training will improve revenue or cut costs if all employees aren't pulling in the same direction, Reed says. The key,
he adds, is to make sure everyone is following
what they've been trained to do.
Employees must "buy in" to the new process.
"If they don't buy in, it just goes in one ear
and out the other, and they just stop following
the process," Reed says. "That's just not an option in a properly managed dealership. If the
dealer says, our company policy is that we're
going to present a [maintenance] menu to every customer, then that means advisers present a menu to every customer, just like you do
in F&I.
"It's company policy, not an option."
One dealer Reed has worked with calls that
a "COE," or "condition of employment."
Trainers advise that quickly putting what was
learned in training into practice is one way to

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FEBRUARY 2020

Lessons learned

get the most benefit from the time and effort.
Mora, though, cautions managers against
being too aggressive with implementing what
was learned in a workshop or seminar. Some
people come back amped up with a dozen
great ideas, he says, and immediately try to
force all of them on their employees.
Instead, he uses an approach he calls "deuces wild": He waits two weeks so most people
have forgotten he (or another manager) went
to a training seminar. Then he implements no
more than two of the best ideas that he
learned, and he holds everyone accountable
for those processes over the next two months.
"Anything you do for two months at a dealership, and make everyone accountable for it,
becomes a habit, and you won't have to worry
about it again," Mora says. "It's just part of the
daily operation." 

Experts say investing in training is
investing in the business. Here are
some of their observations.
 Training can improve efficiency,
productivity and profits.
 Often, service advisers and
managers rise through the ranks
and lack proper training.
 Younger workers want training,
which can be a way to retain them.
 Owners and general managers
should participate in workshops to
demonstrate their importance.
 Online training courses are cheaper
and more convenient; in-person
workshops are considered more
effective.

Fixed Ops Journal - February 2020

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