“Post-purchase support is vital and our Volvo Certified Uptime Centers show that we’re serious about our business partnerships and supporting maximum uptime,” says Bruce Kurtt, senior vice president of sales for Volvo Trucks North America. “Our dealer network has embraced the Certified Uptime Center concept and processes, and committed to a new approach to customer service. More than 100 of our North American dealers have now completed the rigorous certification process that will help more Volvo Trucks customers get back on the road quickly following a service stop.”
Volvo Trucks established Volvo Certified Uptime Centers as part of an ongoing commitment to increase customer uptime and satisfaction. To be certified, Volvo says dealers must implement numerous modifications to their service processes, including the designation of uptime bays for repairs taking less than four hours, as well as revised service workflows to speed repairs. These trucks are serviced immediately instead of the first-come, first-served practice commonly used for vehicle repairs. Certified Uptime Centers also are fully integrated with other Volvo Trucks uptime solutions, including Remote Diagnostics and the Truck Diagnostic System and web-based service management tool, Volvo ASIST, according to the company.
“The Uptime process has become part of our identity as a dealer group and an expected standard by our customers,” says Clay Claiborne, corporate service manager for Bruckner Truck Sales, which has achieved certification at all 22 of their locations.
“Volvo Certified Uptime Centers offer consistency,” adds Mike Gomes, vice president of maintenance for Bison Transport. “This is important for our operations and our drivers as they can now be confident in the service that they will receive across the network regardless whether they are at their home dealer or pulling into a dealer for the first time. In essence the relationship has been established for the entire network through the Certified Uptime process. It provides confidence to our team knowing we will receive information in a defined period and action is guaranteed.”
Certified Uptime Center locations also are experiencing benefits. In addition to an improved customer experience, Volvo says the standardized processes and greater integration with Volvo’s connected vehicle systems are helping improve service efficiency and bay utilization, which leads to greater throughput and ultimately increased overall service revenue.
To qualify as a Volvo Certified Uptime Center, a dealer location must be fully proficient in 28 key categories related to efficient service and repair. Volvo states these categories range from consistent use of proven diagnostic tools to workshop organization, in addition to the designated uptime bays and updated workflows. The certification takes about eight weeks to complete and includes a final assessment by the Volvo Trucks dealer support team.
