RushCare Service Connect is the company’s state-of-the-art service communication and process management system that provides customers with an online on-demand, 360-degree view of the service process for vehicles in Rush Truck Centers’ service departments.
“Since launching RushCare Service Connect in 2016, we have focused on enhancing our communication with customers and offering fully transparent repair information,” says W.M. “Rusty” Rush, chairman, CEO and president at Rush Enterprises. “This upcoming integration with Cummins and Peterbilt SmartLINQ will be a continuation of our efforts to improve customer uptime and give customers 24/7 access to the information they need about their vehicles.”
The company describes the integration as follows: When a Cummins customer is in need of repair work at a Rush Truck Centers location, RushCare Service Connect will automatically provide information to Cummins, expediting and facilitating Cummins support and engagement when necessary. This will open communications with Cummins, the Rush Truck Centers service shop and the customer. This integration allows all communication be captured and viewed in the Service Connect portal, so customers and service advisors alike can see the entire repair history associated with any vehicle in the system, the company says.
The integration with Cummins will also help provide valuable information to the manufacturer.
“When a Rush Truck Centers service advisor opens a repair order within RushCare Service Connect for a Cummins customer and the issue is engine or aftertreatment related, Cummins will be automatically notified so they can track the issue,” says Brian Mulshine, director of Operations Technology and Innovation at Rush Enterprises.
Likewise, in 2017, Peterbilt will be expanding the SmartLINQ suite of connected technologies to include the new Service Management Platform. SmartLINQ Remote Diagnostics was introduced in 2015 to connect all Class 8 vehicles to the cloud to provide industry-leading notifications on the performance of our trucks. Now, SmartLINQ Service Management connects all Peterbilt dealers, providing an advanced customer communication and truck-down management system.
SmartLINQ Service Management will soon be integrated with RushCare Service Connect to provide seamless after-sales support for all Rush Truck Centers’ customers, regardless of where their truck is being serviced.
RushCare Service Connect is already fully integrated with customers’ own or third-party service event management systems, including Decisiv and Navistar OnCommand Repair Advocate.
“One of the most important aspects of RushCare Service Connect is that it can help organize our customers’ communications in a single place,” says Mulshine. “When our platform includes integration with Cummins, Peterbilt SmartLINQ as well as Decisiv and Navistar OnCommand Repair Advocate, customers can have a truly holistic view of their fleet in a single portal and importantly, be alerted to repair and maintenance needs and take action as needed.”
Rush Enterprises says another system enhancement to RushCare Service Connect allows customers to track annual inspection and license plate expiration dates. Customers can filter information by upcoming due dates, currently due or past due, so they can easily take action on necessary items.
Additionally, the company says customers can now add maintenance schedules for any of their vehicles in the system and instantly request a service appointment with a Rush Truck Centers location when necessary. The service advisor in the selected Rush Truck Centers location will be notified of the service request in real time and will be alerted to any maintenance that is due or past due. For added convenience, customers can add service intervals to several vehicles at once by grouping vehicles by type, manufacturer, model or other factors, the company says.
“We take pride in providing a platform that addresses specific needs of our customers and gives them not only information about their trucks in our service shops, but a snapshot of their entire fleet,” says Mulshine.
By using RushCare Service Connect, customers receive real-time repair updates about their vehicles, establish two-way communication with service representatives and have complete transparency regarding their vehicle status. In the online portal, which is also available via tablet or mobile device, customers can request new service, review and approve repair orders quickly and easily and document all aspects of service events, anytime and anywhere. The company says customers can add and receive attachments of estimates, POs, photos and forms online and receive email notifications of updates. For added convenience, customers also have the ability to sort information within the platform so they can review the vehicles at each repair status level and expand for more detailed information, the company says.
Rush telematics offering improved
Rush Enterprises also announced Friday that it has enhanced its premium telematics offering. The company says RushCare Service Connect is now fully integrated with its telematics platform, but says the latter now also will feature access to Geotab training and Marketplace, a soon-to-be introduced universal harness and reporting and logging capabilities.
“Our customers are responding positively to our telematics platform and the benefits it provides their fleets,” says Rush. “By integrating with RushCare Service Connect, our powerful telematics products give our customers the tools to not only monitor their fleet’s performance, but take action as needed to stay up and running.”
Within RushCare Service Connect, telematics customers have visibility to all the Geotab faults on their fleet vehicles and can schedule service within the portal at the Rush Truck Centers service shop of their choice. With our Fault Code Management Support package, Rush Enterprises specialists at the RushCare Call Center can monitor those fault codes and alert customers immediately if there is an issue.
For added convenience to the customer, invoices, photos and other documents related to the repair history are also readily accessible in one place. Geotab also feeds odometer readings to RushCare Service Connect, giving customers the opportunity to build their own preventative maintenance schedules with reminders and email notifications, the company says.
Rush Truck Centers’ telematics customers have access to robust reporting about any connected vehicle in their fleet.
“It’s beneficial to be able to track individual vehicles within your fleet and receive real-time alerts. More importantly, you can review the data of your entire fleet to identify issues and their causes, so you can help prevent downtime,” says Cindy Hunter, technology sales director at Rush Enterprises. “These technological enhancements are really changing the way fleets are managed today.”
For additional product support, Rush Truck Centers’ telematics customers have full access to Geotab’s highly-trained support and training team via one-on-one sessions, group training, phone or live chat. The company says customers also have access to the online Geotab marketplace, which offers integration with several other fleet management systems, including Cummins, Decisiv and Dossier Systems. This marketplace is mobile-enabled, so drivers and fleet managers can access it from mobile device or tablet.
Currently in pilot, Geotab’s universal harness works to connect its telematics product to most every type of commercial truck vehicle on the market.
“Since this harness works on most trucks, it eliminates the need for special orders and makes it faster, easier and more economical for customers to receive their products or to move them to new vehicles when they update their fleet,” Hunter says.
Rush promoting all-makes catalog at TMC
Rush says all of the above improvements and its new all-makes parts catalog will be on display next week at the Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tenn.
This 84-page resource features more than 6,500 popular all-makes trucks parts in a broad but user-friendly format, organized into 14 sections, covering: brakes and wheel end; cab; chemicals and lubricants; drivetrain; electrical; engine; fifth wheels and landing gear; HVAC; lighting; safety; steering and suspension; technology; tools and shop supplies; and Rig Tough Truck Parts.
“Rush Truck Centers is a leader in the all-makes truck parts business,” says Rush. “This all-makes truck parts catalog is an extension of the parts, sales, service and technology we provide in our dealerships around the country, and another example of why we are a premier solutions provider to the commercial vehicle industry.
“With our significant investment in all-makes truck parts inventory in stock across the country, we are positioned to rapidly fulfill our customers’ parts needs for virtually all makes and models of heavy-duty trucks, no matter the manufacturer or application.”
The catalog provides an incredible amount of information, the company says, such as convenient descriptions, application and dimensional information, full-color product images, tech and product and technical tips, extensive cross-references, a technology and fleet service section and an overview of Rush Truck Centers’ capabilities, to inform customers about the most innovative solutions available through the company’s nationwide network. Rush says these features were developed to be beneficial to customers of all sizes and users in any role in their operations, no matter what their level of experience with purchasing parts.
“We are excited to launch this feature-rich all-makes truck parts catalog to customers, as we created it with their needs in mind,” says Michael J. McRoberts, senior vice president and COO at Rush Enterprises. “It includes the brands they know and trust and is an easy-to-use, functional resource for their truck parts needs.”
