The following is a report from the RVDA 2020 Virtual Convention/Expo
Greg Dewalt, education director of the Pennsylvania RV & Camping Association, laid out the pattern for a successful business during his presentation at the RVDA’s Virtual Convention/Expo Tuesday afternoon. His segment was titled, “Key Factors for the Successful Business Process.”
The key to any success is to define a process and to stick to the process throughout.
Dewalt specifically related the success to a service department. The makings of a successful process are:
- Define the key elements of the process
- Define the goal or objective
- Clarify who is accountable and who has authority
- Establish any documents or details
- Establish reports and communications
- Must be trainable, reliable, and adaptable
- Must promote efficiency and quality
“Accountability establishes ownership of the process, whether it is a success or a failure,” he said. “Authority gives the ability to make decisions and affect the process. It is essential to clearly define those roles for the entire process.”
Even more important is the role of training, according to Dewalt. Training must be continuous, and the level of training must be reviewed.
Dewalt recommends at least 15 minutes or up to an hour of training each week.
He said the process should be reliable, but reliability is not easily adaptable to all situations.
“It shouldn’t be cut in stone, but neither should it be made of mud,” he said. “Don’t change for the sake of change.”
The objective of any process should be to provide the customer with exceptional experience. Management should review the results of any process on a weekly basis and communicate from there.
You should share the results with the whole team, because they are all in it together,” he said.
Dewalt’s presentation was one of many taking place throughout the virtual convention/expo.
This Thursday, Bank of the West, a bronze sponsor of the event, will present an economic forecast workshop hosted by chief economist and executive vice president Scott Anderson.
Titled, “State of the US Economy and Impact to the RV Market,” Anderson’s presentation will cover:
- State of the recovery
- Election impact
- Stimulus package
- Interest rates and investments
- RVDA industry updates & impact
Visit www.rvda.org/convention for more information and to register.