Lazydays RV recently certified 25 technicians through the RV Technical Institute (RVTI)’s training program. The dealership has 26 locations across 15 states.
Some of the 25 Lazydays RV technicians attended the institute’s Level 1 classes, while others completed Level 2 or Level 3 training. Lazydays RV has 10 location subscriptions, which include unlimited digital access to the Institute’s first two training levels and the first attempt at testing.
The RV Technical Institute’s technician training program is a hands-on, competency-based program designed by institute staff and subject matter experts. It’s the gold standard when it comes to RV technician training, providing the only industry-backed training curriculum and RV technician certification and career path.
The institute spoke with Lazydays RV’s Service Operations Specialist Jay Diaz about his dealership’s training experience. Read the Q&A below:
What initially drew you to the RV Technical Institute’s program?
There were several reasons why we decided to join forces with the RV Technical Institute. We wanted to enhance our technicians’ skills — LazyDays recognizes the value in investing in our technicians and developing their skills and knowledge. By training with the RV Technical Institute, we knew that our techs would receive industry standard training and an enhanced quality of work.
We also want to ensure we’re keeping up with the industry. New technologies are coming out and we knew the Institute has extensive connections with manufacturers, and we could bring our technicians up to speed with new techniques and new developments. Staying up to date on industry terms, trends and best practices is important to us.
Another reason is we wanted to track each of our technicians’ qualifications throughout their training journeys. For example, we wanted to know which ones are certified to conduct pre-delivery inspections or which ones can work with retail customers. Because of the institute’s materials and tools, we can guide our technicians in the right direction, and they can continue their learning.
Our last reason — and one of our biggest ones — is because one of our core values is customer satisfaction. We’re investing in and training with the Institute to improve customer satisfaction by ensuring technicians are well-trained and they can effectively and efficiently handle any repair that comes in front of them. We want to make sure the work is done right and in a timely manner so that our customers are happy to come back and see us again.
During the course, what aspect(s) of the institute’s training experience were the most beneficial to you and why?
When some of the technicians were going through the self-paced online program, we allotted a certain time for them to come into class. They would all log onto the computer, and we would have them interact with each other so if any of them have questions maybe another technician could help.
Also, I received great reviews from all our technicians who were part of the hands-on portion of the hybrid Level 2 course. They loved the three days that they got to spend with Bill Stewart (the institute’s director of education), Tyson Watkins (a trainer at the institute) and the rest of your team. And when they came back, they were telling the rest of the staff what they experienced at the Institute so now more technicians want to join the curriculum.
Since completing the course, how has institute training helped the career of your RV technicians?
We want to continue the Level 1 and Level 2 training and enroll more technicians from our other dealerships.
We would also like to become an Authorized Training Partner so we can have our own instructor to go over your curriculum with our technicians. It would be great if we could deliver the Institute’s curriculum from our Tampa, Florida, location and from one of our locations in Colorado so our technicians don’t have to fly very far. We’re going to investigate that more — we want to help our techs reach the next level.
