Salary Range: 63,000 - 68,000Preferred locations: New York, Pennsylvania or Massachusetts Territory: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and VermontPosition Summary
- Improve retail customer satisfaction with Suzuki products.
- Meet with Suzuki dealers and provide training to ensure the dealers can provide prompt, professional and courteous service to Suzuki owners.
- Provide technical assistance to dealers for difficult technical questions.
- Provideadministration assistance to dealers for Suzuki after-sales service, customer follow-up, warranty, and parts policies and procedures.
- Provide support and guidance for service operations to improve the dealers service efficiency, proficiency, and productivity.
- Increase demand for the Suzuki Genuine Parts by increasing service entries and supporting the improvement of the efficiency and productivity of service operations at dealers leading to expanded sales of Suzuki Genuine Parts.
- Protect the company's interests by controlling expenses and making proper and fair decisions for warranty and goodwill repairs.
Principal Tasks
- Contact Suzuki dealerships to ensure the dealer provides proper service and repairs to retail Suzuki owners. Establish contact through in-person visits and telephone consultations. Develop a strong relationship and rapport with dealer personnel and especially the dealership owner. Analyze the dealer's service capabilities technically and management-wise using specially designed reports (STAR), service surveys, Tech-Line call Siebel entries, warranty claim review, ServicePRO and other technical training participation, and the in-person and phone consultation records. Develop an action plan to implement the needed
- Dealer recall compliance support to prevent the sale of an affected vehicle when under stop sale or other campaign prior to repair completion and warranty submittal. Provide technical support to educate the dealer on proper repair procedures and administrative support for proper warranty submittal. Conduct rehabilitation clinics jointly with ASMs for dealers that violated recall compliance policy.
- Provide technical assistance to dealers who experience diagnostic difficulties. This assistance is accomplished two ways, in person during dealer visits and through Tech-Line a telephone assistance hot-line. Respond to dealer Tech-Line contacts within a maximum two-hour period to ensure the quickest repair for retail customers. Visit dealers and train them on diagnostic procedures.
- Inspect vehicles/units that are involved in alleged defect related accidents. Provide thorough, detailed reports and photos of the inspection to allow Suzuki management to make appropriate decisions for potential lawsuit cases. Inspect vehicles/units that experience irregular operational characteristics or symptoms. Provide thorough, detailed reports of the inspection to help the factory analyze the situation and develop a course of action to remedy the dilemma and ensure a more satisfied customer base.
- Inspect assembled vehicles on display for sale for correct assembly, documentation (PDI form), battery maintenance, and fuel system maintenance.
- Author reports to document field activity.
- Dealer action reports, completed daily, provide dealer status, TSM training efforts and future actions planned for the dealer and detail the dealer service department.
- Service department surveys completed once a year per dealer, provide an understanding of the dealer's needs and current service performance.
- New dealer visit reports submitted within one month of dealer set-up provide an overview of the service facilities and capabilities of newly established dealers.
- Telephone contact reports for each call provide details of the dealer's question, their inspection results and TSPM recommendations.
- Activity-expense reports submitted weekly provide accurate documentation of travel expenses and work performed.
- Make authorization decisions for both warranty and non-warranty goodwill repairs. Determine the value and effect these authorizations will have on the company, the dealer, and the customer regarding potential future sales.
- Provide technical service expertise and perspective for product improvement, dealer training and retail customer education by participating with other company activities and events such as technical training curriculum development, technical training course instruction, product testing, consumer promotional events, dealer open houses and other industry events.
- Communicate with the home office on technical matters, customer relations contacts and other items of concern in assigned territory. This communication is accomplished both verbally and in written and e-mail form. Regular contact is needed to help management make critical time sensitive decisions.
- Technical and administrative support when necessary for SMO office staff including customer service staff, parts coordinators, and Logistics staff.
- Work with the key management people within the dealership who have decision making authority to purchase parts.
- Educate the staff on the quality and benefits of using genuine parts and ECSTAR products for maintenance and repairs of Suzuki motorcycles and ATVs.
- Assist the dealer in participating in the Suzuki parts purchase programs to improve their ability to efficiently complete repairs, offering parts customers OEM parts and ECSTAR products, as well as improving their profitability.
- Review with dealer parts staff display of ECSTAR products, service/maintenance kits, and Suzuki parts to promote increased sales.
- Promote sales of Suzuki Genuine Parts and oil/chemicals by appealing to the merit of Suzuki genuine parts.
- Review the condition of the parts department display areas for guidance of attractive presentations to increase parts and maintenance kit sales.
- Identify parts dilemmas the dealer is experiencing, guidance to a resolution, and reporting to the home office for policy and procedure improvements.
- Analyze the monthly KPI data by each dealer provided by the P&A department. If there is any abnormal figures, such as the ratio of parts purchased to product sales, the actual condition should be checked by visiting the dealer. If the points requiring improvement are confirmed, the improvement shall be made to expand the sales of Suzuki Genuine Spare Parts.
- Provide technical support during Events - Technical Support, customer service support, demo ride support during corporate events as scheduling and staffing allows.
- Promote the Suzuki ServicePRO training site through education of the site contents, relationship of training and dealer staff productivity and efficiency improvements, and improvements in customer retention resulting from well trained staff.
- Provide support during Instructor Led Training (ILT) classes for the SMO training specialist. This support includes promotion of the classes to dealer staff, recruitment of students, and in-person support during classes as scheduling and staffing allows.
- Perform inspections for technical, Customer Mediation, and Legal cases to report to the SMO office staff for cases that have escalated or have the potential to escalate to legal status.
- Provide technical support for dealers through Tech-Line call center on a rotational basis between in-person business consultation travel weeks and dealer technical support via Tech-Line. Overall dealership support is accomplished by dedicated Tech Line weeks, in-person business consultations, and phone consultations when distance is greater.
Scope of Authority
- The incumbent makes decisions pertaining to authorization of non-warranty repairs on a daily basis. These decisions have a direct effect on the company's profitability and liability.
- Seeks advice and approval from direct supervisor on matters involving litigation and matters outside the normal realm of duties.
- Interacts on a regular basis with other department members and Area Sales Managers to fulfill the job requirements and provide a field service perspective to situations out of the department.
- The incumbent regularly contacts Suzuki dealership personnel which include dealership owners, department managers, technicians, set-up staff, parts department employees and office staff.
Minimum QualificationsWork ExperienceMinimum 5 years' experience as a technician at a dealership. Suzuki technical knowledge is preferable. Minimum 3 years' service management experience at the dealer level.Education RequirementsHigh school diploma required. Associate degree or 8 years motorcycle industry experience. Required Skills
- A very strong technical background is essential. Must be an excellent communicator and possess superior organizational skills. Must be able to work and function well without supervision. Licensed and proficient in the operation of motorcycles and ATV's. PC knowledge is required with experience in database, spreadsheet and word-processing software.
- Must possess a valid driver's license with motorcycle endorsement and maintain a clean driving record.
- Must be able to proficiently ride both on-road and off-road motorcycles as well as all-terrain vehicles.
Physical Requirements
- Must possess mobility to work in a standard office setting and to use standard office equipment, including a computer and telephone. Mobility to attend meetings at various sites within and away from the employee's home office. Average time spent at a desk or in office setting is approximately 6 hours per day.
- Must possess the mobility to drive an automobile or light truck for up to a maximum of 500 miles in a day or 8 hours per day.
- Must possess strength to lift and carry materials weighing up to 50 pounds; and to right, move and or ride a motorcycle or ATV weighing up to 600 pounds.
- Must possess vision to read printed materials and a computer screen.