When it comes to dealer support, not all light- and medium-duty vehicle dealerships are created equal. There are benefits to working with a dealership that understands your business demands and offers customized solutions.
Ford, General Motors and Ram Trucks all offer variants of a commercial dealer program. General Motors offers its Business Elite dealers, Ram Trucks offers its Business Link dealers and Ford offers its Ford Commercial Vehicle Centers. All of these programs provide business owners added value through an experienced sales contact who understands your business. This sales contact is able to closely match and suggest product solutions to better meet your business needs. The commercial dealers offer after-hours product support to keep your business running seamlessly, with specially trained technicians, expedited parts availability and service facilities to handle larger upfitted vehicles.
Training sets Commercial Vehicle Centers apart from other automotive dealerships. “It is training starting from the sales perspective on to parts and service,” says Paul Schlagenhauf, president, Badger Truck Center.
Only a fraction of the dealerships across the country are certified to Ford’s commercial dealer program requirements.
Only a fraction of the dealerships across the country are certified to the manufacturers’ commercial dealer program requirements. For instance, out of the more than 3,000 Ford store locations, 675 Ford dealers nationwide are specially trained and equipped to sell, service and finance Class 1 through 7 work vehicles under the Commercial Vehicle Center program. Badger Truck Center is not only a current Commercial Vehicle Center dealer, it has been a business dealer since 1965.
The focus on the success of business fleets differentiates commercial dealers. “Everything boils down to customers’ needs,” says Schlagenhauf.” The vehicle serves as a tool to get the job done. “It can be anything from a pickup to a Class 7 truck. The secret is having it properly spec’d so that it will do the job, have minimum downtime and maximum uptime.”
Pinpoint the Best Solution
Dealership experience can help steer you to the best business solutions. “Sometimes customers think they need a kind of truck and they possibly need more or less of a truck,” says Ray Pannemann, general sales manager, Badger Truck Center. “They also have specific body needs and they might not realize they have options.” This is where the salesperson’s relationship with the customer is critical. “The salespeople will know the questions to ask of the customer. They get to know both the customer and the application.”
Ford uses a software system called Commercial Vehicle Tools, which provides the GVWR, payload, cargo volume, upfit and other vital specifications the dealer uses to match a vehicle to your exact requirements.
[VIDEO] Commercial Vehicle Center Sales Tailored to Meet Your Needs
Commercial dealers often have unique tools to help pinpoint the most appropriate vehicle solution. For instance, Ford utilizes a software system called Commercial Vehicle Tools (CVT). It provides the GVWR, payload, cargo volume, upfit and other vital specifications the dealer uses to match a vehicle to your exact requirements.
“CVT is a program that allows us to spec out trucks and provide a written quote to the customer,” says Baker. “The specs, the pricing, all of the information is there in a nice, concise quote. You are able to go over that with the customer on the phone or in person.”
Leverage Commercial Dealer Experience
Experience gained through interaction with other commercial customers can prove beneficial to your business. “When you select a Commercial Vehicle Center, you are getting the experience of the sales staff,” explains Pannemann. “We have been doing this for more than 50 years. We are completely focused on commercial vehicles and the commercial customer. We have trained sales staff. We have people who have been here for up to 30 years.”
Developing a working relationship with a trained salesperson in a commercial dealership can actually result in better communication when a vehicle is in the shop. “A customer can count on that salesperson to be around,” says Pannemann. “That relationship doesn’t stop after the sale. It continues throughout the life of the vehicle.”
Service on Your Schedule
Training sets Commercial Vehicle Centers apart for other automotive dealerships. It is training starting from the sales perspective on to parts and service, says Paul Schlagenhauf, president, Badger Truck Center.
“We do offer extended service hours to accommodate our commercial vehicle customers,” says Steve Sell, service manager. “We have 17 bays available for commercial vehicle repair, with oversized doors to accommodate the height of some of the vehicles. We have Ford factory trained and certified technicians in the Class 5, 6 and 7 vehicles.”
Badger Truck Center has taken an extra step to get minor maintenance through the shop quickly. “We have a commercial Quick Lane so we are able to take care of quick, easy maintenance needs on light vehicles up to the F-550,” says Sell. We have 20 technicians currently and are always looking to hire more. We are open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. until midnight in our main shop, and the commercial Quick Lane is open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. We understand that time is money. We try to maximize time for our customers.”
Get Parts Where and When You Need Them
Badger Truck Center has a fleet of parts delivery vehicles, which are on the road all day. “The customers can either have the parts delivered or we also have an e-commerce website where the customer can order online from the comfort of their office or home,” says Craig Halverson, parts manager, Badger Truck Center.
Customer uptime is a key focus. “We have a multi-million dollar parts inventory where we can keep the guys rolling,” says Halverson. “When their vehicles are down, it is costing them money so we need to keep them moving as fast as we can. We will bring parts right to the customer. We can ship them out or they can pick them up.
“We can normally deliver a part within a couple hours and get it to their door,” says Halverson. “There are times when we will send an inside parts person out to make a rush delivery. We have even brought parts right to the jobsite where the customer is working on the truck.”
[VIDEO] Commercial Vehicle Center Provides Hassle-Free Parts Delivery to Maximize Uptime
Making sure the customer gets the right part is a priority. “The trucks change so much by serial number that we can’t just have them call up and give us a part number,” explains Halverson. “We look up the part number ourselves and make sure we get the right part number in a timely manner so we don’t have to go back out and they don’t have to wait for us to return with the correct part.
“Some of my guys have been in this business over 25 years and they know what the customer wants,” he continues. “They will ask questions to make sure they click something that he may not remember that he is going to need, just to keep him happy and get everything going as fast as we can.”
One of Badger Truck Center’s customers is the largest utility in the state of Wisconsin. “We have approximately 2,500 pieces of equipment,” says Stan Bartol, fleet technician. Maintenance of this fleet is handled in-house at 22 service centers. “There are two guys like me at each one who maintain the equipment. I do all of the pats ordering, repair and maintenance.”
[VIDEO] Customer Finds Success with Commercial Vehicle Center
For this customer, getting parts in a timely manner ranks among the most critical concerns. “That is difficult in some places, and with Badger Truck Center I never have an issue,” says Bartol. “My relationship is good enough that I can literally text them and tell them what I need. We don’t even need to have a conversation. That helps me a lot because it helps me get a lot more things done during the day. Typically, I expect parts within a day, normally sooner. It makes my job easier. They have everything I need and I couldn’t be happier.”
It all boils down to time management. “Business people have very little time nowadays to mess around,” says Baker. “They just want you to take care of their needs and take care of them properly. Anything we can do to lessen the stress on the customer in this process is very much appreciated with them being so busy in their business. It lessens their time and investment, keeping their trucks on the road.”
