The operational teams responsible for customer Uptime had been in different locations in Greensboro, North Carolina, where Volvo Trucks’ North American headquarters is located. A key benefit of the Uptime Center is that Uptime support employees now can frequently and easily interact with one another face-to-face, allowing increased flexibility and faster response times.
“Bringing these professionals together under one roof allows them to collaborate and prioritize more quickly and effectively,” said Göran Nyberg, president, Volvo Trucks North American Sales & Marketing. “We owe it to our customers to make our superior service and support even better. They don’t make money if their trucks are not running.”
Integrated Support
The Uptime Center physically pulls together the personnel and services that already had been working together to keep Volvo trucks productive. Volvo’s philosophy is that technology alone won’t get the job done. Uptime also requires the active involvement of dedicated professionals every step of the way.
The front lines of the Uptime Center are the Volvo Action Service agents who work directly with customers, dealers and Volvo representatives to resolve problems as quickly and efficiently as possible. They also rely on the work of product reliability engineers, who are responsible for diagnostics, developing service information and dealer tools, and ensuring issues are addressed.
Other members of the Uptime Center team focus on assisting the dealer in helping the customer. Dealer support personnel help troubleshoot challenging cases, manage warranty claims, and resolve information technology issues. Parts specialists assist dealers in sourcing and managing parts, and work with suppliers and production plants to fulfill orders.
These highly trained professionals operate and manage three integrated services that are core to Volvo’s commitment to customer Uptime:
Dealer network
Volvo Trucks dealers are key to customer Uptime as they carry out most of the service support required to keep trucks moving. Today, Volvo has 356 Class 8 dealer locations throughout North America. And just as Volvo Trucks is improving its own capabilities, so are its dealers.
Since 2010, Volvo dealers have invested $411 million, and more than 50 new facilities are either planned or underway. The investments have resulted in 50 percent more technicians, including a 150 percent increase in the number of Volvo master technicians. Service bay capacity has risen by 34 percent, while spare parts inventories are up 37 percent and the number of parts department employees has increased 68 percent.
“Uptime is an ongoing process of improvement that requires the diligence and commitment of our people and our dealers combined with our industry-leading products, services and technology,” Nyberg said. “The new Uptime Center is one more step in the quest to make Volvo’s trucks the most productive in the industry.”
Volvo Trucks’ new Uptime Center near the company’s North American headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina, brings together in one facility all the key resources needed to facilitate faster and more efficient handling of customers’ service needs to keep trucks moving.
Volvo Trucks North America’s operations and products are guided by the company’s three core values: Quality, Safety and Environmental Care. The Volvo VNM, VNL, VNX, VHD and VAH trucks are assembled in the United States at the New River Valley Plant in Dublin, Virginia, while Volvo engines for North America are assembled in Hagerstown, Maryland. The New River Valley Plant is certified to ISO50001 energy standards. Both plants are certified to ISO14001 environmental and ISO9001 quality standards.
The Volvo Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. The Volvo Group, which employs about 110,000 people, has production facilities in 18 countries and sells its products in more than 190 markets. In 2013, the Volvo Group’s sales amounted to $41.5 billion. The Volvo Group is a publicly-held company headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and are traded OTC in the U.S. For more information, please visit http://www.volvogroup.com/ or http://www.volvogroup.mobi/ if you are using your mobile phone.
Dec. 9, 2014
www.volvotrucks.us.com