NIRVC: Revolutionizing Motorhome Service

[redbaron]

Brett Davis just posted on IRV2 this message as it relates to their new service. Very exciting news.

I’m frequently asked by our customers, rally attendees, and IRV2 members about our new service system. This is a system our IT department has been developing for a couple of years now, and will give the coach owner complete transparency into the repair process of their coach. The coach owner will know exactly what we know, at the very instant we know it, and the very individual who communicated the information.

Wil_H recently asked me about this question in post #78 in the thread titled “American Coach and NIRVC” here in the Entegra Forum:

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f2...irvc-545340-2.html#post5976518.

Up until now I have posted my responses relating to our new service system in the threads, and in the forums they were asked in. I suspect in the coming months there will be many more inquiries as we start rolling our new system out next year. Hence, I’m starting this thread in hopes of funneling all future inquires, thoughts, and comments regarding our undertaking to this thread. I will also use this thread to make future updates as our new system take shape, and goes live early next year.

Greetings Wil_H,

Let me start by apologizing for my tardy reply. I’m currently in Hawaii on a family vacation with some of my children and grandchildren, so I’m running behind on everything! Including my IRV2 reading.

Wil_H, this is both a difficult, and a painful post for me to respond to. You asked me a very direct question, and please believe me, I’d love to give you a very direct answer. Unfortunately, at this time I simply can’t. However, I’ll do my best to “dance around the bush” here, and see if I can’t give you a little more color.

As I’ve mentioned prior posts and rallies, our Warranty Ratings system is complete. We had planned to go live with our Warranty Ratings on 7/1/21. So, in anticipation of “flipping the switch” on 7/1/21, we did share our ratings with our manufacturers about five months ago, and both their reactions and emotions ran the gamut. As a result, we agreed not to go live with our Warranty Ratings system until our IT department started rolling out our new service system (and app) in Q1 2022. In turn, each manufacturer was going to work on varying lists of action items in order to improve their results and ratings. Unfortunately, in order for me to keep my word, and hold up my end of the bargain, I can’t name names just yet. But… I do feel on an anonymous basis, I can share one of the unexpected positives from one of our manufacturers.

While this is not an inexpensive endeavor, nor is it a small undertaking, our goal, our mission, has been from the very beginning to try and bring the “automotive service” experience to motorhomes. Trust me, I’m under no illusion we won’t have our fair share of bugs and SNAFUs to contend with when we start rolling our new system out, but I did want to restate our mission to put into context what this one manufacturer is doing. And, hopefully it will only take one manufacturer, when coupled with the power of coach owners voting with their wallets, to force other manufacturers to follow suit. Our company has already placed its bet, and we did so banking on the power of the marketplace and competition.

At the risk of repeating any prior posts, we do have one large manufacturer who said “they are all in!” And, here’s what they meant by “all in”:

1. No more authorizations.

2. They will stock their 200 to 300 fastest turning parts at each one of our locations. The stocking level at each location is determined by the historical mix of the models we sell and service at each of our locations.

3. The larger, slower turning, more expensive parts will be housed at our Texas facility where Southwest Airlines has multiple flights everyday to each one of our locations. Naturally, there will be limits to what we will stock. For example, given the amount of customization in both the size and fabrics used, we won’t be able to stock furniture. Excluding these exceptions, our goal is to have every part where it’s needed in under 24 hours.

4. The manufacturer would relocate one of their senior service personnel to be based at our Texas facility, but travel to all our locations in order cut through any friction we may encounter with any supplier.

Bottom line, it’s “automotive type service!” The coach gets diagnosed, and repaired with parts onsite! Gone would be the need for authorizations. Gone would be the need for an approval before ordering parts. Gone would be the delay in shipping parts by ground. And, the list goes on, and on.

So, what’s been the progress with this manufacturer over the past five months? For this industry, I believe they’re moving at warp speed. Here’s an interim status report:

#1. We’ve completed a 60 day trial with no authorizations, and the results exceeded both our’s and our manufacturer’s expectations.

#2 & #3 The manufacturer’s Executive Team will be making a decision this coming week on whether their parts stored at our locations will be tracked as an extension of their IT system, or if they will have us maintain and track their inventory on our system. Once their decision is made this coming week, I expect the pulling, ordering, and packaging of parts for delivery to our locations to begin. Hopefully, we will be at full stocking levels by the time we roll our new service system out.

#4. The manufacturer’s service employee has relocated to Texas, and started working out of our Texas facility on November 1st.

We will be employing transparency with the hopes of changing, or even eliminating a mountain of traditions, and processes, which are as old as the industry itself. And, we are attempting to do so with a new, untested, proprietarily developed, enterprise wide piece of software. Ha, what could possibly go wrong?! One thing is for sure… whatever busts, bugs, SNAFU’s, or dropped balls we encounter, they will all be done so in broad daylight. There will be no place for anyone to hide, including ourselves. But, hopefully, in a year or two from now, coach owners will be able to experience “automotive type” service with their coaches.

Onward,

Brett

 

[Chargerman]

Amazing!!! What a forward thinker. He and his company are truly going to revolutionize the industry. Although I am not a customer of NIRVC.....yet. I thank you Brett and Company for your great work!

 

[MapNerd]

I wager that all-in manufacturer is Newmar. I think so because when setting up our appointment at NIRVC to have some issues addresses under Warranty, the Newmar rep I was working with inadvertently let slip to me that they were beginning to stock parts at NIRVC and push customers towards NIRVC with less focus on the service center post 1-year.

 

[Jabber Jaw]

When implemented, this will change the entire SERVICE" related to the RV Industry! Especially Class "A" Coaches!
Best of luck Brett!

 

[Old Bubblehead]

Brett is a force of nature! When he can't find what he wants he creates it. Incredible!

He will be the first to tell us that they are a work in progress and not yet where he wants to take NIRVC. Will be fun to watch him revolutionize the Industry.

I have a perverse satisfaction in knowing there are a bunch of RV corporate leaders that feel gut punched and are likely struggling to recover. Welcome to our world. Now they can see all the window dressing they have been getting on quality and customer satisfaction isn't worth the power point is was fabricated in.

Go Brett Go!

 

[redbaron]

I personally am very excited about this news. @Brett Davis and @NIRVC have done so much to help this industry already. With this news of the new focus for service, I have no reservations about doing a dealer delivery for my London Aire.

 

[FLSteve]

I personally am very excited about this news. @Brett Davis and @NIRVC have done so much to help this industry already. With this news of the new focus for service, I have no reservations about doing a dealer delivery for my London Aire.

I second @redbaron 's thoughts. Sure glad I have a coach on order with NIRVC Atlanta. Thank you @Brett Davis and @NIRVC

The only better news would be if NIRVC would open a new deanship in Southwest Florida!

FLSteve

 

[J&JD]

I second @redbaron 's thoughts. Sure glad I have a coach on order with NIRVC Atlanta. Thank you @Brett Davis and @NIRVC

The only better news would be if NIRVC would open a new deanship in Southwest Florida!

FLSteve

We would love to see one in the area around Sacramento, Ca. The land is reasonable there. There is already an excellent Oasis Freightliner service center there that actually makes appointments! We would be all set???Judy

 

[MapNerd]

I have a feeling they won't stop expanding for some time to come. I'm sure they'll end up in FL at some point.