KOI-Federated Cavalcade of Customs to Offer Wide Range of Training Seminars for Service Techs, Shop Owners

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KOI-Federated Cavalcade of Customs to Offer Wide Range of Training Seminars for Service Techs, Shop Owners

Larry Pavey, CEO of the Automotive Parts Services Group and president of Federated Auto Parts, will be the featured speaker at the VIP event for shop owners on Jan. 12.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
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The KOI Auto Parts-Federated Cavalcade of Customs is going to be bigger than ever, with more training for professional service technicians as well as a wide array of shop management seminars.

The 59th annual event, scheduled for Jan. 11-13 at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, also will feature one of the nation’s best custom-car shows, according to the show organizers.

“We have expanded our training expo at the Cavalcade to include more classes for service techs and body shop personnel, plus we have added a VIP event for top customers where they will hear from some of the industry’s leading experts,” said Dave Wesselman, vice president of KOI region. “Last year we set a record for the number of training classes and participants and we expect to surpass both those amounts in January. We also anticipate that our student day will be our biggest one yet. I want to thank all the people at KOI, Fisher and Federated who help make the Cavalcade such a huge success.”

Larry Pavey, CEO of the Automotive Parts Services Group and president of Federated Auto Parts, will be the featured speaker at the VIP event for shop owners on Jan. 12. Also speaking at the event are Bill Haas of The Group Training Academy and Bill Wrubel of Identifix, who will give a presentation on Identifix’s online Direct-Hit system, Repair Hotline service and Direct-Shop shop management system.

“Larry Pavey is back by popular demand as his state-of-the industry talk is always incredibly well-received by our shop-owner customers,” said Wesselman. “Bill Haas and Bill Wrubel are two of the most respected experts in the industry, so our shop owner event is something that should not be missed.”

On the opening day of the show, KOI will host its annual Student Day. Approximately 300 students from local high schools, adult education programs and colleges will have the opportunity to attend a morning session, where they will hear testimonial presentations from successful auto care professionals. The balance of the day will be spent at the car show before it opens to the public.

As part of the training expo, nearly 50 Federated/KOI vendor partners will participate in a booth show, displaying products and answering questions for attendees. Participants also can get an update on new product offerings and current product lines. Training for service technicians, body shop personnel and shop employees will be available, as well as additional courses for shop owners and decision makers. To learn more, visit https://www.koiautoparts.com/cavalcade/training-expo-info.html.

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Customer Service: How It’s Done

Customer service should be your number one priority, and it all starts with the greeting.

Eric Garbe
By Eric Garbe
Eric Garbe is a graduate of Columbus State Community College with a degree in Automotive Maintenance Technology. He has extensive independent and dealership field experience as a technician and shop owner and is an ASE Certified Master Technician and former Adjunct Automotive Professor. He has been professionally writing automotive technical articles and documents for many years and in his free time enjoys restoring old cars and creating custom interiors and upholstery.
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This is always an important topic to discuss, because I consider excellent customer service one of the most important tools you can have to earn trust, respect and repeat business from the customers that come through your door. Whether that customer is do-it-yourselfer from across town or the professional repair shop across the street, your business depends on a solid relationship.It’s a subject that I am passionate about, and it’s one that many people are losing touch with. Whether you are communicating to someone in person, on the phone or using some type of social media, good customer service and bad can both exist. You can’t afford the latter, so this is the first in a series of topics which can and should be shared from the front of the shop to the back. No matter which role you hold, you represent the shop and yourself. Customer service should be your number one priority.First on the list is the greeting. From the second a customer walks in the door, they need to know you appreciate them coming in and how important they are to your business. First impressions are everything and here’s the correct way to do it each and every time: look them directly in the eye, smile and say hello!Of course, you can say “Good morning” or “Welcome to Joe’s Autocare,” but it should be a formal greeting and the most important thing is that you have smiled, looked them in the eye and recognized that they have walked through the door.You should always retain a formal greeting until you are on a first-name basis with a customer. Only once you have established that level of relationship is it OK to use the less formal greeting of “Hi,” followed by the person’s name.This greeting does more than just indicate respect and appreciation for someone walking through the door. Most likely there are customers both new and old who are in earshot of your conversation. For newer customers, this continues to build rapport and reinforce their positive view of your shop; they see that you demonstrate respect and treat everyone in the same manner. For repeat customers, even ones that have been coming for years, the greeting is important because the way you treat them is the reason they continue to come.And when a long-time customer comes in and you greet them with “Hi [First Name],” this indicates your appreciation for them and that you’re glad to see them as a person, more than just a customer. New customers that witness this will see that your repeat customers are comfortable enough to be on a first-name basis, another indication of the trust they have in you.

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