AVB Servicers Earn Their Stripes … Online

ISM’s sophomore contingent hails virtual masterclass

By Alan Wolf, YSN

One of the many elements that makes ServiceSource unique within the appliance repair business is the Institute of Service Management (ISM). 

Designed with service department managers in mind, ISM is an intensive training program that can lead to BrandSource accreditation for the attendee and his or her company. In the process, service managers (as well as owners, office managers and warranty administrators) learn all the nuts and bolts of running a service department, from setting profitable service rates and optimizing department efficiency to technician recruitment, training and retention.

High Grades

In May, ServiceSource lead Paul MacDonald led his second annual ISM series and the first all-virtual sessions. And by all accounts, it was a smashing success.

First, let’s look at the numbers. May’s sophomore class enjoyed a pass rate of 100%, compared to an initial 50% pass rate (before re-tests) for last year’s group, all on the same curriculum.

Next, let’s hear from the attendees themselves. “I thoroughly enjoyed the training program,” said Eddie Jacobs, service manager of Keith’s Appliances, a member of AVB affiliate NEAG, with showrooms in Mystic and Norwich, Conn. “I have been a service manager with the company for five years and have been struggling to implement a lot of the initiatives that Paul was teaching.”

Jacobs continued, “Having a better perspective on how things work when it comes to managing a successful service department has given me a new sense of clarity in my role. I have a much stronger understanding of customer service principles and procedures [and] would highly recommend this training to all service management when building their service teams.”

What I Learned

For Ryan Hasselbring of Frank’s Appliance Center & Sleep Source in Bradley and Manteno, Ill., the most beneficial part of the training was learning how to “establish and maintain healthy but professional relationships between the service manager and the technicians as well as the customers, and why it’s so important to have a healthy work culture.”

ServiceSource’s Paul MacDonald leads the inaugural on-site ISM at Summit 2023.

Hasselbring, son-in-law of Frank’s owners Mark and JoAnne Keen, also lauded learning how to calculate the costs of doing business — including the true cost of running a service call — and the importance of first-time completions. “Learning these tools and being able to apply them to our own businesses will be incredibly advantageous,” he said. “We’ve already started talking about implementing some of the things I learned and tweaking the things we’ve been doing to be more profitable.”

But perhaps the most full-throated endorsement came from Zach Kelley, a recent addition to the service team at Lafferty’s Home Center in Texarkana, Tex. “The class was amazing, and Paul is a guru,” said Kelley, for whom appliance repair represents a new role. “My favorite part was being able to communicate with so many people from all over, all dealing with the same issues I see every day, and being able to get their different perspectives. 

“I absolutely would recommend [ISM] to anyone new to the industry or even someone new to service management,” he said.

Downplaying his own role in the leading the masterclass, MacDonald attributes much of ISM 2024’s achievements to its online-only format. “Virtual delivery was a success,” he said, citing the “more private environment” of the digital classroom, the more relaxed cadence of four 2 ½-hour sessions spread out over two weeks, and the intimacy afforded by the smaller, 20-attendee cutoff.

“I was really happy with the interaction,” MacDonald said. “Everyone knew each other’s names and people were comfortable with me.”

Head of the Class

MacDonald was also pleasantly surprised by the perfect pass rate given the breadth of the content, and the high grades that attendees garnered, including three who scored 93 each and graduated with honors. “I took the test and didn’t get 100, and I wrote the damn thing,” he laughed.

Like Hasselbring, MacDonald believes the one hour spent on employee relations, including how to build a supportive team, was particularly valuable for businesses — as are the mounted BrandSource certification plaques and stickers that graduates receive. “It means something to the customer walking in the door,” he said. “It makes the intangible tangible.”

Esprit de Corps

Beyond helping service operations become more efficient and profitable by sharing his knowledge and experience, MacDonald also hopes the ISM sessions will promote a comradery within the service ranks that’s comparable to what BrandSource members enjoy.

“My goal is to build a community of servicers — a peer network — where servicers support one another and help each other make informed decisions by sharing best practices,” he said.

Given the high grades given to ISM and its new virtual format, MacDonald hopes to bring the Zoom-based sessions back soon, perhaps as early as the fall. Stay tuned …

YSN publisher AVB BrandSource is the nation’s largest merchandising and marketing co-op for independent appliance, mattress, furniture and CE dealers.

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