The Unobvious Ones is a month-to-month take a look at movers and shakers who fly beneath the radar within the Canadian auto business.

ANDREW HARKNESS

UPHOLDING THE TWO ‘MAIN PILLARS’ OF RETAIL

When prospects go right into a Nissan or Infiniti dealership, they’ll anticipate a standardized facility and repair. Andrew Harkness, director of buyer high quality and vendor community growth for Nissan Canada, ensures that occurs.

“We’ve got two foremost pillars, one being the well being and well-being of the [dealer] community with facility picture, location, efficiency, their monetary efficiency. The opposite pillar is taking correct care of shoppers in gross sales and repair.”

Harkness directs a crew of 27 at Nissan’s head workplace in Mississauga, Ont., in addition to a area crew. He additionally manages the Nissan Canada name centre.

“A typical day is assembly internally with the groups for steering and route. I additionally evaluation the client high quality efficiency, evaluating buyer surveys and reviewing any buyer complaints to search for options.”

If a vendor is renovating a retailer, he ensures it meets the corporate’s picture and that it’s the precise measurement.

Harkness, 39, labored for Chrysler in Montreal as a district gross sales supervisor whereas he was incomes a level in advertising and marketing.

“They have been posting job boards by way of the college, and I cherished automobiles and thought I could possibly be good at this. I used to be bilingual they usually took an opportunity on me.

The day I graduated in 2008, my supervisor mentioned, ‘We’re transferring you to Vancouver.’”

Then the monetary disaster hit. Harkness took voluntary termination and have become a district gross sales supervisor with Honda. In 2011, he started with Nissan in Vancouver as a area consultant, and thru transfers and promotions, moved to Ontario in 2019 as director of after-sales and high quality assurance. He took his present position in 2022.

“The problem is discovering a path that’s sustainable for us and the sellers, with the rising prices for building and discovering manpower. It’s necessary to convey the sellers with us so we’re sustainable collectively.”

LISA PHILLIPS

TAKING THE CLASSROOM TO DEALERSHIPS ACROSS CANADA

Volvo sellers look to the automaker for coaching and to get the instruments wanted to optimize their prospects’ buying and repair expertise.

“On the technical aspect, it’s the mechanics of our merchandise for the technicians,” mentioned Lisa Phillips, director of buyer expertise at Volvo Automotive Canada. On the nontech aspect, she mentioned, it’s product coaching and buyer expertise coaching for service advisers, gross sales and F&I.

Phillips leads a crew of seven at Volvo’s Richmond Hill, Ont., head workplace, which incorporates two product trainers who go to dealerships throughout the nation.

“Numerous [automakers] solely go into school rooms, however we additionally go into the shops and work [with dealership staff] as a crew.” Phillips is a local of England and her first job was within the name centre of the Royal Vehicle Membership’s roadside help.

She started working at BMW 11 years later as a quality-management coach for sellers, and in 2003 she was transferred to BMW in Canada. She joined Volvo in her present place in early 2020.

“We attempt to get insights from prospects at each touchpoint, with out overkilling them with surveys,” she mentioned.

“On a typical day I’m directing the crew on our key buyer expertise initiatives and applications. It’s lots of on-line and in-person conferences and I’m going into the shops once I can.”

It’s top-of-the-line instances to be in automotive, she mentioned.

“We’re making it extra clear, attempting to create easy transactions and personalizing the expertise so the client feels valued and revered.”

Phillips goals for a “seamless expertise between on-line and the shop, between the automotive buy and aftermarket merchandise, and between reserving [vehicle] service and the cost and pickup.”

She mentioned automotive shopping for and servicing ought to be “pleasurable.”