Artificial Intelligence – AI and Learning Without Scars

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Artificial Intelligence – AI and Learning Without Scars

At Learning Without Scars, we are usually ahead of the curve when it comes to technology. Our curriculum designer, Caroline Slee-Poulos, likes to joke that we were on Zoom before it was “cool.” When it comes to AI, the situation is the same. Ron Slee is giving an update this week on all things LWS with, “Artificial Intelligence – AI and Learning Without Scars.”

In our July 1st, 2024, Newsletter Ross Atkinson told us about how we have been using AI and where it will take us with this wonderful advancement in technology. As with most technological changes they create Paradigm Shifts. Methods and Policies and Systems must change. Sara Hanks eloquently covers Continuous Improvement for us through her blogs and podcasts. If you have read her blogs or listened to her podcasts, well, you don’t know what you are missing. 

www.learningwithoutscars.com

I wanted to talk to you with this blog about how at Learning Without Scars (LWS) our goal is to provide the industries we serve with a platform of information. That is what we attempt to provide under our Resources tab. There you will find our blogs, podcasts, newsletter, reading lists and today I am pleased to share with you a new option – Film Clips. More on that shortly.

At our core, our purpose with the company is that we are a School. We offer more than seventy academic credits at Technical Schools, Community Colleges and Public and Private Universities worldwide. We are the only IACET accredited business in our industry. We are enormously proud to have this status for our students, Centers of Excellence, Industry Associations, and Original Equipment Manufacturers.

One of the most important aspects of our school is our Job Function Skills Assessments (CSA’s). We have created very comprehensive multiple-choice assessments to measure the skills and knowledge of the employees doing the work for dealers, distributors, associations, and manufacturers.

One more thing, before I get into AI. In the last couple of weeks, a new font has been created to help people with Dyslexia to be able to read written documents and books like a more traditional person. This to me is a HUGE development. As time permits, we will address this font for our learning material.

Artificial Intelligence – AI.

It is becoming the latest craze, almost a fad. Believe me when I tell you it is not a fad. It is here to stay and will continue to evolve in ways that we can only imagine.

ChatGPT is very new. It was created by an artificial intelligence company in 2022. Perhaps as old as two years. We are now at ChatGPT 4o. OpenAI was a research company started as a non-for-profit in 2015 and changed to for-profit in 2019. There is still a free version as well as a premium version that you purchase.

At LWS we use AI in a variety of ways. We convert word documents to audio tracks; we use it to translate from one language to another. That works for one-hundred and thirty different languages. We use it to create subtitles that allows us to be in compliance with the American with Disabilities (ADA) compliant. We use it to provide transcriptions of our podcast and create social media pieces. We use it to create avatars, what we call “HUMANARS.” ( a word we have coined)

Ross Atkinson, who directs us in all aspects of technology, keeps us out on the leading edge of technology for the education world. He is truly an indispensable part of our present and future. 

Our use of Humanars is expanding.

We create film clips for social media. Ross created an entry point on our website this past weekend. We primarily intended humanars for our classes. Caroline Slee-Poulos, my incredibly talented daughter, coordinates everything we do from a learning perspective, our accreditation, our learning management software, our reporting and commercial interfaces. She has an extremely critical function to perform for us. Without her I don’t think I would have been able to transition our learning products from me being the “Sage of the Stage” teacher in front of a class to all products completely on the internet.

Our classes are undergoing a complete redo. We have had the two foundations of teaching in place since the beginning: Lectures and Homework. We have followed traditional education parameters for every hour of lectures the class has two hours of homework. In fact, we exceed that and always have. Check out our reading List on the website.

Each adult education and workforce development class consist of about twenty segments, they average about fifteen minutes each. Each segment is presented by humanars. Our humanars are male and female of varying ages and from various regions of the world as represented by the Olympic Rings. We have a pretest, to measure skills and knowledge at the outset of the class and a final assessment. Each class also includes surveys to obtain student evaluations of the classes as well as suggestions for improvement. as well as a few surveys. Each segment ends with a quiz. At the conclusion of our classes the student will have a very comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. We call all our classes Subject Specific Classes.

Now I would like to introduce you to a new member of our team. Joudeb Chakrboty, Co-founder of Virtualess IT is now driving all our social media. He is evaluating everything we do on the social media front, and we welcome him to LWS. He has asked me to provide him with five blogs a week and two film clips a week. (Note: As if I needed more work.)

So, at LWS we are becoming more and more influenced by AI. 

And don’t forget CoPilot, from Microsoft or Claude, created by Anthropic. Or there is Gemini from Google or Meta AI from Facebook. The space is getting crowded.

The world keeps changing. Adapt and adjust or be left behind.

The Time is Now.

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Data Security and Your Business

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Data Security and Your Business

This week, Ron Slee returns with new blogs. This piece is a continuation of a podcast episode with Mets Kramer and Stephanie Smith, talking about data security and its crucial role in your business.

In our recent podcast, we delved into the intricate world of data security, modern business practices, and effective marketing strategies. Our expert guests, Stephanie Smith, and Mets Kramer, offer invaluable insights into the alarming frequency of cyber breaches in the U.S. and how businesses can counteract them. 

The discussion begins with an exploration of data security, highlighting the critical role of daily backups using Azure’s SQL database in maintaining operational continuity during cyber incidents. We also demystify cloud data storage and the intricacies of modern cloud infrastructure, ensuring businesses are well-equipped to fend off digital threats.

Stephanie and Mets underscore the importance of understanding cybersecurity impacts across various industries. They share that in the United States, cyber incidents occur about 2,200 times a day, making robust data protection an essential component of business strategy. They emphasize the need for clear communication and education within the industry to help businesses safeguard their systems and leverage their data effectively. Mets explains how Azure’s SQL database can provide daily backups, offering operational continuity even during cyber incidents. This approach is crucial for businesses that rely heavily on data to function.

The conversation shifts to modern security practices that every dealership should adopt. Advanced technologies such as containerization and the essential role of AI in monitoring interactions are discussed in detail. These technologies make it increasingly difficult for hackers to penetrate systems, ensuring that businesses remain secure. The episode also proposes an innovative idea: a certification for dealerships that meet high security standards. This certification could serve as both a marketing tool and a benchmark for excellence in an industry often slow to embrace new tech.

The episode further explores the challenges of the modern workplace and the effective marketing strategies needed to retain customers and drive business success. Understanding diverse workforce demographics and the need for meaningful work, especially for younger employees, is crucial. Stephanie shares impactful stories from companies like Toromont, illustrating how embedding knowledgeable developers within business units can revolutionize tech solutions. This approach fosters better communication and understanding between developers and end-users, leading to more relevant and impactful technological solutions.

Customer retention is another critical focus of the episode. Data analytics plays a significant role in maintaining business relationships. The discussion highlights how quickly customers switch providers if their needs aren’t met and emphasizes the necessity of tracking buying habits to preempt potential defections. Using daily data analysis, businesses can monitor customer behavior and implement timely interventions. Modern software and AI can automate these processes, ensuring prompt responses to changing patterns and ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction.

Marketing strategies are also a key topic of discussion. The episode emphasizes that marketing is not merely a cost center but a critical component of driving ROI. Adaptability, internal marketing, and having the right partners and technology officers in place are highlighted as essential elements for successful marketing. The importance of fostering an environment where employees feel empowered to voice their opinions and engage in constructive debates to reach the best decisions is also stressed. The episode shares an anecdote about Lou Gerstner’s impactful leadership approach at IBM, underscoring the significance of knowing and prioritizing key customers.

Finally, the episode addresses the role of parts and service in covering the overhead expenses of dealerships. Better post-purchase workflows, such as automating customer reminders and services, are essential for enhancing customer satisfaction and driving business success. Leveraging CRM systems to predict maintenance needs and automate reminders can significantly improve efficiency. The potential of QR codes and barcodes for seamless scheduling and parts ordering is also discussed. The episode encourages businesses to embrace change and stay curious to keep up with the rapidly evolving landscape of technology and marketing.

In summary, this episode offers a comprehensive guide to safeguarding your business in the digital age. From data security and modern security practices to effective marketing strategies and customer retention, the insights provided by Stephanie and Mets are invaluable for any business looking to thrive in today’s competitive environment. Tune in to gain a wealth of knowledge that promises to propel your business forward.

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Is cyber security insurance trucking’s next big premium?

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“Is cyber security insurance trucking’s next big premium?”

In keeping with our theme of cybersecurity, we present an article by Kevin Williams as he takes a look at the future in “Is cyber security insurance trucking’s next big premium?”

Candace Marley is an owner-operator in Iowa with more than a decade of experience on the road. The thought that most rigs are giant computers on wheels isn’t far from her mind and, like many truckers, the risk of being hacked is in the mix of the myriad of concerns a driver has to worry about on each run. But between uptime to traffic jams, cybersecurity is not the highest worry on her list.

“It’s a concern. My truck has a lot of computer stuff in it, but I stay away from the trucks with the more advanced computer interfaces,” Marley said of her 2020 Peterbilt 579.

An entire industry exists to help fleets mitigate financial risks from everything to accidents to tornadoes, but cybersecurity insurance isn’t at the top of her mind, and it isn’t with many other truckers.

“I have never heard of it for trucking,” Marley said.

Cybersecurity insurance is a topic of increasing interest in the trucking community, and small fleets and owner-operators like Marley may stand to benefit the most, according to National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) COO Joe Ohr. NMFTA doesn’t take a position on whether motor carriers should carry cybersecurity insurance, but it does help those in the industry weigh the pros and cons.

“What are the payouts and what are the potential losses? And does the insurance make sense for me? But especially for the smaller companies and independents, the payout is usually more attractive because the loss of business is a higher percent versus the premiums,” Ohr said, adding that for larger companies, the potential payout may not be worth the premiums, but that is something each entity has to weigh. Ohr and NMFTA recommend creating a “risk register” of what the potential damages would be in the event of cyber-shutdown versus the insurance costs.

The biggest threat is not inside the cab.

While many trucking and cybersecurity insurance discussions have centered around dramatic hypotheticals like a rig’s components being hijacked, the reality is more mundane. Ohr says the most likely trucking hack isn’t in the rig; it’s in the office. A hack of office computers can stop trucks as dramatically as a brake hack. and while big trucking company offices have indeed been hacked, owner-operators and small fleet offices are just as susceptible, Ohr said. 

Tim Francis, a vice president at Travelers and the company’s enterprise cyber lead, noted cyber criminals don’t always target specific industries. They seek network vulnerabilities, so any trucking company that relies on computers to do its business could be at risk of suffering a costly cyber event if appropriate mitigation efforts aren’t taken.

While rigs haven’t been in hackers’ crosshairs so far, that doesn’t mean organizations like NMFTA aren’t concerned about potential threats. “We know through academia it is possible. We know it is possible because everything is computerized,” Ohr said. So, the NMFTA is working with stakeholders to close potential truck vulnerabilities.

“Trucks have over 100 connection points, so they are offices on wheels,” Ohr says.

While there aren’t specific cyber policies for trucking, there are more trucking-friendly policies. Experts say the increasing discussion about cybersecurity insurance in trucking circles is good, even if it isn’t for every enterprise.

Ohr also said another area where cybersecurity insurance can come into play is cargo theft, where many heists have their origins online through website spoofing, phishing and lookalike domains.

David Nihart, CEO of Nihart Transportation, a small fleet in Wilmington, Ohio, is a contractor for Landstar. He agrees the most significant cyber threats at the moment are thefts. However, he said Landstar’s team protects his computer systems. 

“I think today the biggest threat is scam brokers. There are a lot of scams being run online that look legitimate,” Nihart said.

An evolving market

Scott Kannry, co-founder and CEO of SaaS provider of cyber risk management Axio, said commercial trucking enterprises should consider cyber insurance, but it’s a nuanced consideration. He said the most valuable coverage would be the type that could close cyber exclusions in commercial auto and liability policies, which would otherwise pay out if a trucking accident caused property damage, bodily injury or death.

Kannry said the market is just starting to catch up to the cybersecurity dangers of trucking.]

“It’s very clear that the insurance market is starting to understand this risk, with new coverage types on the drawing board. But before a commercial trucking company just jumps in and starts down the coverage process, it would be prudent to understand their realistic cyber loss scenarios,” Kannry said. That goes back to creating the risk registry that NMFTA recommends.

From there, Keanry said, the boundaries of existing insurance policies should be established, especially on the property and casualty front.

“That knowledge would then allow the company or independent operator to obtain a more appropriately designed cyber insurance policy that would actually work for them if needed,” Kannry said.

Adam Wingfield, founder and managing director of trucking consultancy Innovative Logistics Group, said multiple factors must be considered when deciding whether to incorporate additional insurance.

“Operating ratios with small fleets are already high, and the threat looms with additional liability limit increasing,” Wingfield said, pointing to New Jersey’s recent $1.5 million insurance implementation for heavy-duty trucks. “Most fleets in the U.S. – 92% – have less than 10 trucks. These smaller fleets aren’t able to self-insure themselves like larger companies, for example, and this leads to more of a financial burden.

For smaller companies with tight budgets, “the juice might not be worth the squeeze,” he added.

Trucking unprepared

Francis said that transportation companies should take appropriate steps and be prepared for a cyber event, but according to Travelers, less than half of transportation businesses (48%) have purchased cybersecurity insurance, and even fewer have identified vulnerabilities in their systems.

Aside from being unfamiliar with cyber insurance availability, another reason fleets don’t invest in it is that those policies are not universally available. Doug Heavener, director of marketing for 1st Guard – one of the largest trucking-specific insurance companies in the country – said his company doesn’t offer specific cybersecurity insurance, rather focusing on focuses on trucks’ core needs, like towing, damage, theft and such. Like others, he said it may take an unfortunate incident like a truck’s GPS being hacked and causing a crash or some other malicious event for the topic to reach critical mass.

Cybersecurity insurance policy prices can vary depending on the size of the company and coverage, but according to Fitch Ratings, prices for the product have stabilized.  But the insurance is still a work in progress and the conversations within trucking circles are just starting.  

Kevin Williams is a journalist based in Ohio who regularly covers real estate, business, politics, tech, and breaking news for The New York Times, Washington Post and CNBC. Before that, he covered the Midwest for Al-Jazeera America. Williams also covers cybersecurity for Barracuda Networks and has written about the freight sector for Mack Truck’s Bulldog Magazine.

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The Future of Strategies: Fusion

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The Future of Strategies: Fusion

This week, our Founder Ron Slee is writing about “The Future of Strategies: Fusion,” inspired by his ongoing reading and research into the methods AI might bring to our workforce.

For many of us strategy is a nice word but doesn’t really apply to us. As more time passes and technology continues to advance at a pace that seems incomprehensible, I am seriously changing my mind.

Consider if you will the following examples of disruptions in the marketplace.

Uber analyzes data on more than twenty-five billion rides. Taxi companies don’t.

Netflix tracks people’s viewing preferences by the second. Cable and TV don’t.

Airbnb tracks where, when, and how long travelers stay and what they do and prefer. Hotels don’t.

What about you?

You have telematics and sensors. You have purchase data on what your customers buy and what they don’t buy. You know at what rate your customer stops buying from you. You have customer buying habits. Frequencies and dollar values. So, what do you do with all that data? Do you have employees who analyze and report back their findings? Do you act on those findings? 

The change here is not in the equipment anymore. We have seen unbelievably rapid changes in the capital goods industries, in the machines, over the past two decades. Now, however, it is not about the machine. It is about merging all the data you own in your business with AI. By itself this is aa monumental shift. And this is only the beginning. The competitive advantage is changing. The rewards are going to businesses that have real-time analytics not those that have the most valuable physical assets. 

This is where fusion comes into play. This is what is going to change the business models we have depended on for the past fifty years. The change in the business model will accelerate strategic thinking. It will allow you to evaluate the relationships that you have with each customer. After all we are in a relationship business. My changing my mind reflects my belief that companies will either adapt and adjust to this way of thinking and achieve incredible growth in value. Of they will be left behind and, in many cases, simply disappear.

In a recent book I read, “Fusion Strategy,” they introduce a thing called “Datagraphs.”

A Datagraph captures the relationships, the links, and the interrelationships between the supplier and the consumer. They are the basic building blocks of the fusion strategy. The concept of a datagraph came from social networks and graph theory but it required Artifical Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) before it could become widely used. The datagraph gets smarter over time. It becomes better as the data becomes more widespread and better defined. This creates an advantage that I think you can see. That datagraph advantage redefines scale and scope. The very foundation of strategy.

Many of you are familiar with my belief that most people are linear thinkers. They proceed through life with a “if this is done this happens.” The world requires us to be geometric thinkers, there is more than one option in every situation. In the linear world business expanded their scale of operations by increasing sales. It was based on the company’s ability to access physical and human and financial capital. Essentially the barrier to entry into any market was financial. 

Datagraph leaders are not concerned with absolute numbers, they want details. There lies the difference. You must accept that you don’t know what you don’t know. You won’t know until you get details at every level.

This presents us with a rather clear warning. Datagraph insights allow datagraph businesses to expand and grow. It is time for our capital goods industries to recognize this and adapt.

This is the challenge of AI. We can find out many things. However, you must know what question to ask. There is the sticking point. Who knows what questions to ask? Who knows what Datagraphs you need to develop? Let’s start at the beginning.

With Datagraphs we can understand what happened. So that is the WHAT. Next, we must figure out the more puzzling question. WHY. 

This is a brief overview of what is coming to you. It is here now for many. We are confronted with the arrival of a new business model. That alone will be a rather large challenge. We are going to have to be much “smarter” in how we look at our businesses. It is no longer about improving the process and making more money. It is about serious analyses – descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive. We will be covering this more in the coming months.

The Time is Now.

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How To Improve Customer Retention

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How To Improve Customer Retention

This week, guest writers Steve Clegg and Debbie Frakes talk with readers about how to improve customer retention. This is one of the best ways to build successes: keep the customers you already have!

Retention is critical for the long-term success of any business. It’s crucial because it is far less expensive to keep your existing customers than to acquire new ones, and customers will buy more products and purchase more often from you the longer they work with you. Zintoro business analytics will tell you what your overall retention rate is and if you are in danger of losing specific at-risk customers. Armed with that information, you can take the right steps to ensure they keep working with you. 

Why customers leave you. 

Customers will stop working with you for any number of different reasons. But the primary cause is mismanaging their expectations and not keeping them proactively informed of good and bad news. The second most common reason that a customer leaves a business is a change in the employee contact or the customer contact. The third cause is having employees that are not adequately trained or knowledgeable of your products and services. Despite popular belief, price is not typically the thing that drives customers away. In fact, on the list of most common reasons, price is usually fifth or sixth. 

There are several strategies you can implement to retain more customers over the long term. In this article, we’ll look at what they are and how Zintoro helps you put them into practice.

Retain more customers with Zintoro and their partners. 

Offer exceptional customers service. 

The key to providing excellent service is understanding customer expectations and being responsive to their questions and concerns. Your team should be proactive and reach out to customers before they contact you in order to answer the questions you anticipate them asking. 

Zintoro uses Winsby Inc.’s customer satisfaction and benchmark survey programs to determine your customers’ expectations and any issues they are having. Your team can then act on this information. For employee customer service training, Zintoro relies on Ron Slee’s Learning without Scars’ online and in person training programs.

Personalize the customer experience. 

Zintoro AI tracks each customer to determine their next purchase, what industry, and market they are in, and whether they are at risk of being lost. Using that information, your sales team can personalize customer interactions and tailor offers and recommend services to meet their needs, based on their past purchases and preferences. Zintoro also works with Winsby Inc. to keep your master lists up to date with the correct contacts, phone numbers, and email addresses, as well as to segment your lists and tailor messaging to specific groups. 

Build strong relationships with consistent communication. 

Improving customer retention depends on engaging with your customers and supporting them beyond the point of sale. Zintoro can help in several different ways: 

  • Provide the customer purchase data you need to reward long term customers with discounts, exclusive offers, or special access. 
  • Create and distribute high engagement emails, blogs, newsletters, and social media content through our partner, Winsby Inc. 
  • Zintoro works with most CRM systems to integrate analytics data with your sales and marketing messaging. They have found that Constant Contact’s Sharpspring CRM program supported by ClearTail marketing is one of the best because it is easy to use, automates much of the sales and email process, tracks customized information to help the customer experience and sends scored sales leads to your sales team. 

Collect and act on feedback!

The key to understanding your customer expectations and issues is to regularly ask for feedback. Implementing customer satisfaction surveys from our partner, Winsby Inc., provides insights into how customers feel about your company and how well you provide for their needs. You’ll discover issues with your sales process, products, and other aspects of your business before they turn into major problems and customers leave you for the competition. 

Know the signs that a customer may leave. 

Zintoro tracks the products, frequency, and consistency of customer purchases to identify who is at risk. Your sales team can then act on that information and reach out to those customers, ask about their needs, and even provide a special offer or other incentive to encourage them to stay with you. 

Highlight social proof and testimonials. 

Showcasing positive customer experiences in your emails and on your website helps you convert more prospects and keep your existing customers. Zintoro AI tracks the online customer satisfaction scores, and Winsby Inc. posts your verified customer reviews online and on your website.

Zintoro is the key piece of the puzzle for customer retention. 

Increasing retention is an ongoing process. By consistently providing value, personalization, and outstanding service, you can build long lasting relationships with your customers and increase their loyalty to your brand. Zintoro provides the data and information you need to understand your customers, and our partners give you the tools required to retain them and grow your sales. 

Schedule a Zintoro demo to find out how they boost your customer retention, track, and accurately forecast business performance, and determine the ROI for your marketing and customer satisfaction efforts.

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Strategic Partners in Employee Development

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Strategic Partners in Employee Development

Ron Slee makes an important announcement in his blog post, “Strategic Partners in Employee Development.”

An important step in the employee training world is taking place. Learning Without Scars is joining into a Strategic Partnership with four other businesses involved in employee development and training.

The McDonald Group, Inc.

Over the past four decades of collaborating with dealer management teams to help them improve profitability, market share, cash flow, and customer retention Walter McDonald has built a series of powerful learning tools. The focus of the McDonald Group is on working with and coaching dealer leadership teams worldwide to build their knowledge and skills on how to employ world-class best practices and achieve high-profit dealer benchmark performance levels The Group has recently published their 10-volume Master’s Program in Dealer Management book set. McDonaldGroupinc.com 

Winsbyinc.com. 

Winsby offers machinery dealer marketing services that work. They will build your customer email lists, create, and send effective emails, conduct customer satisfaction surveys, manage your website, and produce all the creative. The results of their work are phenomenal: customer retention is 30% higher, customer spending increases 2-3 times and customer purchase frequency increases 2-3 times. Contact Debbie Frakes, Managing Director, Winsby, Inc. 312-870-5678, dfrakes@winsbyinc.com.

HIVEQR.com. 

HIVE Quick Response. First-trip service job completion is essential for improved customer satisfaction and technician productivity. The HIVE quick response system starts with placing encrypted decals with unique identifiers on each piece of equipment. These include model and serial numbers, GPS location, and other vital information. In 45 seconds, a service request can be submitted and your team will have all the vital information they need from the start. No more spending countless hours on the phone tracking down information and no more frustrated customers stuck waiting on hold. Results? 60% increase in first-time completion. 200% reduction on follow-up phone calls. Fifteen percent increase in technician utilization. 100% accurate equipment information. Contact: Steve Ross, President, HIVEQR, 407-234-4150. Steve.ross@hiveqr.com. 

LearningWithoutScars.com. 

For Dealers in need of job function-based online training classes, seminars, and webinars, LWS has developed an extensive catalog of relevant classes and job function training. LWS supports six distinct PartsDepartment employee categories with 36 individual courses and six Service Department positions with 36 individual courses. Overall LSW has eighteen job function skills assessments and 108 subject-specific classes available today. I highly recommend Ron Slee and his team for his highly popular dealer training resources. Contact: Ron Slee, 760-413-0708, ron@learningwithoutscars.com

BCAKC.com. 

For manufacturers interested in customized support for dealer service and parts department training programs, Burgio, Cooney & Associates offers facilitator-led workshops, interactive web-based training, self-study workbooks, and video technologies. BCA designs gap assessments, curriculum development, training material production, and expert delivery. The BCA team members are experts in training—sales and customer service, technical skills, product knowledge, and supervisory skills. When your front-line employees are well-trained, they are better prepared to answer customers’ questions and offer solutions, making customers more likely to return and again.  Contact: Michael Cooney, 816-979-1414, mike.cooney@bcakc.com.

In 45 seconds, a service request can be submitted and your team will have all of the vital information they need from the start. No more spending countless hours on the phone tracking down information, and no more frustrated customers stuck waiting on hold. In 45 seconds, a service request can be submitted and your team will have all of the vital information they need from the start. No more spending countless hours on the phone tracking down information, and no more frustrated customers stuck waiting on hold.

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For our course lists, please click here.

ChatGPT and the Dealer Network

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ChatGPT and the Dealer Network

Managing Director Ron Slee writes this week about the positives of all of the easily accessible artificial intelligence programs available today with “ChatGPT and the Dealer Network.”

The advent of advanced language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT has brought about a change in basic assumptions in the way businesses operate. In the capital goods industry, ChatGPT is expected to have a profound impact on dealer networks and the behavior of those involved.

One of the ways in which ChatGPT is expected to impact the capital goods industry is by improving the efficiency of dealer networks. By providing quick and accurate answers to customer queries, ChatGPT can reduce the response time of dealers, thereby improving the customer experience. Additionally, ChatGPT’s ability to understand and interpret complex technical queries means that dealers can offer better solutions and services to their customers.

Another way in which ChatGPT will impact the capital goods industry is by enabling personalized experiences for customers. ChatGPT’s ability to understand the context and intent behind customer queries means that it can tailor its responses to the specific needs and preferences of each customer. This will allow dealers to offer more personalized and relevant solutions, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

ChatGPT will also have a significant impact on the training and development of dealer networks. By providing real-time, accurate answers to technical queries, ChatGPT can serve as a valuable resource for dealers to expand their knowledge and skills. This will lead to better-informed and more confident dealers, who can offer more value to their customers.

Furthermore, ChatGPT has the potential to transform the way capital goods dealers manage their inventory. By analyzing customer data and predicting demand, ChatGPT can help dealers optimize their inventory levels, reducing waste and improving profitability.

In conclusion, the advent of ChatGPT is set to have a profound impact on the capital goods industry and its dealer networks. By improving efficiency, enabling personalized experiences, supporting training and development, and optimizing inventory management, ChatGPT has the potential to revolutionize the way dealers do business and serve their customers.

The time is now.

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Are We In a Golden Age of Information?

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Are We In a Golden Age of Information?

Are we in a Golden Age of information? I have to admit that I am being spoiled almost every single day. Every day, 99% of everything I can think of for which I do not know the answer I can find the answer. It is remarkable. I can Google darn near everything and find it. I can search through a “magnifying glass” on most of the website I use. I don’t have to go to the library or “call a friend.”

So that is a wonderful thing. I can get answers to almost all of my questions. But there are several questions I still struggle with on a daily basis. The most important one is “WHY?”

And no, the answer is NOT why not. That is much too easy. It is being lazy. Although I still think I have lazy tendencies most people don’t equate the word “lazy” with me. I do too many things, poorly perhaps, but a lot of things get done. Every day. And be fair to yourself too. You get a lot done every day as well.

But the WHY questions haunt me. Constantly. I have been cursed I suppose because I never got over the “why” phase of my life when I was growing up. Do you remember those days yourself? Why is the sky blue? Why is clear water in a lake black? Or as George Carlin made famous “why do we park in a driveway and drive in a parkway?”    

Alex Schuessler coined a phrase I can’t get out of my head. We have gone from “Paper to Glass.” We have taken most “computer improvements” and moved from a six-part paper form (PAPER) we filled in with a pen and put the document on a computer screen (GLASS).

 I have been involved with computerization all my work life. I took “computer science” as a minor at university. We used punch cards, FORTRAN and COBOL programming languages. I wanted to get a job as a computer programmer but IBM wasn’t hiring when I finished school. When I started in the business in 1969. I was hired to find and fix a problem with a computer software installation. The Parts Inventory, which was managed with a “Double Exponentially smoothly Poisson mathematical statistics model (Phew). I didn’t know it at the time but that turned out to be an unbelievably wonderful opportunity for me both professionally and personally.

Of course, we found the problem and fixed it. From that point on I was put into areas where there were some problems or difficulties or situations that needed to be solved. Looking back, I couldn’t have designed a better training program for my work life as a consultant. I was involved in “CQI” – Continuous Quality Improvement or “TQM” – Total Quality Management right from the beginning. Typically, however, is I had a question that I needed to have answered I either had to ask someone and they gave me their opinion or I had to start my own research. I did both and I had many men who were mentors or helped me along the way.

So today I don’t need to ask anyone other than my phone or my computer. But the WHY question still lurks out there.

I talk to a lot of people in the industry. I talk to leaders, managers, workers everybody. They are normally asking me questions. As in my classes and our employee development business, Learning Without Scars, I use the Socratic method of teaching. I rarely answer questions. I typically flip the question and ask what the person asking the question thinks is the answer. And normally they have a very good answer. BUT they lack confidence. That is a learned response. When we challenge the status quo, and want to make a change. There are a lot of people that are vested in the current methods and approaches. They dismiss your ideas out of hand. Many times, they make it personal and disparage you. In a normal manner we start complying and fitting into the current mode of doing things. That is really disappointing to me.

As a consultant I am being paid for my opinions. As an employee you are being paid to do a job. There is a real difference there. Happily, those days are coming to an end. We are on the cusp of a generational change in almost all aspects of our society and workplace. The Alpha Generation, Gen Z and Gen X and even the younger millennials will not accept the status quo. That is part of the reason for what Sonya Law calls “The Great Reshuffle.” That is what we call in America the “Great Resignation.” That somehow changes the onus of responsibility, doesn’t it? It isn’t because we wanted to have a more challenging job. It is that we quit.

We have many opinion surveys, from watching television with the Nielson ratings to the famous Gallup Polls. We seem to want to have reasons for everything. We want to understand why things happened. Gallup says that employees are leaving their jobs because they don’t feel that they are engaged at work in what they do. I liken that to a tool box. An employee has a “task” that needs to be done. They define the kind of tool that is required to perform the task. Think of a job description and performance standards and job prerequisites. They interview people for the job. They hire the person that they think is best for the job. In my way of thinking they “bought a tool” to perform the task. Then someone teaches them (they call it on the job training) how to do the job. Then they have the employee practice it and get faster and faster at it. They want efficiency in performance. That means speed. Then business establishes performance criteria – they call them metrics, for what productivity should be for any specific aspect of their businesses. One common metric is sales per employee. This is measured in terms of currency. Money. And the common thinking is that the higher the number the better it is. That might be applicable in some areas but how do you think it works in a customer service environment? The higher the sales per employee, that means there will be fewer people to do the job. That means customers will wait. It first became evident to me when we introduced “Call Waiting.” The phone would ring and ring because we didn’t have enough people to answer the phone. Do you remember “Can I put you on a brief hold?” Then we got to “Voice Mail.” We were told there would be a wait but would you like to leave a message and someone will call you right back. Remember that? Then I found some dealers had a radio type of message running while the customer was on hold. Some dealer actually had every call listen to the commercial before the call was answered. I was only 30 seconds that won’t hurt anything. Who are we trying to satisfy here? The company or the customer.

I am asked often – “why aren’t customers loyal anymore?” Or I hear “Customer Loyalty is a thing of the past” To both comments I ask – “What have we done to make our customers loyal to us?” 

My conclusion is that we haven’t done very much to make our customers loyal.

Yes, we are in the Golden Ago of information. We can get answers to almost all of our questions. We still don’t have the answers to the most important questions. What does our customer want and need and desire? Until we start focusing on those questions pertaining to our share of the after-market business, parts and labor, will continue to decline. And please don’t forget. That is where you make all of your money.

I would hope that there is a tingling somewhere in your body. YOU are at RISK. Unless we start to concentrate on making our customers happy more than we concentrate on making money WE all will be at RISK. I think we need to get to work.

The Time is Now.

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Going Digital Post-Pandemic

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Going Digital Post-Pandemic

Guest writer Mets Kramer brings his digital knowledge to readers in “Going Digital Post-Pandemic.” 

Much has been written about what’s happened over the past 2 years due to the pandemic.  It has affected millions of people in countless ways.  As we near the end of this time, most people will return to working the same way they did before the pandemic and many will wonder why the change, they saw over the last 2 years didn’t last. Why didn’t the transition to working from home, hybrid or flexible work stick around.   A year ago, in the middle, many people talked about how we would never go back, and yet we are.  

A friend of mine owns a staffing company, when the pandemic started, they, like most, sent all their staff to work from home.  After a few months he made a bold move, he closed and sold the office.  He and his leadership team fully embraced the new remote work culture.  They made the decision that working remotely was more than just a pandemic need, but a viable long-term solution.  Then they did something even more rare, they implemented countless changes to their business process and structure to support making remote work successful.   Selling the office was one major incentive but realizing there was a need to adjust how they worked was the most significant change. 

Unfortunately, this disciplined and proactive approach was something many equipment dealers failed to do.  Most companies, in general, cobbled together just enough digitization of their workflow to keep the business running, they didn’t COMMIT to digital processes.   What’s interesting about going digital is the process is the same with or without a pandemic.  To go digital requires a commitment to think digital first, the pandemic just gave us a golden opportunity to justify the change and see it work. 

When the pandemic started, I was largely surprised how many dealers simply “battened down the hatches” of their company ship.  Rather than solving the problems of not seeing their customers in person they simply went back to doing things in the way they “knew” even though everyone was ready to justify a newer approach.   One key area was equipment marketing and sales.  

For most dealers their approach to listing, presenting and promoting their equipment hasn’t changed.  They provide limited amounts of information through traditional platforms.  Yet we have countless examples of how, without the ability to visit the machine in person, video and more complete machine descriptions helped dealers sell machines even at the height of the pandemic.   Customer committed to buying machines from digital information alone, but how many dealers have embraced this and continued it.

In service, I still see a similar lack of digitization where the justification and solutions were abundant.  How many shops still collect paper timecards post pandemic?   There are countless digital service report and payroll timecard systems, paper timecards should have gone the way of the “Dodo,” yet without a conscious commitment to going digital, they have remained the norm. 

Some dealers have embraced this change, they have looked for way to allow they coordinators and admins to work remote and still be efficient by transforming their workflows into digital.   The amazing thing is, this change is exactly the change needed to meet modern customer expectations for a “digital first” experience.   Implementing digital sales delivery platforms like CRM enable digital engagement with customers and simplify sharing digital documents with customers.  Digital service reports and work order scheduling enables integration with customer facing websites to view work order status and communicate the work performed.  In many ways digitizing service departments creates the level of quality service history that justifies a 10% increase in sales prices, at a minimum. 

Going digital, becoming a digital dealership, requires a commitment from management to rethink workflows.  The benefit is a more flexible work environment, a more efficient process and better digital information to support higher prices.   Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen automatically. 

As we near the end, while many dealerships haven’t changed, many things have.  First and foremost, the customer expectations have changed.  Customers have experienced a new world for the past 2 years and many have sought out digital solutions to their one processes, and found it was possible.  This changing expectation adds to generally improved digital options in all areas of life and generational change.  Customers have tasted the digital future and will only want more.   

The second major lingering change is the expectations of employees.  2 years ago, you sent them home to work remote, urgently trying to keep the business going.  They adjusted their lives and saw a future of less commuting and more focused work.  While it doesn’t work for everyone in every role it changed the expectation of what was possible.  Now it’s up to management to change too.

My concern for many companies is management.  For those managers that didn’t rethink their workflows to support a true digital process.  For those that didn’t commit.  For those that didn’t learn to understand what their teams did all day, the urge to bring people back to the office full time will kill their opportunity to digitize their business.  They will have missed the most significant opportunity in their generation.  

One final example of digitization post-pandemic, online parts sales.  How many dealers who had online parts sales before the pandemic, saw an increase in online orders?  How many dealers saw an increase in orders by phone, email and text?   Your customers can buy almost everything they want digitally in their personal life or even for business, yet countless dealers still have not formalized online parts options.  Most dealer sites still have, at best, a form for parts order requests on their website.  Most dealer websites still only have a parts page with a phone number.  It’s time to commit and invest in going digital first, to becoming a Digital Dealership, your customer’s expectations have changed, as have those of your employees. 

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Data Automation and AI Analytics

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Data Automation and AI Analytics

Today, we are proud to introduce a new guest writer. C. Stephen Clegg is a Managing Director at Winsby Inc. where he oversees the analytics division, Zintoro. He’s developed an AI model that shows exactly what your company’s strength and weaknesses are, based on your past three years of invoice data. The model is trained to predict where your revenues, customer retention, and purchase frequency are headed if nothing changes in your approach. It also provides the ROI on Winsby’s marketing programs, according to your customers’ purchases. In his debut blog for Learning Without Scars, he writes about data automation and AI analytics.

Data Automation and AI Analytics

Today, data automation and AI analytics is available for equipment dealers to easily service their
customers by identifying what defines the best customer service to drive profitable growth. The
days of opinions, intuition and guessing to make business decisions are in the past.
These automated and AI driven systems are affordable to almost every dealer of any size to
compile metrics into simple actionable real time reports and forecast the future. This approach
allows management and employees at every level to focus on what the customer needs and
expects while anticipating what resources will be required in the future. The ROI on these
programs is paid for many times over with reduced operating, sales, and marketing costs.
The equipment industry is extremely cyclical and seasonal. Most equipment dealers do not have
the tools, key metric reports and forecasting programs to take action and make intelligent
decisions in a timely manner. They often rely on subjective metrics that are not linked to
measurable operating and financial results. The lack of usable data causes management to be
reactive and always scrambling to solve the latest unanticipated problem.
Successful equipment dealers use AI automated systems and reports to monitor and solve their
major customer service and customer engagement issues which include: employee engagement
with customers, internal operating performance metrics, customer retention and engagement,
and identifying and closing sales opportunities.
If you do not have accurate operating and financial information, you will be unable to allocate
your time and resources effectively to the activities that will keep your dealership profitable and
support your future growth.
Programs such as Zintoro.com Artificial Intelligence (AI) Analytics shows you what you can
expect in your business over the next 12 months. It forecasts the number of transactions, the
number of active customers, and the expected revenues with an accuracy that exceeds 95%. It
also provides specific recommendations on how to improve your growth. This data can be
analyzed by department and by location, as well as overall.
The platform identifies customers that are at risk of being lost and tracks key metrics on a rolling
12-month basis, shows and tracks the key metrics that drive your company’s growth and
identifies leads for your sales reps.
By understanding your potential for growth and your current market position, the program
identifies the areas where you are falling short and where you excel, producing insights, backed
by data, into how to grow effectively and efficiently. The program is also able to identify what
tools are working and which customers are at risk of leaving, and it shows the markets and
industries you need to target to grow your business profitably.

The reports clearly identify sales reps, departments and customers that require attention, so you
have an easy-to-follow road map for growth using the key metrics and forecasts.

Some of the core key metrics reports used by successful equipment dealers include:
o Forecast and actual results for revenue, transactions, and active customers by
customer, department, branch and overall
o Sales retention leads for your sales reps to contact—customers in danger of being
lost
o Comparative rankings for branches and sales representatives
o Market Industry Analysis with the greatest opportunities
o ROI on sales and marketing programs

The following is an example of a Revenue ROI report for marketing programs, such as calling
prospects and customers and sending information to them, distributing emails, and conducting
customer satisfaction surveys, removing the guesswork from whether your marketing and sales
programs are working.

The equipment industry is a difficult business to operate. Zintoro.com, an AI analytics program,
allows you to plan and focus on building your business versus always struggling to react to
customer demands.

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