Canada President’s Message

Where Does Quality Grow From?

By David Parton —Mobility in Motion PRESIDENT, NMEDA CANADA

What is quality, how do you measure quality, why is quality even important?

The population we in the mobility industry serve, in operations big and not so big, have a unique set of needs. We have a duty of care to ensure that those needs are met.

Customer service is so much more than a comfortable waiting area or available wifi and comfortable chairs. It is always appropriate to share a smile, explain the process, and share what they should expect when we are done with our work. But all this is of little value if the quality of our actual work is substandard.

The place quality grows always starts at the top. If the dealer principal or senior management, board of directors, is focused on profit first, quality does not have its rightful place.

Profit is not a dirty word. If we do not remain solvent, quality will be the first thing to go—but quality should never be given a place below profit. Quality work leads to quality outcomes, and satisfied customers will share their satisfied outcome. This is relatively speaking, a small community.

Staff training is an investment the dealer principal makes from the desire to have quality work and quality outcomes. The dealer shop/ service department holds the front

line in achieving quality. Hang high on the walls all the training certificates your technicians have dedicated time to receiving. You, the dealer principal, paid for that training, taking technicians off the shop floor and placing them into a service school to receive training to be competent and capable technicians. Quality comes from competent and trained technicians. Now where does all of this fit in with NMEDA? This is, after all, the NMEDA quarterly publication. I spoke with a dealer principal and asked why his organization has not joined NMEDA. The dealership is connected to a major manufacturer, and they represent a top-quality conversion product. My suggestion that association membership certainly unique and diverse. The answer given was that they had factory-trained technicians and they had no need for NMEDA. Factorytrained technicians certainly bring many advantages, but, if I need surgery on my eye, I go to a specialist with training and experience in that niche of the medical field. An ear/ nose/and throat specialist is not far off, but my expectation of a quality result would not be high. Let’s be honest about this, much of what is done in the mobility business is unique and often specialized. The outcomes from an experienced technician have a quality that is not readily replicated. A technician who may be OEM factory-trained is not automatically “Mobility Trained.” We must often think outside the box to Profit is not a dirty word. If we do not remain solvent, quality will be the first thing to go.” “

bolstered with the QAP program audits and the top quality service schools offered to members, should have represented good value if this store has a real commitment to this aspect of the automotive world.

We are mobility dealers, we are somewhat unique, and our clients are achieve the goals of our clients and make it all fit into their choice of automotive transport.

Hand controls in a Mazda Miata anyone? We’ve done that.

develop and create a body of work known as the Quality Assurance Program (QAP). The manuals are regularly being updated. Our industry is not static and our guidelines are as dynamic as our industry. It is a hard job staying ahead of everything, but I am regularly impressed by the way this organization moves and adapts. asked and answered. Is the garage keepers insurance up to date, is the torque wrench calibrated? You can interview the guy who says he knows he can do it for you, or you can patronize the NMEDA/ QAP vendor. Be confident that the NMEDA/QAP designation is your assurance of quality work, and quality outcomes. NMEDA is not a police force. We do not lead by threat, we lead by example. ” “ When dealerships want to participate in this niche of the automotive world and they don’t avail themselves of the body of work in the QAP manuals and program or the manufacturer training schools NMEDA holds, they are missing out on a lot. NMEDA is not a police force. We do not lead by threat, we lead by example. Come join us, share the burden, share the knowledge. Let’s give the folks who need the range of

Let me pull this together by saying, if we have a focus on quality and quality outcomes, NMEDA is something we need to be a part of. Nearly every situation and family has unique circumstances and it is shared knowledge, trained staff, and a focus on quality that will help guide our clients to the right solution.

“Somebody’s Turning the Wrench,” is one topic at our upcoming conference. I can’t say whether the local garage is competent or not. Who would know? YOU should know if they are wrenching on your adapted vehicle. Where is their training certificate for the product they are wrenching on? You never need to ask this question at a NMEDA/QAP dealer. The auditor has asked all of the questions, verified training, discussed QAP manuals, verified that the right tools are in place. Even questions you would never think to ask have all been unique solutions we sell, the quality they need, and the quality outcomes they deserve. Let’s be proud of our industry, and let’s join together, you know, the way NMEDA does.

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