Volvo Penta develops digital platforms for dealer education and empowerment

Volvo Penta hosted the company's first-ever digital dealer meeting for more than 150 industrial partners © Volvo Penta

Volvo Penta has announced a number of initiatives aimed at training, informing and arming dealers with the resources needed to better serve shared customers in the field.

The new platforms, which consist of online instructor-led training programs and a series of webinars, are geared toward all facets of dealer business including technical training, sales, warranty, parts and service.

Spurred in large measure by coronavirus-related travel restrictions, Volvo Penta's training team moved quickly to develop, test and roll out online instructor-led training programs in a few short weeks. To date, the offering includes three marine courses and two industrial courses. Volvo Penta will continue to expand and fine-tune the platform, increasing the number of available classes for both business segments. With a focus on continuous improvement, online instructor-led training has been solidified as a valued addition to the company's full lineup of existing training offerings.

"Our dealer partners are the critical link to ensure a positive experience between Volvo Penta and our end users, regardless of the circumstances," said Martin Bjuve, president of Volvo Penta of the Americas. "Not only have we adapted quickly to introduce new virtual development opportunities, but we've also established a deeper connection with varying levels of the dealership organizations through these online platforms which will only help us move forward stronger as a team."

In addition, Volvo Penta launched a series of informative webinars for its industrial dealer and distribution network throughout the Americas region. Seven tailored sessions were held over a four-week period, targeting dealer leadership, sales staff, technicians, application engineers, warranty administrators, sub-account managers, service dispatchers and parts department managers. Follow-up survey results showed that 97 percent of attendees responded favorably about their experience in these training sessions.

The series concluded with an in-depth, virtual industrial dealer meeting led by the company's executive leadership on June 11. This webinar brought together more than 150 participants, representing all levels of the North, Central and South American industrial dealer network.

Volvo Penta also offered two business and product training update webinars for its marine dealer base.

"It's been part of our long-term vision to accelerate the launch of the online training curriculum, and this objective was reinforced as a response to the coronavirus restrictions. Between the online instructor-led classes and in-depth training product webinars, our training team reached more than 700 technicians virtually. That number far exceeds the plans we had for in-person training sessions during this period," said Tony Kelleher, vice president of customer support and training for Volvo Penta of the Americas. "By broadening our traditional training options and adding this real-time, digital coursework, we're helping to ensure the dealer network is well prepared and positioned to support our growing customer base."