ATHENS, Texas – Alliance RV conducted an owner-empowerment event at the National RV Training Academy’s (NRVTA) Big Red Schoolhouse Oct. 31 to Nov. 4, the firms announced today.
A total of 46 Alliance RV owners joined NRVTA’s weeklong RV Fundamentals class to learn more about their coaches and how to perform basic maintenance on their RVs.
The RV owners parked their rigs at the Texan RV Park, which is located on the NRVTA campus. That allowed for them to easily attend training sessions, but also to take part in some fun social events in the evenings, said Jim Beletti, an owner experience liaison with Alliance RV. Social activities included potluck gatherings, an Alliance RV sponsored dinner, Halloween contests and special activities for spouses who were not participating in the technical training.
“This was our inaugural owner-empowerment rally,” he explained. “During the week, Alliance RV owners enjoyed an opportunity to get to know each other and to learn important skills which will make their RV experiences even better. With training they received from NRVTA, our owners became more comfortable about using their Alliance fifth wheels, travel trailers and toy haulers. Now they know what to do when they encounter a problem and having that knowledge will work to reduce any anxiety they may feel if something breaks.”
This was actually the second time Alliance RV owners received training from the NRVTA staff. The first took place during the Alliance RV National Rally in Elkhart May 25 to 27. During that event, NRVTA Director of Education Todd Henson provided an overview of RV electrical systems and solar power options.
“The RV Fundamentals class was a deeper dive into the basic components of an RV,” said Rob Boyer, Alliance RV’s community outreach and education manager. “The training gave our owners working knowledge of every major system onboard their coach, including electrical, plumbing, propane, refrigerators and other appliances, air conditioners, water heaters, furnaces and RV exteriors.
“At the end of the week, all the Alliance owners took and passed a test to ensure they retained the knowledge they learned during classroom instruction and hands-on labs,” he added. “On Saturday, 17 Alliance owners passed a separate test to become registered RV technicians.”
Boyer said the training was not only practical for Alliance owners, but NRTVA’s accreditation by the Texas Workforce Commission added a level of professionalism to the college-level course.
“Our owners had to make a sizable investment to drive their RVs to Texas, pay for the rally and pay tuition to take the RV Fundamentals course,” he explained. “We were impressed by the 100% completion rate for students and in knowing that 17 of our owners took an important step by becoming registered technicians. That allows them to take more advanced training courses, if they desire, or to get jobs working in the RV industry. The ability to quickly and accurately assist our owners is paramount to a positive customer experience interaction.”
That’s why Beletti, who administers the Alliance RV Owners Forum, participated in the training along with his coworker, Trish Ream, one the company’s customer experience associates who fields customer calls and responds to emails from them. As a result, they each received a certification of course completion and both passed the test to attain their registered RV technician certificate.
The experience was so valuable to the company and its RV owners that Boyer noted Alliance RV plans to host another RV Fundamentals course next year from Nov. 6 to 10 in Athens.
“Even the people who sometimes struggled to complete one or two classroom sessions or hands-on labs left supportive reviews of the training on social media sites,” said Beletti. “They’re commenting how much they appreciate having additional confidence when using their RVs. Because that was the goal Alliance RV set when establishing our owner-empowerment program, I’d say the RV Fundamentals class accomplished its mission.”
Tony Flammia, NRVTA’s director of sales and marketing, said the academy’s staff welcomed the opportunity to work even more closely with Alliance RV and its owners.
“Alliance RV is at the forefront of effectively training its owners to fully understand how to use their RVs and keep them properly maintained,” he explained. “When RVers know how to use their units and, more importantly, how to troubleshoot problems whenever something goes wrong, the confidence they have ensures they get far more enjoyment out of their RVs.
“Providing training exclusively for their owners is an effective way for Alliance RV to build lifelong relationships with their customers,” said Flammia. “It also shows the company is interested in doing more than just making a sale, but ensuring that vacation plans won’t be ruined because of a problem that can easily be fixed by RV owners themselves.”
For more information about NRVTA’s training programs, visit www.nrvta.com, email [email protected] or call (903) 386-0444 to speak with a student advisor.