FYI from MCI™

Get to know your Fleet Support General Manager

They're the go-to guys at your local Fleet Support service center, an elite cadre of professionals charged with making sure that you, the customer, are happy with your MCI experience. Meet the Fleet Support Center General Managers at MCI's eight Fleet Support service centers across the U.S. and in Canada:

Duane Church; Los Alamitos, California

The Los Angeles area is known for its beautiful scenery, beautiful people and, with the opening of the Los Alamitos sales and service facility several years ago, beautiful buses. That's in part because each motor coach that comes in for service is put through a state-of-the-art wash before being returned to the customer.

General Manager Duane Church has been with MCI's California branch for a number of years following time in the truck leasing business and, before that, college baseball coaching. The coaching has been perhaps the most valuable experience of all.

"In coaching, the most important thing is motivation. You have to build a successful team. In my experience, everyone relies on everyone else. If someone makes a mistake, everyone pitches in to make sure it's corrected so that we can keep our eyes on getting down the road."

Church tries to instill pride in accomplishment in his staff, which includes 15 technicians that work on everything from routine maintenance to wheelchair retrofits and other major jobs. He's found that he especially likes the motor coach industry because of its customers. "I really enjoy the relationships. Motor coach people have a much more personal relationship with their equipment and with their vendors. So many of them have grown up with buses in their families, and they almost treat their buses like kids," says Church, who notes that the Los Alamitos shop is as flexible in its hours as in the work that it does. Seldom is the day that goes by that the shop doesn't stay open beyond its posted hours, and it's not unheard of for technicians to stay long after their shifts to help get an operator back on the road.

Says Church, "Seeing a customer leave happy is always a big win."

Dan Heath; Blackwood, New Jersey

With its central East Coast location, Blackwood is one of MCI's busiest service centers, with 23 technicians handling a wide variety of repairs. Dan Heath, whose roots in the automotive maintenance business go back three decades, says his strong suit is management. He jokes, "I'd be about the last person you'd want to try to fix your coach. However, I can lead you to the people who can."

Heath prides himself on making the service center cleaner, safer and more customer-focused over the last couple of years. Drivers would likely agree. Heath makes sure they get VIP treatment in the customer lounge, which is outfitted with recliners and a big-screen television. There are always donuts in the morning and pizza around noon. "It's not like the auto business where your wife or a friend can pick you up. The drivers who come here are sort of stuck, so we make them as comfortable as possible."

The efforts, both in the shop and in the lounge, have been paying off. "We're seeing our customer satisfaction improve and a lot of repeat business," says Heath, adding that technicians get at least 40 hours of training a year. "Customers know that when they come to Blackwood, they'll be well taken care of."

Robert Leduc; Montreal, Quebec

Robert Leduc knows what it's like to be a driver. That's because he used be one. And he knows what it's like to be a mechanic, because he used to do that too. "I would drive the buses in the summer and repair them in the winter," says Leduc, who started in the motor coach industry 20 years ago.

As Eastern Canada's general manager, he spearheaded the service branch's move from St. Hubert, Quebec, to MCI's convenient new downtown Montreal facility. Today he heads a shop of about 15 technicians and 10 staff members that take care of everything from routine maintenance to paint and collision repair. He characterizes his shop as one with a high level of personal attention and expertise, where drivers are treated well and there's always someone to answer the phone. And, if Leduc has his way, there will be another Canadian shop soon.

In the meantime, he spends a lot of his time visiting customers, up to 10 a week. "Our job is not to stay in the shop and look at the buses," says Leduc, who makes sure area customers know of the Montreal shop's service expertise. And no matter where he is on any given day, he prides himself on his accessibility. "When people call after hours, that's my cell phone they're calling. It's always on."

Royal "Buddy" Myers; Dallas, Texas

A 25-year veteran of the heavy-duty automotive industry, Buddy Myers is fast to compare his years in truck leasing to that of the motor coach industry. "Ultimately, it's people doing business with people," says Myers.

The Dallas facility currently employs 14 technicians plus 10 other staff. Myers is especially proud that in his months with MCI, he's been able to improve customers' opinions of the facility, as evidenced by third-party tracking reports. "The main thing is communication, internal and external," says Myers. "What's been done is to clear the air." Myers has focused on customer follow-up to better understand customer concerns, and he has also made it a point to get out and meet as many of his customers as possible.

To that end, he and the facility have planned an Open House for March 16, complete with raffle prizes, display coaches and lunch. Says Myers, "The main thing we'd like customers to know is that they'll get quality work for a fair price; their business is appreciated, and we're here to serve them."

Walt Novak; Loudonville, Ohio, and Orlando, Florida

It seems fitting that the manager of the MCI facility known for heavy-duty collision repair has worked in the steel industry as well as other key mechanical and management positions in the automotive industry. Walt Novak is proud of his record as Loudonville's general manager, and proud of the work that his 34 technicians and other staff do. "We're the antithesis of the factory," says Novak. "We put the coaches together once they come apart. There's almost nothing we can't fix."

At 75,000 square feet, there's no denying that the Loudonville facility is large: Novak says it can accommodate as many as 35 coaches inside at any one time, and many customers come from around the country to take advantage of the shop's expertise with collision repair and general rehabilitation. "A lot of customers looking at major work say, 'I want it done right — I want it done at Loudonville,'" says Novak.  But until a couple of years ago, not as many customers knew that Loudonville could — and would — handle routine repairs and preventative maintenance. One of Novak's missions has been to spread the word of the center's capabilities.

It's the approach Novak is using at MCI's Orlando service center as well, where technicians holding certifications from MCI, Detroit Diesel and Allison work inone of the nation's busiest tourism
corridors. In addition to MCI's usual roster of repairs and service guarantees, the Orlando center offers in-depth coach detailing, a large on-site parts inventory and dump facilities. The site is only
four minutes from Universal Studios.

"We want to meet our customers' expectations and give them a reason to come to MCI. If we say the repair is going to take a specific amount of time and cost a specific amount, you can write it down."

Mark Paterson; Des Plaines, Illinois, and Lebanon, Tennessee

A former Naval officer with an MBA and an impressive management resume that's taken him everywhere from California to the Netherlands, Mark Paterson is used to leadership. General Manager of MCI's Chicago-area service facility, he's also been charged with managing the company's new Nashville-area shop.

For Paterson, it's all about process, and giving customers a satisfying experience. "We're selling uptime. From the moment they contact us about a repair, they can expect to get a live person on the phone, that we're expecting their coach, that we'll have the needed parts on hand, that we'll give a timely estimate, and that we will charge at that estimate or less. When the repair is done, we will give the customer the courtesy of going over the repairs, deliver a coach that's clean and ready for service, and close out the transaction properly, with a business card stapled to the bill along with any coupons or special offers."

On a personal level, Paterson is a stickler for returning phone calls. "That's half the job right there," he says. But he hardly stops there. He spends a lot of time with the MCI sales staff so that the service department can better keep tabs on the customer's overall relationship with MCI. Says Paterson, "The one-coach customer is every bit as important as the 100-coach customer because of the sameness of the process. When the process is robust, that comes through."

Paterson has lately been extending the model he's implemented at Des Plaines to MCI's newest facility in the Nashville area, which opened in November. "The facility is wonderful, and we have a great group of people down there. They've been through quite a bit of training, and there will be more. It's important that our customers get the right experience coming in."

Locate any MCI Fleet Support service center by clicking here.

The FYI from MCI editorial staff values your feedback. Please e-mail any suggestions, comments, or ideas for future articles to fyi@mcicoach.com.