ANSWERING THE CALL: Meet MCI's U.S. Parts Solutions Managers

When MCI realigned its after-sales service teams, it boosted its field support by assigning more Technical Solutions Managers to help operators with repair issues, training and other hands-on matters. At the same time, it also created another position — the Parts Solutions Manager. PSMs bring many of the same skills to the table as the Fleet Support Managers — MCI's previous primary contact for most MCI customers. The difference? PSMs are purely parts specialists, helping locate hard-to-find parts, resolving issues and other matters. Though most customers will be able to get the majority of their parts issues taken care of by MCI Parts Store professionals, the PSM represents a different level of expertise. The three PSMs profiled below take care of the United States. Doug DePape, profiled in last month's Canadian edition of FYI, is Canada's PSM.

Dent Shuey, Western Region. California native Dent Shuey has responsibility for far more states than he did as a West Coast Fleet Support Manager, but the new Western Region Parts Solution Manager already knows many of his customers and has worked to solve issues with these customers in the past.

"One of the cool things about the new position is that I already know a lot about these customers, so there's no real change," says Shuey. "If I haven't worked with them face to face, I know of them."

Shuey, who's been with MCI for four years and is based in the Sacramento area, has more than 20 years in the transportation industry, including many years with Cummins regional sales and operations.

Now with more time to stay by the phone and fewer days on the road, Shuey says his focus remains the same — to resolve customer issues. He describes his approach as relationship-based and collaborative. He focuses his attention on helping customers rather than closing individual sales. "I find that when a customer's house is in order and we've helped them with everything they need assistance with, they're more likely to buy their parts from us. My  personal mission statement is 'Tell the customer what we're going to do, and then do it...quickly.'"

Shuey says that while most customers will turn to a customer service representative, technical support or their Technical Solutions Manager for most of their day-to-day issues, he's happy to take calls from customers with any coach related issue.

Says Shuey, "The bottom line is we take care of our customers and keep their coaches running. Sitting coaches equates to no revenue. If someone calls me and needs an issue solved, and I don't have an answer,  I'll find a way to get the answer."

Mark Haake, Central Region. For nearly five years, customers in Washington, DC, Virginia, Maryland and the Carolinas have known Mark Haake (pronounced "hockey") as their dependable Fleet Support Manager with a knack for parts. Now customers in 18 central states will get to know him as well.

His territory extends as far west as New Mexico as well as into the South and Midwest, and reaches as far east as West Virginia. "We're not traveling as much, so we're more readily available," says Haake. "We can pick up the phone more often, because we're not always at the airport or in a meeting. A lot of customers have said they really like the change."

Though he's not traveling as often as he did as a Fleet Support Manager, Haake, who is based in North Carolina, has been making an effort to meet his customers in person. So far, he's traveled to Illinois, Wisconsin, Louisiana and Minnesota. He anticipates making his way all around his territory in time. Says Haake, "I'm looking forward to meeting as many customers as I can."

Haake has been in the heavy-duty transportation business for about 30 years. Before coming to MCI, he spent several years in international transportation logistics and did a lot of work with large emergency vehicles. One of his most unusual deals was selling 200 tank-hauling vehicles to the Egyptian government.

"It was interesting work, but I can't say I miss the international travel," says Haake, who's married with two daughters and keeps up a brisk schedule of volunteering in his community. "International logistics taught me to be very organized and detail-oriented. My old customers knew I was a reliable source for assistance, and I expect my new customers will learn to trust me, and to follow up on issues if they have them."

Stephen Cofta, Eastern Region. Once you've jumped out of an airplane a few dozen times, managing parts for all of MCI’s East Coast and Southeast customers isn't such a tall order. Still, Stephen Cofta, a former U.S. Army paratrooper, makes sure he enters the field fully prepared.

Cofta, who previously served as Fleet Support Manager for New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, is picking up a few extra states — and Puerto Rico — in his new Parts Solutions Manager role. "It's another new challenge, but the job is still taking care of customers and making sure they have their parts," says Cofta, who's based in Buffalo, New York. "The bottom line is making sure their coaches are out there making money."

Cofta, who has 13 years in the transportation industry, including time at his family's Carrier dealership, says it should be a smooth transition for his East Coast customers, as they'll be mostly seeing the same faces when it comes to technical field support. As to his new customers, he's been visiting them a few at a time. So far, he's made visits to New England, and he was most recently in Louisville, Kentucky. He jokes he'll save Puerto Rico for the dead of his Buffalo winter.

He's more serious about working to solve customer issues. "At the end of the day, it's not about beating down the door to sell parts. It's about putting the customer first."

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