Toyota Material Handling Midsouth As a direct result of implementing the Lead Technician program in 2020, the Midsouth service department has become more efficient and productive than ever before. With a quick phone call to their Lead Technician, the Field Technicians can resolve issues without needing the attention of the Service Manager. This has led to an overall improvement in communication among management, office personnel, and customers. Ken Huffman, the Sr. Director of Operations, shared, “One of our Core Values at TMH Midsouth is Empowerment, meaning our team members are entrusted with the responsibility to make impactful decisions. The Lead Technician program puts this Core Value into action by allowing our lead techs to support field technicians, resolving issues faster, and therefore better serving our customers when time is of the essence.” Ken went on by stating, “I’ve noticed a huge increase in my team’s productivity by being able to provide answers to questions and guidance to their concerns without having to involve management with every small decision that comes through on a day-to-day basis. I have worked for two other Material Handling companies in my career, and the level of trust and empowerment that MidSouth instills into the service team is night and day different from what I am used to”. Southwest Toyota Lift In late 2020 Southwest Toyota began the process of looking into how they could better support their customer needs. Most successful companies look into improvements on how to engage better and support their customer. Kirt Little, Southwest Toyota Lift Dealer Principal, decided to examine further how they could provide quicker support for those working directly with the customer. Since the technicians represent the largest group of associates who interact directly with the customer, a team leader working with a small group of technicians seemed like a logical place to start. Kirt and his leadership team first reviewed the objectives of implementing a team leader program. They looked at several areas that needed to be improved, including more transparent communication of company objectives, focus on the reduction of non-bill, additional tech support for faster decision making, and the growth of parts sales. After pulling this information together, Southwest Toyota Lift decided that having one team leader working with a team of 8-10 technicians would better support their customers. Kirt felt that “The 8 to 1 ratio would be reduced over time and was very pleased with the progress the teams have made to date.” Also, aspect of the project that received positive feedback includes the Team Lead job profile that Southwest developed Southwest Field Service Lead Technician Job Profile If you are interested in learning more about these Dealer best practices or have one of your own that you would like to share, please reach out to Trey Barber or Michael Parker with the TMH Dealer Development team trey.barber@tmh.com or michael.parker@toyotatmh.com .
TMH Midsouth and Southwest Toyota Lift Technician Team Leader Programs
