Volvo Cars, recently announced the winners of their VISTA, (Volvo International Service Training Award), Training Competition and one outstanding service team from Colorado Springs is among them.

Eric Conrad and Michael Neely, a team from Bob Penkhus Volvo, was part of the top 30 teams of Volvo service professionals from the U.S. and Canada to earn their way to the final round in Rockleigh, N.J., in April.  From there, 8 teams were chosen, including Conrad and Neely, to attend the VISTA 2016 Winners Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The competition, open to all aftermarket professionals within the Volvo Cars global service network, is currently the world’s largest for aftermarket personnel, with the last competition involving over 17,000 participants from 93 countries.

“It took a lot of effort for them to get to this point,” Bud Hall, Service Director at Bob Penkhus Volvo said.  “And it was all extra work on their part, none of it is mandatory.”

Teams of two to four people engage in three rounds of competition involving theoretical questions.  After completing those three rounds, qualified teams move on to the regional semifinals, and from there 32 teams advance to the world final in Gothenburg.  Conrad and Neely are the only team from the Western Region (everything West of Chicago) advancing to Sweden.

Each team consists of a Service Advisor and Technician who work together to accomplish a series of tasks and tests under strict timing and procedural guidelines.  Monitored by Volvo instructors, teams are scored on their diagnostic proficiency as well as customer handling skills.

Conrad, who has been with Bob Penkhus for 30 years, has earned his way to the Swedish Conference twice before as a Technician – this will be his first time to go as an Advisor-Technician team.

“There was a lot of late night studying for the entrance exam,” Neely said.  “And then a lot of after-hours work to get through the theoretical tests.” Originally from Montana, he has been at Penkhus for four years and at only 23 years old, Conrad believes he may be the youngest advisor to qualify for the Winners Conference.

Not just a competition, VISTA is one way Volvo helps their employees develop and improve their knowledge, skills, and ability to work as a team.

“In New Jersey there were both individual and team tasks,” Conrad said. “It was based on scenario’s we may encounter in the service department requiring accurate diagnostics and then relaying the necessary repairs to the customer.”

Everyone, no matter how experienced they are, will learn something new from getting involved, according to Volvo, and while it is a competition, the end result is how much each team learns during the challenge.

“It required us to demonstrate both technical ability as well as our ability to work with customers,” said Neely. An effective opportunity for Volvo to improve customer service as well as satisfaction.

While in Sweden, Conrad and Neely will enjoy immersion in Swedish culture, food and recreation, along with some factory training on top.  Connecting with other teams from around the globe and touring the birthplace of Volvo, it’s sure to be the experience of a lifetime.

“This accomplishment demonstrates their commitment to our customers,” Hall said. “They’ve both done a fantastic job getting to the next level.”