Kevin L. Tidwell is Director of Service Operations at EJ Equipment previously Director of Aftermarket Parts at nVenia. He excels in aftermarket sales, operations, client satisfaction, team training, and KPI-driven growth in Chicago area.
For magazine Auto Business Outlook, he shared invaluable insights on how strong aftersales operations overcome technician shortages, harness evolving technologies, and build customer trust to drive reliability, loyalty, and long term value in heavy equipment. What experiences working with large equipment have most shaped your approach to aftersales operations? Working in aftersales in the large equipment market has been very rewarding. Starting my career as a technician and working my way through all areas of aftersales has given me the knowledge and experience to shape and grow the aftersales departments I have led. I have had great mentors that have shaped me into a professional who views aftersales operations as an essential driver of brand reputation and customer loyalty and not just a cost center to an organization. What are the biggest challenges in supporting aftersales service for specialized equipment like sweepers, vac trucks, and concrete pumps? The biggest challenges in supporting after-sales service are finding skilled technicians and machine complexity. There are many challenges, but I would say that these two are the largest challenges most OEMs face in after-sales. Recruiting and retaining skilled technicians is difficult in today’s market. The need to ensure operational efficiency, improved safety and reduced costs for equipment require engineers to make technological improvements, which make it difficult for the after-sales departments to keep up to date with all the new technology that is designed in the machines. How can strong aftersales operations improve reliability and long-term value for customers? Strong aftersales will ensure that OEMs have repeat business by adding value to their customers in the form of improved equipment reliability, extended equipment life, lower cost of ownership, reduced downtime, enhanced residual value of the equipment and strong customer trust and loyalty. It goes back to the old saying, the sales department sale the first piece of equipment but strong after sales supports sales of all other equipment to the customer. The after-sales department is in contact with a customer typically 4-5 times more than a typical salesperson who is in contact with them and that relationship ensures repeat sales for the OEM and reduced downtime for the customer. What trends are currently influencing service, maintenance, and support in the heavy equipment industry? The equipment industry is always evolving, and technology is having a major impact on how companies are creating value for their customers. The after-sales area must keep up with the changes and the technology that is having the greatest impact on service is the growing use of Telematics for real time visibility into a piece of equipment’s health, performance and utilization. Telematics can be used as a diagnostic tool for technicians even before traveling to the jobsite to get an understanding for the problem prior to the visit. The use of AI to assist in preventative maintenance and diagnostics is a new trend that technicians can use to predict failures and reduce customers’ downtime because maintenance can be conductor prior to a component failure. Finally, electrification of equipment is a new challenge facing aftersales. Diagnosing and repairing machines that are fully electric requires a new skillset for technicians. Aftermarket teams must expand our training and introduce new safety standards to include electrical safety. What advice would you give to professionals looking to build a career in aftersales operations for industrial equipment? Aftermarket is becoming a larger part of most companies. Companies are starting to realize the importance of treating aftermarket as a profit center vs. a cost center. This is opening the door for more aftermarket professionals to join successful organizations. When joining an aftermarket team, you should be customer focused to ensure customers are “Raving Fans” that continue to purchase equipment, parts, and services from the company. I would encourage new team members to focus on personal and professional growth by taking training courses that help keep you up to date on all the new technology and trends in the market. I would also encourage strong communication with customers and other departments that support after sales. After-sales sit at the intersection of most departments building relationships through communication will help you succeed by having the support of the other departments you work with. Finally, I would say for new team members it’s important to find a strong mentor that you can work with to gain valuable knowledge of what works and what doesn’t work. I have had some great mentors over my 20 plus years of aftersales and I would say that was the key to my success.