AUTOMOTIVE digital technology and business consulting agency, AdTorque Edge, has launched an online training tool specifically for improving the skills of staff and management across the wide-ranging operations found in the modern car dealership.

Content on the new eLearning platform, called CultivATE, has been specifically written and designed for those working in the automotive industry to upgrade their knowledge and skills, as well as improving their development and understanding of the vehicle retailing environment.

The courses range from professional development modules aimed at upskilling junior staff, new and experienced managers, including general managers, through to subjects with a more operational focus that are aimed at improving the performance of specific dealership departments.

CultivATE content has been developed by AdTorque Edge’s advisory division, which was launched last year.

AdTorque Edge Advisory has been working with dealerships, dealer groups and OEMs, reviewing and assessing business performance, and developing strategies and training plans aimed at optimising operational efficiencies and achieving desired financial results.

AdTorque Edge also works as an advisor and provider of technology services including digital advertising and strategic marketing to more than 800 dealerships.

Rohan Meyer, head of the training and advisory division at AdTorque Edge told GoAutoNews Premium that the company searched widely for a high-quality platform on which to base the service.

A key difference with CultivATE from other eLearning platforms is that it offers the flexibility for dealerships to pick and choose courses that will suit their business goals. It also allows for users to undertake professional development in their own workplace and at a time that suits, meaning less downtime – especially for those who would normally need to travel from regional areas for training.

Mr Meyer said that in the search for a relevant service for car retailers and OEMs, none they found were automotive-specific.

“Most of the training content that we’ve seen with online platforms is motor industry agnostic. It has just not been designed for our industry.

“We have seen many other platforms on the market that deliver training, but unlike ours, they are neither specific to the motor industry nor easy to navigate.

“But we have wide experience in the industry. We have been training and consulting in the industry for decades. We know what dealers want. We spent so much time with dealer principals and their teams and department managers, we have been able to actually design the content to be relevant and practical for people, not just theoretical,” he said.

Mr Meyer said that the courses will include testing of the candidates to monitor their understanding of what they have learned.

“We are able to create quizzes and even exams with short answers, long answers and multiple-choice answers.

“Whoever has access like a teacher or an administrator within a dealership or a dealer group can see what the staff have done and how they have gone with the course.

“If they want it to be a little bit more in-depth, we are more than happy to run reports for them and give them that feedback every month.”

Mr Meyer said that the system enables broad subjects to be broken down into smaller chunks.

“Once you have created a subject you can create as many modules as you want.  We have done one on operating a service department effectively, but you can break it down into different modules on handling appointments and pre-inspection and so on.”

“Instead of doing some training that might take an hour or two hours, you just do a module at a time that suits you. So if you’ve got half an hour, and you want to focus on something today, you go online and just do that module today or do the whole course over one day.

“And we try to give checklists and practical advice of things you can do. So you could do a course or subject in one day if you wanted to. Or you could take a week if you wanted to slow down and do a bit a day, and put things into practice because we are designing each course so that it’s practical for people in a dealership at different levels.

“We have some subjects designed for anyone in the dealership. These are not just operational, they can be the competencies or the soft skills. It could be understanding Australian Consumer Law or basic time management skills, or some other very basic level skills that anyone could do.

“And then we’ve got another level of courses for, say, emerging leaders. A lot of new managers don’t get the right level of training but we can give it to them through our system. So we have different levels for all staff, for emerging leaders, experienced managers and then even some higher-level courses for general managers.

Mr Meyer said that at present the content is in written format but video content would be added as the system is rolled out.

He said that the CultivATE courses would be available for a monthly fee with no lock-in contracts to a dealership ‘hub’ where all the staff across all brands in a multi-franchise dealership would have total access to all courses under the one fee.

The CultivATE package includes unlimited access to over 40 courses with options to add dealership and brand-specific training modules upon request. Courses will be regularly reviewed and updated, and new ones will be added by AdTorque Edge’s training team to ensure CultivATE remains current and relevant to the industry.

By John Mellor