DETROIT — Training dealers is nothing new to Ally Financial.
That's been a huge part of the near century-long history at the company founded
as General Motors Acceptance Corp. in the 1900s.

But the format in which Ally teaches dealers has evolved
greatly, with the latest offering coming this week.

The company introduced the Performance Development Center,
which is an interactive Web-based training site for dealers that provides store
employees customized instruction that is tailored specifically to their
respective dealership roles.

Kathy Ruble, Ally's vice president of dealership development
services, talked with sister publication Auto Remarketing earlier this week
about the new program and how it helps today's busy dealer.

So what has changed?

Traditionally, Ally's dealer training had been more of the
classroom-setting style (though it has done online instruction previously, as
well).

With this program, though, Ally has now converted about 90
percent of its classes online, Ruble said, acknowledging that some of its
instruction still necessitates the classroom setting.

(And, of course, Ally still offers the in-dealership and
customized training)

The new Performance Development Center offers dealers 24-7
access into the instruction that includes 15 virtual on-demand courses with
more than 35 modules. These cover a wide range of topics, including Commercial
Services Group Business Vehicle Certification, Equal Credit Opportunity Act
(ECOA) Awareness, NetQuote and Residual Value Lease Guide and Retail Process
Overview training.

Once a user has created a profile, Ally pushes course
content that's specific to his or her role at the dealership, Ruble explained.

Not only is the training designed to be specific for an
employee's particular role at the store, they are also designed to be
time-efficient – most are under 20 minutes

She also noted that dealership groups can set up content
specific to and "walled off" to their stores, while also uploading their own
content to the curriculum.

In the Ally announcement of the program, Ruble said: "The
Performance Development Center supports Ally's dedication to dealers by
delivering valuable training on a wide array of topics that can help improve
their sales and financing effectiveness.

"Last year, Ally trained more than 14,000 dealership
personnel with its instructor-led training, including in-dealership classes and
those offered via webinar. The new site allows Ally to do even more targeted
training efforts so we can tailor our approach to meet the needs of a new
generation of learners," she added.

These learners can also test their skills via review
quizzes; and if they would like to review while they're away from the computer,
reference materials can be printed, as well.

The Performance Development Center also provides a history
of completed training courses for users. Once an employee has finished a
course, he or she receives a printable certification.

Any dealer can utilize the Performance Development Center,
and more content will be added throughout the year.

Joe Overby can be reached at joverby@subprimenews.com. Continue the conversation with SubPrime Auto Finance News on LinkedIn and Twitter.


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