Volvo Truck’s VISTA competition for 2022 has wrapped up, with four Australian teams through to semi-finals of the global service competition, which was making a comeback after being cancelled due to Covid in 2019 and 2020.
The company said it was obviously very pleased to welcome back the VISTA competition for 2022.
“VISTA is the world’s largest Service Market Competition. For everyone who takes part, there are opportunities to learn with your colleagues and be a part of a winning team!” said Volvo Group Australia, CEO and president, Martin Merrick.
This year, 84 teams from Australia and 22 teams from New Zealand signed up to enter VISTA and the teams competed in two theory rounds and a pit-stop challenge for the chance to make it to the semi-finals.
Two teams from VCV Sydney Prestons, one from CMV Derrimut and one from VCV Brisbane North made the Australian semi-finals, while teams from Truck Stop Lower Hutt and Whangarei will represent New Zealand.
“VISTA is very unique. As a training platform it provides an opportunity for our hardworking and dedicated staff in our dealerships to expand their knowledge and skills, whilst highlighting the importance of working as a team,” said Volvo Australia’s services and retail vive president, Richard Singer.
“I think the importance Volvo places on the VISTA competition is reflective of the company’s attitude towards the training and development of our staff. We really see the training and development of our staff as an investment – into the satisfaction of both our staff and ultimately, our customers.”
“This year, a total of 5130 training hours were achieved across all our teams in our dealer network. That’s a fantastic result.”
With the outlook on overseas travel still somewhat uncertain, this year Volvo Group Australia will bring the semi-final teams to Brisbane to compete in the world-wide digital semi-final. The teams will get to experience the Australian home of Volvo Trucks, culminating in a Gala dinner where the winner who will head to the world finals in Gothenburg in September will be announced.
VISTA (Volvo International Service Training Award) is an international competition open to all Service Market professionals within the Volvo Trucks’ and Volvo Buses’ global service network. Currently it is the world’s largest competition for Service Market personnel.
The aim of the competition is to help employees develop and improve their knowledge, skills, and ability to work as a team. Participants take part in teams of two to four people, and the competition starts with two parts of theoretical questions, which teams complete in their workshops. After these two parts, the best performing teams qualify for the World Semi-Final, this year being a Digital Semi-final with more than 180 teams. From the Digital Semi-final 44 teams will qualify for the World Final in Gothenburg – the home of Volvo Trucks and Buses.
However, VISTA is much more than a competition – it is a mass training event. The aim is to make us better at what we do every day. During VISTA, the participants improve their skills, new friendships are formed, and for many, it is an experience of a lifetime.
VISTA is not only important for Volvo’s Service Market personnel – it is of great importance for the entire Volvo Group. It is a way of showing how much we value the hard work carried out at our workshops all over the world, and that we invest in what our customers appreciate most – world-class service.
For workshops, VISTA is a very effective way of motivating and inspiring employees and improving skills and knowledge of workshop personnel. These are all benefits that will lead to improved customer service and increased customer satisfaction.
