Bison Transport announced that it has adopted MVASIST, the service management platform in use at Volvo Trucks North America dealer locations. The Winnipeg, Manitoba-based company says the Web-based system is providing better control over breakdown and warranty service for its 1,000-plus tractors, leading to administrative and downtime cost savings.
Volvo says MVASIST allows Bison to communicate with dealers, even before a vehicle arrives at a service location. With access to an electronic folder of vehicle information, service facilities can view the fleet’s or individual vehicle’s preferred maintenance and repair procedures, warranty coverage, parts pricing programs and more.
“MVASIST is now our main conduit for information about the status of a repair,” said Violet Hauptkorn, breakdown maintenance coordinator at Bison. “It streamlines communication between us and our service providers because all of the specification and warranty information about a vehicle is in the system.” Hauptkorn says MVASIST also gives Bison much greater control over its equipment. “A better supplier relationship leads to lower administrative costs, and virtually eliminates issues that could occur when we’re working with a dealer location on the road,” he says.
On an average day, Bison uses MVASIST to handle as many as 10 active repair orders. “MVASIST provides us with an accurate, consistent and comprehensive process that is generating savings,” says Braedy Tritthart, coordinator of outsourced maintenance at Bison. “With the platform, we can see exactly the communication that took place between Bison and a service provider, removing the possibility of lost or deleted e-mails, faxes and phone messages. That eliminates the time it takes to address discrepancies, while knowing exactly when a repair is done cuts downtime and improves vehicle utilization.”
“Bison Transport is a perfect example of the rapidly growing number of Volvo fleets taking advantage of MVASIST to help ensure that their repairs are handled accurately and in a timely manner,” says Dave Albert, customer satisfaction program manager for Volvo Trucks North America. “We developed MVASIST to provide fleets with a more effective and consistent method of communicating with service providers. For Bison and other fleets, it’s proving to be a very beneficial technology.”
