Never before have stocked shelves, road construction projects, and refuse collection been more vital to society than during the global coronavirus pandemic. Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks have risen to the challenge, offering customers consistent uptime support.

Mack OneCall agents, based in Mack’s 24/7 Uptime Center in Greensboro, N.C., have continued to keep customers’ trucks generating revenue as a result of careful preparations occurring long before the pandemic. Personnel from every customer support function work in the Uptime Center, enabling cross-functional teams to quickly and efficiently address customer issues impacting uptime.

Volvo Trucks North America also continues to provide customers with its uptime support amid the current COVID-19 situation. As always, Volvo Action Service (VAS) is enabling customers to connect with highly trained uptime experts for 24/7 assistance to quickly manage service, connectivity solutions, schedule repairs, and tackle any other issues they experience amid the pandemic to ensure maximized uptime.

Recognizing the criticality of ongoing reliable support, both truckmakers strategically planned for conditions that would enable agents and other uptime support employees to work from home so that when and if the time ever came, everyone was adequately prepared.

Mack has made several investments in technology, resources and services to improve uptime for customers, including increased staffing of OneCall agents and improvements to capabilities such as ASIST, Mack’s web-based service management system. Mack Parts Distribution Centers are also up and running, keeping Mack dealers stocked with necessary parts for uptime support. 

Mack keeps track of key performance indicators, as well as capturing customer feedback, and has seen positive trends during the past few months.

Mack’s comprehensive suite of uptime services begins at the Mack Uptime Center, where OneCall agents offer support to customers experiencing unplanned and planned service events, including scheduling of service and repairs. Agents also respond to events that are proactively identified through Mack GuardDog^® Connect, Mack’s integrated telematics solution. Mack GuardDog Connect is standard on all Mack models equipped with Mack engines.

Mack GuardDog Connect also enables Mack Over The Air, offering remote software updates for powertrain components and vehicle parameters for Mack trucks equipped with 2017 or newer Mack engines. Working with Mack OneCall agents, the updates are scheduled for when it works best for the customer.

Volvo Trucks’ over-the-air services and Remote Programming capabilities increase uptime as updates can be done in a matter of minutes without having to visit a dealership. Remote Diagnostics, which is standard in every Volvo truck, also helps avoid unexpected downtime by monitoring Volvo engines, I-Shift transmissions and aftertreatment systems.

“With COVID-19, it’s more important than ever for trucks to remain on the road, delivering much-needed goods and supplies,” said Conal Deedy, director of customer productivity solutions, Volvo Trucks North America. “During this time, we are committed to offering the same all-day and all-night uptime support for our customers despite modified working conditions. Our Volvo Action Service team is made up of real people, all employees of Volvo Trucks, who offer fast solutions for customers so they can focus on delivering food, medicine and other essential materials needed right now, safely and efficiently.”