Shop Talk

The best RV techs aren’t just skilled — they are always looking for new ways to improve. In this episode of Shop Talk, Erik Olsen breaks down what the best shops do to support their techs on the floor, the variety that keeps the job from ever getting stale, and what a real growth path looks like for a tech who wants to level up.

How do you take your shop to the next level? In this episode, Liz Reddick, Fixed Ops Director, talks about the practical steps a shop can take to grow its culture and improve the customer experience. After stepping into a new role and helping her team build momentum, she's sharing what worked for her. We'll get into why she reviews NPS scores with her team every single morning, the mentor&...

In this podcast episode, Liz Reddick, Fixed Ops Director in Scott City, Missouri, talks about walking into a shop that needed serious repair — not the RVs, the culture — and how she turned it around. We'll get into why she reviews NPS scores with her team every single morning, the mentor's quote that still hangs above her desk, and the hardest leadership lesson she had to unlearn: not ever...

RV electrical gives even seasoned pros a headache. But Tom Wirtala says it doesn't have to. His secret? Stop overthinking it. In this podcast episode, Tom breaks down why most electrical gremlins trace back to one loose connection, how to tell the difference between corrosion and the real problem, and why "divide and conquer" beats guesswork every time. We'll also get into the $4...

What separates a chaotic shop from one that runs like clockwork? This week, we sit down with John Mayo, Market Fixed Ops Manager, and the man whose job it is to visit service centers across the country to teach what works and what doesn't. With a rare view into dozens of shops, he knows exactly what's different about those that are truly performing and what it takes to get there. We'll...

How do you get the right parts for the job?  In this episode of Shop Talk, Assistant National Parts Manager Jacalyn Clark pulls back the curtain on how the parts world really works—and what you learn just might make your next job a whole lot smoother. Tune in for a fuller picture of how parts get sourced and all the tools already at your disposal—plus a new one that lets you cross-reference part n...

What are the lessons of a former hourly tech turned Fixed Ops Director? Our guest, Sterling Sutherland of Spring, Texas, made that jump himself, and he's sharing the advice he wishes someone had shared with him along the way: How to approach the move to flat rate, when to swallow your pride and pick up the phone to ask a question, and which certifications can actually open doors for you. If yo...

In this episode, we sit down with Ed Turner, who makes the case that a well-told work order is one of the most underrated moneymakers for an RV tech. So if you aren’t telling the full story behind a repair, it’s time to learn how. Plus, we’ll hear time-saving tips like talk-to-text, photo markup, snapping the serial number instead of squinting at your own handwriting, and much more. Shop Talk is t...

What does it take to log record billable hours with exceptional customer service?  In this episode of Shop Talk, we talk with flat rate tech Nick Singley about how he stacks hours and makes them count. We'll hear why saying yes to the jobs nobody else wants is exactly how you build your hours, and how chasing manufacturer certifications — before anyone asks you to — can make you the only perso...

What does it actually take for an RV tech to run a profitable, efficient bay? Efficiency is a skill that separates techs who have to stay late to make up for lost time from those who leave on time and earn more doing it. In this episode of Shop Talk, we talk with Master Tech Spencer Kearney about the real time-killers in the bay, why chasing hours often costs you money, and how to run your bay lik...

How has the life of an RV tech changed? It's a question perfectly suited for longtime Master Technician Tom Wirtala, who's seen just about everything in his 30+ year career. Tom has lived the evolution first-hand. He also gets into what separates a good tech from a great one, why time management might be the most underrated skill in the bay, and the one piece of advice he gives every new t...