In 2011, Fiat Group continued investing in its dealer and service network through general and specialist training.
Fiat Group Automobiles (FGA) has also continued the skills assessment and certification of salespeople and technicians, with personalized training plans established to address any gaps in knowledge in order to standardize skill levels across the network.
In 2011, Unetversity, the FGA training school, trained approximately 68,000 salespeople and technicians, for a total of more than two million hours of training, while the Chrysler Academy trained over 95,000 dealership personnel, sales and after-sales professionals and technicians, for approximately 3.6 million hours of training.
Courses for the sales force included, among other topics, customer relationship management and the environmental and safety features of the Group’s vehicles. Training for technicians concentrated on diagnosis, maintenance and repair techniques for fuel-efficient engines.
Finally, online training was enhanced to ensure that information and knowledge is more readily accessible to everyone in the network, saving time and money and reducing the environmental impact of travel.
After its introduction in Italy, in 2011 Fiat Group Automobiles (FGA) Unetversity launched the training program Customer First: Shoulder to Shoulder across Europe. This initiative is designed to improve network personnel’s approach and behavior during the sales process and reflects the commitment to promoting responsible selling techniques. The program adds to a range of other training initiatives aimed at encouraging the greatest transparency possible in the management of customer relationships. In 2011, support was provided to approximately 600 dealerships to enhance their professional approach and transparency throughout the entire selling process.
With a focus on exceeding customer expectations, in 2011 Chrysler Group continued the Chrysler Dealer Standards program, launched in 2010. The initiative is designed to improve overall customer experience as well as promote the long term success of both the company and the dealer network. FGA Unetversity also placed particular emphasis on training for staff, such as service center managers and front office employees, who manage the after-sales relationship with customers.
Activities such as service check-in, scheduling vehicle delivery and managing spare parts supply have a significant impact on customer perception of service quality and, consequently, on the level of customer satisfaction.
Lastly, training activities to support dealership owners and managers also continued during 2011 through the FGA Effect program, a professional Dealer Business School modeled after university-level business management curriculums.
This program provides dealers with training in managerial skills and tools to help successfully address changing conditions at the global and local level, placing particular emphasis on succession management. Now in its fourth year in Italy, Effect has been extended across Europe.
In 2011, Chrysler Group launched (in the US, Canada and Mexico) iExam, a business analysis tool that allows dealers to analyze their financial performance. The tool identifies possible out-of-line conditions and/or opportunities, and provides key performance indicators, corporate benchmarks and financial performance reports developed to help sustain a profitable business.
Continuing its long-standing commitment, Fiat Group Automobiles (FGA) dedicates considerable resources to environmental and safety topics. In 2011, approximately 394,000 hours of training on these issues were provided to salespeople, technicians and after-sales staff, representing approximately 34% of all training provided in the EMEA¹ region.
The sales force received special training on systems such as the Smart Alternator and Start&Stop, which provide customers with key benefits in the form of fuel savings and lower CO2 emissions. Technical training for service technicians focused on developing know-how in the repair and maintenance of eco-efficient engines, essential to ensuring engine efficiency and reducing fuel consumption and emissions levels, as defined by regulatory limits.
Chrysler Group is also fundamentally committed to raising awareness and know-how with respect to environmental and safety issues. Approximately 588,600 hours of product training were delivered to sales professionals covering environmental and safety related topics in both live and web formats. Sales training included topics such as eco-friendly technologies, as well as active and passive safety features. For service technicians, approximately 438,700 hours of training were provided in the diagnosis, repair and maintenance of fuel-efficient engines, marking an increase of 12% compared with 2010.
(1) As of September 2011, four Regional Operations Groups have been established to manage car manufacturing and sales activities within the entire Fiat Group: NAFTA (Canada, Mexico and the US), EMEA (Europe, Africa and Middle East), LATAM (Latin America) and ASIA. 
