Our first months on the job as the Kountry Klub’s new International Directors have been pretty hectic. Coming right out of the Canadian Maritimes and Newfoundland Caravan, we stopped in Nappanee during July to spend some time meeting all the fantastic people from Newmar who support the Klub. We only had a week there before heading down to Dallas to welcome our newest granddaughter, so we made the most of it.
Honestly, the Klub has a lot going on. Our priority has been sourcing a venue for the 2027 International Rally. We have a big announcement that we hope to make soon. Priorities also include drafting the refresh to the Officers’ Manual, rolling out the new Cookies with the Klub social in the Service Center, and working with the Region Directors to learn about all the activities going on in their regions. In case you did not know, there are over 30 rallies and events scheduled in the fourth quarter of this year alone. You should check out the Klub Calendar on the NewmarKountryKlub.com website to find a fun event near you.
By the time this edition of The Road Ahead is published, it is likely that we will have rolled out the Kountry Klub’s new Operations Manual. The new Manual revitalizes and replaces the prior Officers’ Manual and is intended to signify that the policies of the Klub are available for all members.
Once the new Operations Manual is published, you will learn about the new Lifetime Klub Membership, which is being offered for the first time in over a decade. New ways for new owners to join the Klub are being rolled out. We are also rolling out the Optional Event Cancellation Protection Benefit, updates to the Special Events and International Rally Cancellation and Refund Policy, formal recognition of the Special Events Director and Hosts position duties, updates to the Event Release Form and significant consolidation and clarification of other existing policies.
You may not know it, but the Kountry Klub Offices are co-located with the Call Center for the Newmar Brand Specialists. While we were there in July, we had a chance to meet Erica Miller who is the Brand Specialist for Mountain Aire and the New Aire. Hearing the Specialists take calls and solving issues, we thought it would be interesting to share some of what we learned about Erica and the Call Center’s processes. We plan to use our magazine articles in future issues to talk about what is going on in the Klub and share stories about some of the neat people we meet.
Erica has worked as a Brand Specialist for ten years, previously supporting the Ventana for six years. Although she enjoys supporting her part of the luxury line, she really likes the simplicity of the Ventana. She explained that when someone in need calls in, the number they dial directs them to their designated specialist. If the designated specialist is on a call with someone else, the incoming call rolls to the next available specialist who is best suited to respond. Erica takes anywhere from 25 to 45 calls a day, with Monday being her busiest day, go figure. A typical call takes about 5 minutes to process, so she spends quite a bit of time responding to emailed questions that are less urgent.
We asked Erica what question she gets asked the most and she said that in the winter, she takes a lot of calls about the Oasis system. While she gets a mix of topics, she spends a lot of time walking people through how to use the Silverleaf, KIB, HWH, and River Park camera functions. Erica told us that there are ten people in her group, and they work 8 am to 8 pm eastern time, with two specialists on duty for the last four hours of the day. Just a couple more interesting things about Erica, her favorite coach feature is the bunk sofa that was offered a few years ago. She does not own a Newmar, but she has taken a Dutch Star camping and really enjoyed it. Her favorite call was when a customer’s cat was stuck in the slide. Erica was able to walk the owner through getting the cat free and is now a cat hero.
Wishing you safe travels.
