When you work in the commercial vehicle industry, it is easy to become an expert in your own corner of it. You learn your products, your customers, your processes, and the challenges that affect your role every day. But the work truck industry is an interconnected ecosystem, and decisions made in one part of it can have a significant impact somewhere else.
Early in my career, I often viewed challenges through the lens of my own department. As I've taken part in cross-functional initiatives, I've realized how interconnected our industry really is. A project that seems focused on improving customer communication can quickly involve sales, IT, operations, finance, engineering, and even external distribution partners. Seeing how people, processes, and technology influence the customer experience helped me appreciate how important it is to understand perspectives beyond my own role.
One of the most valuable opportunities I have found through NTEA and Generation Next is the chance to look beyond my own day-to-day responsibilities. Through events and industry relationships, I've had opportunities to connect with professionals from manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and upfitters whose day-to-day challenges are very different from my own. Those conversations provide perspectives that can be difficult to gain from within your own organization and have helped me understand how decisions made in one part of the industry can create ripple effects elsewhere.
Every time I attend an event or participate in a discussion, I leave with a deeper appreciation for the perspectives and expertise that exist across our industry — and a better understanding of not only what is changing, but why those changes matter to the people we serve.
That broader perspective is especially important as customer expectations continue to evolve. In our personal lives, we have become accustomed to instant access to information, online ordering, real-time updates, and increasingly seamless digital experiences. Those expectations do not disappear when someone arrives at work. At the same time, the commercial vehicle industry has been built on something equally valuable: long-standing relationships, technical expertise, trust and highly personalized service.
Understanding more of the industry helps us see that technology and relationships do not have to compete with each other. The better question may be where technology can remove unnecessary friction, so people have more time to provide the expertise and problem-solving customers truly value. Something as straightforward as easier access to product information, clearer order updates, digital parts lookup, or a simpler warranty process can improve the customer experience without sacrificing the personal relationships that have long been a strength of this industry.
One example I've seen firsthand is the implementation of case management processes designed to improve communication with customers. It is a system designed to capture customer inquiries, route them to the right people, and ensure customers receive timely answers with clear ownership and accountability. The goal wasn't to replace personal interactions. It was to provide better visibility, ensure requests didn't get lost, and create a more consistent experience from start to finish. By reducing friction in the process, our team can spend more time helping customers solve problems and less time searching for information.
This is one area where I think emerging professionals have an important opportunity. Before we can help improve a process, we need to understand the people and businesses affected by it. Exposure to different perspectives through NTEA, Generation Next, industry education, events and relationships gives us a chance to learn how manufacturers, distributors, upfitters, fleets, suppliers, and others fit together. It also helps us recognize that a process that seems inefficient from one perspective may exist for reasons we have not yet encountered.
That does not mean we should stop asking questions. In fact, I think a broader understanding allows us to ask better ones. Where can we make something easier for a customer? Where could better information eliminate a phone call or email? Where can technology support a relationship rather than replace it? And which long-standing practices continue to deliver real value and deserve to be protected?
One question I've learned to ask differently is not "Why are we doing it this way?" but rather "What problem was this process originally designed to solve?" Understanding the history and constraints behind a decision often changes the conversation. Sometimes you discover a process still serves an important purpose. Other times, that understanding creates an opportunity to improve it in a way that benefits both the business and the customer.
For members of Generation Next, there is tremendous value in getting outside the boundaries of our own job descriptions. The more we understand the industry around us, the better equipped we are to contribute to its future. We can respect the experience that built this industry while still looking for opportunities to improve how people experience it.
Curiosity may be one of the most valuable traits an emerging leader can develop. The more willing we are to understand the perspectives of others, the more effective we become at solving problems that affect the entire customer journey.