Training dealers is nothing new to Ally Financial. That’s been a huge part of the near century-long history at the company founded as General Motors Acceptance Corp. in the 1900s.

But the format in which Ally teaches dealers has evolved greatly, with the latest offering coming Monday.

The company introduced the Performance Development Center, which is an interactive Web-based training site for dealers that provides store employees customized instruction that is tailored specifically to their respective dealership roles.

Kathy Ruble, Ally’s vice president of dealership development services, talked with Auto Remarketing on Monday afternoon about the new program and how it helps today’s busy dealer.

So what has changed?

Traditionally, Ally’s dealer training had been more of the classroom-setting style (though it has done online instruction previously, as well).

With this program, though, Ally has now converted about 90 percent of its classes online, Ruble said, acknowledging that some of its instruction still necessitates the classroom setting.

(And, of course, Ally still offers the in-dealership and customized training)

The new Performance Development Center offers dealers 24-7 access into the instruction that includes 15 virtual on-demand courses with more than 35 modules. These cover a wide range of topics, including Commercial Services Group Business Vehicle Certification, Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) Awareness, NetQuote and Residual Value Lease Guide and Retail Process Overview training.

Once a user has created a profile, Ally pushes course content that’s specific to his or her role at the dealership, Ruble explained.

Not only is the training designed to be specific for an employee’s particular role at the store, they are also designed to be time-efficient — most are under 20 minutes

She also noted that dealership groups can set up content specific to and “walled off” to their stores, while also uploading their own content to the curriculum.

In the Ally announcement of the program, Ruble said: “The Performance Development Center supports Ally's dedication to dealers by delivering valuable training on a wide array of topics that can help improve their sales and financing effectiveness.

“Last year, Ally trained more than 14,000 dealership personnel with its instructor-led training, including in-dealership classes and those offered via webinar. The new site allows Ally to do even more targeted training efforts so we can tailor our approach to meet the needs of a new generation of learners,” she added.

These learners can also test their skills via review quizzes; and if they would like to review while they’re away from the computer, reference materials can be printed, as well.

The Performance Development Center also provides a history of completed training courses for users. Once an employee has finished a course, he or she receives a printable certification.

Any dealer can utilize the Performance Development Center, and more content will be added throughout the year.
 

Joe Overby can be reached at joverby@autoremarketing.com. Continue the conversation with Auto Remarketing on both LinkedIn and Twitter.