Interview with a Top-50 RV Dealer on Transcending the Boundaries of a Typical Business

Running a dealership is tough enough already. Running a dealership that stands head and shoulders above the competition is even tougher. It’s not enough to just sell high-quality products and services – sometimes an extra step is needed.

Moix RV, a dealership located in Conway, Arkansas, doesn’t just take one step – it takes a whole bunch of them. From building strong relationships with customers to providing free services – Moix RV does not hold back on anything. It’s not surprising then that RVBusiness has recognized it as a Top-50 RV dealer in North America for the past two years in a row.

We’ve recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Michael Moix, the current owner of Moix RV, to discuss what makes his business so successful. Find out what he had to say in our interview with him below!

Can you talk a little about the history of your dealership?

Michael: “Well, my dad started the business in October of 1976.

At the time, he owned a Sirloin Stockade steakhouse, but the restaurant business proved to be a difficult climate, to say the least. So, to make ends meet, he bought a trailer from one of our current competitors.

He liked the trailer and the lifestyle so much that he contacted the manufacturer and started selling those trailers out of the parking lot of his Sirloin Stockade restaurant. He was cooking for lunch and dinner, and selling trailers the rest of the time.

He was doing that for a few years – until he ended up building the facility here in Conway, in the mid ‘80s, while I was still in school.

I graduated high school in the early ‘90s, and worked for my dad as I went to college. I’ve been working with him ever since.”

Why do you think RVBusiness named you a Top-50 dealer in 2017?

Michael: “I think it’s because we have a different outlook from other dealerships. Yes, a business has to be profitable. However, you also have to look at your customers and think about, why are they buying this product and what are they going to do with it? One of the things we’ve noticed as far back as 2010 is that customers buy units and never use them.

So, a few years ago, we created a camping club – Camp Moix – to organize camping trips around the state, four to five times a year. It helps our customers get out and use their units, while letting us interact with them. We also fix small problems with their units, cook for them and provide entertainment – all for free.

This, in turn, allows us to build stronger relationships with our customers and generate attention to our brand through word of mouth.”

Aside from these camping trips, what are some of the other things that you do to keep your customers happy?

Michael: “We probably spend more money than anybody on the warranty work that the manufacturer won’t pay for, just because it’s the right thing to do.”

What are some of your biggest business challenges right now?

Michael: “Our biggest business challenge is inventory management – having the right inventory on the ground at the right time. That’s not just in Sales, that’s in the Parts store, also.”

When did you start using the IDS system, and what was the initial reason for doing so?

Michael: “We signed up in late 2014 and went live in early 2015. I think the main reason we picked IDS over some of the competitors was because we never saw anyone besides IDS, and possibly Systems 2000, at any of the RV trade shows. It seemed clear to us that IDS was the only software company that was innovating specifically for the RV industry.

We were actually using a different software system prior to IDS, which we bought in the early 2000s. However, after realizing that it was missing several key features we decided to move on.”

What features attracted you to IDS?

Michael: “One of them was the ability to store photographs on a work order. That’s become huge in the past three to four years, particularly when it comes to warranty submissions – if you don’t have photographs, you’re not getting paid.

Our old system didn’t have any way to catalogue those photographs, so we had to store them on our server as separate files, which made them tough to find. With IDS, we simply pull up the work order and the photographs that were taken for it are there.

Another thing we wanted was the ability for our technicians to clock in and out of jobs remotely, on a mobile device, instead of having to go across the shop and use a terminal. IDS was one of the first systems to come out with that.”

What else do you use the IDS Mobile App for?

Michael: “We use it more for the shop than anything else. It allows our technicians to make notes as well as take pictures right from the app and attach them to their work orders.”

What was the implementation process like?

Michael: “It was very smooth – we were impressed. We did all the online classes to become more familiar with the system. Everybody on staff, including all the team leaders, attended them. I also think that having someone from IDS on site for a couple of weeks was key; we got a lot out of that.

How has IDS changed your life as an owner?

Michael: “The reporting side of things has definitely been helpful. When I come in, I know what reports I want to look at and what information should be on them. They are very easy to pull up, which makes it easy to review them on a daily basis, when necessary. This gives me a good understanding of what’s going on with my business at all times