The Learning Process

In any educational, learning or behavior change effort, repetition and reinforcement
is critical. The “student” must accept the responsibility of absorbing content. It is then the developer’s responsibility to ensure that the repetition and reinforcement is adequate in frequency and ease of practice for the student.

So many dealerships are proud of the fact that they are expanding the vision and learning opportunities for their associates. However, dealerships typically introduce a behavior change and expect their students to quickly absorb this content.

The learning process commences when an associate is exposed to a new experience, whether that is reading a new word, listening to someone explain a concept, or trying a new method for solving a problem. In our case it is the elevation of customer satisfaction through enhanced measures of customer “care.”

Learning can begin when an unconditioned stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response, is paired with a neutral stimulus.

When an unexpected or unconditional stimulus triggers a response which is paired with a neutral stimulus, learning has a greater chance of occurring. Eventually, an association will develop and the previous neutral stimulus becomes known as a conditioned stimulus that then triggers a conditioned response. The responsibility transfers to the students to routinely apply this conditioned stimulus, which in turn triggers a conditioned response.

In the case of a service advisor at a truck dealership, that associate seldom asks for the customer to accept an appointment for a diagnosis or a repair. When the student or service advisor absorbs a conditioned stimulus, he will experience a conditioned response.

Furthermore, if the service advisor offers the conditioned stimulus in an open-ended fashion such as “What would be the best day for you to bring your truck in to us?” the conditioned response can be even more positive.