Why Join PSA?
This is a question that is often asked about any trade association and is difficult to answer if you don’t understand the dynamics of a trade association. Trade associations are exactly what the name says it is. It is a group of similar businesses that come together for the purpose of working together to improve industry conditions for all involved in that group. They exchange information, they work together on committees for the common good, they develop programs to benefit their members and ideally, and they each contribute something to the organization to make it better each time a new member joins.
Now let's see what PSA members have accomplished to make their organization the best it can be to meet their needs in managing their business.
- Communications
- PSANews is a quarterly newspaper that is posted on psaworld.org for members of the service industry in an effort to bring everyone up to date on industry news, events, and happenings in the industry that will have an effect on your business. PSANews has allowed PSA to be the most proactive voice in the industry aggressively addressing the inequities that face each of us every day. We have been at the forefront of higher warranty reimbursement for independent servicers and better treatment of service by manufacturers and third party administrators.
- PSA Update is a monthly update and published in Appliance Service News to bring news and interesting industry articles to readers on a monthly basis. It is also posted on the PSA web site - psaworld.org
- PSANet is our email network that allows PSA members to communicate directly with other members, provides instant industry news as it happens, and provides instant technical assistance. It also provides management assistance when requested and might even contain a good joke once in while. Many manufacturers also monitor the network, and technical assistance is provided.
- PSA-edu is our email network for educators, industry leaders, and manufacturers to communicate on a national basis to share information to improve and support the training of new technicians.
- Service Library provides a huge digital storeroom of service manuals, service bulletins, tech sheets, and training videos. This powerful tool is easily accessible online and gives PSA members the documents needed to quickly resolve tough issues in the field for most brand products.
- Education
- Certified Appliance Professional (CAP) program allows technicians to certify their skills as either a Master Technician or as Certified Technician. The program measures the technician’s skill level against industry set benchmarks and skill standards set and is maintained by the National Coalition of Electronics Education (NCEE) Graduate Technician program that measure the skills of graduating technicians from technical schools attesting to the fact that these graduate technicians have the skill level to enter the appliance service field as entry level technicians without field experience. After two years of actual field experience, graduate technicians can convert their certification to a Master Technician with the recommendation of the employer.
- Certified Service Manager (CSM) program allows owners and service managers to certify their skills as a professional service manager according to national standards created and maintained by the National Coalition of Electronics Education (NCEE).
- Certified Consumer Specialist (CCS) program is designed to test the skills of the non-technical service center support personnel who are in everyday contact with consumers.
- Certified Service Center (CSC) program is designed to identify those service centers who have taken the time to train and certify their operations as a facility capable of providing world-class service to consumers by certifying their technicians and support personnel to national industry standards.
- Curriculum - The PSA education committee is working with both post secondary schools and vocational high schools to improve and update the curriculum to keep it current with the needs of the industry. They are also working to create a model for vocational high schools nationally to attract more technicians into the field as a career choice and to act as a feeder to post secondary schools that offer appliance service training and can meet the standards for developing quality technicians.
- SkillsUSA - PSA is involved on a national level with the SkillsUSA competition held annually in June where students from vocational schools from all over the country come together and compete for awards and prizes for their diagnostic skills. PSA provides our graduate certification exam free of charge during this event.
- Technical Training - PSA provides technical training at the annual convention and free certification those for attending the convention.
- Management Training - PSA provides management training to servicers on how to better manage their business. Service managers can become certified as a Certified Service Manager (CSM) attesting to the fact that they have had the training and have met the requirements of service business management in consumer relations, employee relations, accounting, marketing, productivity, and general management techniques.
- Annual Convention - The National All Service Convention (NASC) has become the premier educational event of the industry with top – notch training in technical skills, management techniques, and free certification for those who attend. It also provides members with the opportunity to participate in industry roundtable discussions with manufacturer and third party warranty representatives to resolve issues that face us all. It also gives the vocational instructors an opportunity to interface with the industry and to update their skills with up-to-date technical training as well as meeting with other instructors and industry leaders to provide better support to the educational effort. The ability to network with servicers from all parts of the country, exchange best practice ideas, discuss industry problems, get certified, and have a great time in the process is something every servicer should be involved in.
- Member Tools
- Cost of Doing Business Software - PSA has partnered with a CPA firm to develop a Cost of Doing Business software program that allows members to accurately find their cost of doing business and to manage their business by controlling costs and lets them make knowledgeable business decisions based on facts and not on guesswork.
- CAP Practice Exam allows technicians to see if they have the skills and are ready to take the certification exam.
- Employee Evaluation program allows you to test the skills of a potential new technician. The program will show you where they are strong technically and the areas where they will require some help to bring their skills up to industry standards. You know how everybody can talk a good game, but can they deliver? This program takes the guesswork out of the evaluation process.
- PSA Flat Rate Pricing Guide - PSA has worked hard to develop an industry accepted Flat Rate Appliance Service Labor Pricing Guide for its members.
The PSA industry relations committee meets regularly and continues a running dialogue on all industry issues all year long. The certification committee edits and reviews the certification question pool to make sure all questions are pertinent and correct according to the latest skill standards. The communications committee is responsible for the direction and content of our publications, and we really need people who are willing to write articles for these publications. These are just a few of the ongoing committees that are staffed by volunteer members.
The PSA Board of Director members volunteer their time, energies, and resources, and they work very hard to oversee the work of the volunteer committees and to promote and work for the good of the association and the service industry as a whole. Each member of the board serves on one or more industry committees meeting with other associations and manufacturers in an effort to resolve industry problems. Each member serves a two-year term, and board seats are available to any member who wants to throw his or her hat into the ring and run in the annual election. All members of PSA are given the right to vote for officers by mail in ballot.
What you have just read is what we now have available to give our members as an edge up on their competition in any given market place.
The question that we started with is “Why Should Anyone Want to Join PSA?” Just think, if we can develop all of this with the members we have now, what would PSA be like if you and every other servicer who has not joined an association were to
Join PSA tomorrow? Associations need you and your expertise to be successful. Are you going to be one of those individuals that sit around and complain about the industry and when you call the trade association the first thing you say is “What are you going to do for me?,” or are you going to become part of the team to make things better by giving some of you time and energy to work for a better industry?
PSA is committed to making your business more efficient and profitable. PSA is committed to representing your interest with manufacturers and other users of independent service. PSA is committed to giving each servicer a voice in industry affairs. PSA is the association for service professionals large or small.
You can only get good things when good people make it happen. Are you one of those good people?
You know what they say about people who don’t vote…”If you don’t vote, you can’t complain about what you get.” In our industry, if you don’t participate, you can’t complain if you haven’t done anything to make it better.
If you agree, we challenge you to
join PSA today and become part of the team to make your industry a better place for all of us in the future.